American Center, February 17, 2018
As prepared
Dobre rano, damy a panove. Good morning, and welcome to the American Center. I am excited to be here today to open the U.S.-Czech Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology and Chemistry.
The Embassy is proud to be a sponsor of this conference as we kickoff our celebration of 100 years of U.S.-Czech diplomatic relations. I am proud that this is one of the first programs supported by the Embassy’s Centennial Grant Fund, which is financing almost 30 projects in 2018, each of which will showcase a different facet of the deep and enduring U.S.-Czech relationship.
As part of our joint efforts to mark this centennial, we are highlighting one pillar of our relationship each month. In January, we are highlighting U.S.-Czech collaboration in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Increasing opportunities for research and development in STEM fields is critical to ensuring that both of our countries can continue to compete globally and pave the way for even greater economic growth and advancement.
Economic growth is in everyone’s interest: Strong economies are not only good trade and investment partners for the United States, but bring greater peace and security to the world as a whole.
As such, one of my top priorities for my tenure as Ambassador is to further enhance and grow the economic relationship between the United States and the Czech Republic.
Some of the ways we can grow that relationship is through professional exchanges between scientists and researchers, exchanges like this conference; collaborative research projects between our two countries; and support for the commercialization of innovative technologies.
Nanotechnology is one promising area for our future cooperation. According to a recent report, the global nanomaterials market is expected to reach 16.8 billion dollars by 2022. Nanotechnology has the potential to create the higher value added research and jobs that we all want for our workers.
Both of our countries are true technology leaders, especially in the field of nanotechnology. And together, we can work to use our research to promote stronger economic ties and increase trade and investment.
This conference is a great opportunity to identify potential projects for U.S.-Czech research collaboration and funding sources for nanotechnology and chemistry research. This “bottom-up” approach to science and technology advancement, where discovery and invention are driven by scientists, investors, and entrepreneurs to meet the 21st century needs of society, industry, and security.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank a number of individuals who have been instrumental in putting this conference together. From my team, I would like to thank Stephen and Barbora from the Office of Naval Research Global, our Public Affairs, and Political/Economic Section.
I also want to thank Pavel Tuček and Radek Zbořil from Palacký University for their hard work, creativity, and dedication to making this conference “world-class.” Pavel first proposed this conference in March 2017 and helped secure financing to make the conference a reality. It is a testament to Radek’s “star power” that the best and the brightest of the American nanotechnology community answered “ano” (AH-no) to his call to fly across continents and an ocean in the mid-January to join us in the heart of Central Europe.
Thank you to Dr. Frank DelRio from the National Institute of Standards and Technology who propelled his experience as a U.S. Embassy Science Fellow last spring to promote this conference as an opportunity for enhanced and more in-depth collaboration between U.S. and Czech scientists in the field of nanotechnology.
And finally, thank you to the Technical University of Liberec, Palacký University, and the prestigious Institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences for their financial support of this conference.
I hope that the relationships you make at this conference, and the knowledge you gain, will be a springboard to more robust collaboration and partnership between the United States and the Czech Republic in the field of nanotechnology and chemistry.
Mrs. King and I look forward to welcoming you to our home for this evening’s reception.
On behalf of the United States, I am proud to declare the U.S.-Czech Conference on Advanced Nanotechnology and Chemistry officially open. Thank you.
