Transatlantic Technology Exchange

The Transatlantic Tech Exchange (TTX) is a signature initiative of GMF Technology, convened with support from Stiftung Mercator and the Project Liberty Institute. TTX’s goal is to build trust and mutual understanding among European and US lawmakers at the federal and state levels; discover areas of possible cross-party policy alignment through dialogue; deepen mutual understanding of EU and US technology policy and innovation environments; and conduct policy analysis and offer recommendations to advance innovation and democratic values in technology policy. Over the course of two years, the TTX will include two transatlantic policymaker study tours, one to the United States and one to Europe, a roundtable with policy stakeholders in Washington, DC, and a series of publications. 

In March 2024, GMF organized with support from Stiftung Mercator the inaugural TTX, a weeklong study tour for a delegation of 12 high-ranking members of the European Parliament (MEPs) interested and engaged in EU technology policymaking. The tour fostered understanding and exchanges on internet governance, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), and multilateral transatlantic initiatives. The study tour began in Washington, DC, where the delegation met with executive branch officials, members of Congress and their senior staff, and civil society leaders. Half the delegation then traveled to Sacramento, California, where they explored state-level policymaking. The other half visited Austin, Texas, where the agenda emphasized building a culture of innovation.

GMF will organize, with support from the Project Liberty Institute, a study tour to two European cities in late 2025. A small delegation of US state lawmakers will consider in their meetings and discussions the best ways to drive public interest AI and data. 

The second TTX study tour to the United States, convened with support from Stiftung Mercator, will take place in spring 2026 and explore topics along the “AI Value Chain”, a nascent concept encompassing the natural resources, industrial infrastructure, data, and public and private investments and inputs that together create the machine learning systems known or marketed as AI. The AI Value Chain framework spans regulatory, innovation, and industrial policy, at a time when trade and innovation are increasingly relevant to the transatlantic relationship. GMF will conduct original research and publish policy recommendations related to the AI Value Chain prior to and following the study tour.