The Government of the United States of America and the Government of Sweden (hereinafter referred to as the “Participants”),
Expressing mutual interest in science and technology capabilities and standards to usher in a new age of innovation to fortify freedom and prosperity for generations to come,
Affirming the value of bilateral science and technology collaboration to enrich the lives and livelihoods of citizens in both countries, and to elevate cooperation to a higher level,
Recognizing the importance of deepening ties with strategic partners as a means to strengthen stability, security, and competitiveness, and
Building on longstanding bilateral research and innovation partnerships, including the 2006 Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation,
Have reached the following understandings:
I. Purpose
The purpose of this Memorandum of Understanding (hereinafter “MOU”) is to enable collaboration towards joint opportunities of mutual interest in strategic science and technology disciplines in order to power the next generation of AI and global connectivity, accelerate biomedical research and innovation, unlock industrial competitiveness, secure energy leadership, strengthen space collaboration, advance a secure quantum ecosystem, and strengthen security in research and industry.
II. Areas of Cooperation
The Participants aim to collaborate in a number of disciplines, including but not limited to the following:
Accelerating the Development and Diffusion of Trusted AI and Advanced Connectivity
Recognizing the importance of secure and trusted technology infrastructure to economic prosperity and national security, the Participants intend to deepen cooperation to advance next generation AI and network technologies. The Participants intend to collaborate on R&D, promote the development and diffusion of trusted technology stacks including AI and network technology, and coordinate on international telecommunications standards development.
Focus areas for collaboration are intended to include:
- Partnering to advance the diffusion of trusted technology stacks, including as appropriate, promoting exports, using tools such as export financing and support to accelerate adoption in third party countries;
- Building a trusted, interoperable 5G supply chain, and advocating for policies that accelerate adoption of trusted connectivity infrastructure;
- Shaping telecommunications principles and standards in line with shared priorities through coordinated engagement in international bodies including the International Telecommunication Union, the Global Coalition on Telecommunications, and in partnership with industry at 3GPP;
- Collaborating to strategically engage regional partners to advance resolutions and align positions in advance of the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference and 2026 ITU Plenipotentiary;
- Cooperating to strengthen connectivity between North America, Northern Europe and the Indo-Pacific region by supporting the establishment of subsea communication cables across the Arctic;
- Promoting secure AI innovation across industry sectors and academia, by exploring joint research on AI for advanced manufacturing, materials, and production technologies; industrial automation; and other industry-relevant applications;
- Strengthening and expanding joint research and development on 5G/6G, including on wireless networks, cloud, electronics, and security, while advancing strategic use cases in critical infrastructure, defense, and mission critical applications, and applied AI.
Accelerating Biomedical Research and Innovation
Recognizing the importance of advancing biomedical research, including cancer and rare diseases, through artificial intelligence, and securing biotechnology and health supply chains, the Participants intend to deepen cooperation to accelerate biomedical innovation and strengthen resilience across the health ecosystem.
Focus areas for collaboration are intended to include:
- Exploring pathways to develop opportunities for cooperation in the area of health data for biomedical research, to accelerate discovery and improve patient outcomes;
- Sharing experiences and exploring possible joint activities to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR); and
- Advancing biomedical innovation to strengthen resilient supply chains, including through identifying chokepoints and reducing reliance on adversary-linked supply chains.
Advancing Manufacturing and Industrial Competitiveness
Recognizing the importance of advanced manufacturing as a driver of economic competitiveness, resilience, and innovation, the Participants intend to deepen cooperation to accelerate the adoption of digital manufacturing, additive manufacturing, and next generation production methods that strengthen supply chains and support high quality job creation. The Participants intend to deepen collaboration across the full spectrum of advanced manufacturing technologies, including industrial automation, precision engineering, and robotics.
Focus areas for collaboration are intended to include:
- Accelerating adoption of digital manufacturing tools and AI-driven process optimization including through collaboration on testbeds and pilot programs;
- Deepening collaboration on advanced materials, potentially including high- performance alloys and composites, to support critical sectors such as defense and semiconductor supply chains; and
- Advancing cooperation on advanced manufacturing including key technologies for vehicles, rare-earth free materials, high efficiency motors, and advanced batteries.
Unlocking Energy Innovation and Resilience
The Participants aim to strengthen cooperation to advance secure, resilient, and diversified energy systems. Together we intend to expand energy collaboration including on nuclear energy and critical minerals technologies to support innovation and the reliable deployment of next generation energy infrastructure.
Focus areas for collaboration are intended to include:
- Strengthening civil nuclear energy cooperation by facilitating commercial partnerships while identifying and addressing market barriers to accelerate the deployment of nuclear power reactors, including advanced reactors, small modular reactors (SMRs), as well as fusion technologies;
- Expanding collaboration on nuclear lifecycle innovation and waste management through scientific exchanges on repository engineering, co-location of repositories, encapsulation of nuclear fuel, and geologic modeling; and
- Promoting innovation in critical minerals technologies including sensing, characterization, exploration, extraction, processing and recovery of critical minerals and advanced materials essential to energy systems.
Strengthening Space Collaboration
Recognizing that bilateral cooperation on space benefits both countries’ national interests, the Participants intend to deepen cooperation and engage in dialogue on space security, space exploration, and space technology research, development, and commercialization.
Focus areas for collaboration are intended to include:
- Continuing the strong partnership on space science and human exploration, including potential collaboration on future Artemis lunar surface exploration missions and beyond;
- Facilitating cooperation between commercial actors from the United States and Sweden, supporting growth of space companies from both countries and building on complementary strengths;
- Facilitating commercial and civil space cooperation by addressing regulatory burdens on commercial space activities and advocating for policies that can adapt to technical development, business innovation, and market demands; and
- Leveraging our geostrategic locations as space nations to promote Arctic security and prosperity.
Recognizing the importance of enhancing efforts to research, develop, and commercialize new and emerging technologies for defense technologies, the Participants intend to establish a dialogue on regulatory and policy matters affecting defense technology cooperation, including matters related to technology transfer, and reducing regulatory friction where possible, to support economic and security interests of both parties and to strengthen transatlantic defense industrial collaboration.
Advancing a Secure Quantum Ecosystem
Recognizing the transformative role of quantum technology for future industrial development and shared security, the Participants intend to strengthen their cooperation through the Quantum Development Group to establish a trusted quantum ecosystem and secure and open standards, and explore additional opportunities to enhance research, development, and commercialization of quantum technology potentially including quantum sensing in the medical and health domain.
Strengthening Security in Research and Industry
Recognizing the importance of enhanced research integrity and security across critical and emerging technology research and development, the Participants intend to strengthen continued collaboration to protect a trustworthy research ecosystem, their technologies, their critical supply chains, and their people. The Participants intend to collaborate on research integrity and security while strengthening awareness and capacity to mitigate and, where appropriate, prevent risks, in accordance with relevant national legislations.
Focus areas for collaboration are intended to include:
- Strengthening security in research and industry through IP security, investment screening, partnerships, and talent integrity safeguards related to entities of shared security concerns;
- Building trusted science and innovation ecosystems by mitigating risks and, where appropriate, preventing high-risk entities in sensitive science and technology R&D activities;
- Strengthening safeguards for government funded research and talent programs by enhancing disclosure of foreign funding and affiliations in order to mitigate and address security risks and where appropriate, prevent partnerships with entities of shared security concerns;
- Establishing a bilateral research security dialogue and information exchange on threats, cases, risk assessments, mitigation efforts, and entities of security concern;
- Collaborating with allies and partners to adopt enhanced research security practices to facilitate a trusted innovation ecosystem; and
- Applying shared research integrity and security principles across TPD workstreams to guide collaboration, protect sensitive R&D activities, and inform future research security programming.
III. Operation and Discontinuation
This MOU becomes operative on the date of the last signature. The Participants may modify this MOU by written mutual decision.
Either Participant may discontinue this MOU at any time by providing written notice of discontinuation to the other Participant. The discontinuation is expected to commence on a date 180 days after the date on which notice of discontinuation is delivered.
The Participants intend to advance the implementation of the MOU through the Joint Committee Meeting mechanism. The modalities of the Joint Committee, including its composition, meeting frequency, and working procedures, are expected to be established by mutual decision of the Participants following this MOU becoming operative.
This MOU does not constitute or create and is not intended to constitute or create any legally binding obligations. Nothing in this MOU is intended to alter or affect any existing agreements between the Participants. Cooperation under this MOU is intended to take place within the framework of applicable national legislation and international obligations, including, for Sweden, applicable current and future European Union coordination, laws and regulations, with a view to promoting collaboration without prejudice to respective regulatory processes. Nothing in this MOU commits the Participants to the expenditure of funds.
Activities involving personal data are to be conducted in compliance with applicable data protection frameworks. This MOU does not authorize any transfer of classified, controlled, or proprietary information. Any intellectual property matters are expected to be addressed in separate implementing arrangements or project‑specific agreements, as appropriate.
The foregoing represents the understanding reached between the Participants on the matters referred to in this MOU.