Goals and Objectives of the STO Partnership Policy

The goals and objectives of the STO Partnership policy are to:

  • Ensure a gradual, coherent, and evolutionary approach for Partner participation in STO activities, in line with political guidance issued by the North Atlantic Council.
  • Associate Partners with NATO defence S&T activities and the NATO S&T community in general, so as to provide them with a broad understanding of the NATO perception of defence S&T, and NATO structures and practices to promote international cooperation in defence S&T.
  • Assist Partners to identify their research and technology requirements and provide them with tools to plan effective defence S&T programmes within the context of their national strategies.
  • Exchange information and expertise on national policies, plans and priorities for defence S&T and to harmonise S&T concepts, procedures, and terminology.
  • Foster closer cooperation between the defence establishments of the NATO nations and Partners to increase mutual confidence, understanding and transparency to promote the enhancement of S&T activities.
  • Create a forum for defence S&T academic and industrial dialogue between NATO and Partner nations on issues affecting international collaborative S&T programmes.
  • Encourage rationalisation, standardisation and interoperability between Partner and NATO nations.
  • Identify individual national defence S&T requirements that could be pursued to expand the scope of Partnership activity and create bilateral cooperative S&T programmes.