This Business Development Program brings Belarusian business leaders in exile to Washington, D.C. and American communities, to connect them with members of Congress and their constituents. As leaders within their communities, these entrepreneurs and executives play a key role in fostering trade, investment, and collaboration with American businesses. Through direct engagement, Congress can connect foreign partners with local industries and entrepreneurs in their districts, and reinforce the United States as a destination for investment and economic opportunity.
This program will focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Delegates will explore models of technology commercialization in the United States and ways to successfully transfer scientific discoveries and technological breakthroughs to the market. Specifically, the program will expose the delegates to U.S. innovative approaches to the development of new businesses, products, and services, including advancements in artificial intelligence. Candidates will include university and private managers of accelerators and incubators, ICT entrepreneurs, agencies supporting ICT, researchers and innovators.
This program will have seven participants- one facilitator and two delegates from Serbia, two delegations from Kosovo, and two delegates from North Macedonia.
Latvia is increasing investment to support research and development and seeks to expand research cooperation with the United States. In September 2024 Latvia and the United States signed an updated Science and Technology Agreement, which provides a framework for increased cooperation. While Latvia hosts a robust research ecosystem, researchers have been less effective in commercializing their products. With new amendments to the Law on Scientific Activity supporting technology transfer activities, stakeholders are eager to develop improved commercialization models. An Open World program focused on research commercialization would provide opportunities to develop new transatlantic relationships between institutions and researchers, as well as share best practices from U.S. institutions that expand public/private sector cooperation in Research and development. By building U.S. connections and offering workable models for commercialization, the program will offer innovators options grounded in transatlantic relationships and values as an alternative to cooperation with malign actors.
This program will target North Macedonia's legal experts who play a critical role in shaping national legislation. These participants, drawn from legal institutes, research bodies, and parliamentary advisory roles, are deeply engaged in drafting and analyzing laws that underpin their countries’ governance systems. Through this program, they will explore U.S. legislative processes, federal-state dynamics, and citizen engagement models while sharing comparative perspectives on rule of law, regulatory reform, and institutional transparency.
This program will provide parliamentarians with an opportunity to engage with federal and state legislatures and explore the structure, function, and practices of the American legislative process. Through meetings with legislators and legislative staff, participants will gain firsthand knowledge of how state laws are drafted and adopted in the United States. This program will allow the members of parliament to build connections with their counterparts, strengthening ties between the legislatures.
