The University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) and IRAM have finalized the signature of a collaboration agreement in the area of Millimeter Astronomy and in particular for NOEMA, the Northern Extended Millimeter Array. The agreement, which runs for five years, will serve to strengthen and accelerate the scientific and technological progress generated by NOEMA.

NOEMA enables astronomical observations with previously unattained sensitivities and precision. The signed agreement testifies to the international attention and the particular interest NOEMA is drawing far beyond the European horizon. The primary goal of the collaboration is to make progress in the understanding of astrophysics and to improve technology to do so. A similarly important goal is the strengthening of the collaboration to exchange know-how and technical skills, and to train scientists and students. While scientific transatlantic collaborations for space based observatories are relatively common, collaborations on ground based facilities are less developed so far.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is among the most prestigious US universities and its astronomy department runs multiple scientific projects and pursues university level education as well as fundamental research in many topics of modern astronomy.