On 8th May 2024, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) received the Advanced Technology Research Council  (ATRC) delegation from the United Arab Emirates. The meeting was attended by representatives of the ATRC, such as the Director General, Executive Director PMO, Senior Director PMO, Government Affairs Project Manager and several advisors, and from the CSIC's side the Vice-president for International Affairs, the Vice-President for Innovation and Technology Transfer, and international and transfer technicians.

During the meeting, the CSIC explained to ATRC the different ways in which they developed relationships with foreign institutions, how this collaboration helps all institutions to move forward and improve their work towards a better future.

Rosalía Feal, PPI4MED's project manager in Spain presented the Public Procurement Innovation (PPI) instrument, and the PPI4MED project, stressing the importance of the cross-border aspect. The objective, results and lessons learned during the project were presented to the United Arab Emirates delegation, who was highly interested in all information shared.

Conversations about how to collaborate in the future will continue moving forward.