The goals and objectives of the RTO Partnership policy are to:

1. Ensure a gradual, coherent, and evolutionary approach for Partner participation in RTO activities, in line with political guidance issued by the North Atlantic Council.
2. Associate Partners with NATO defence R&T activities and the NATO R&T community in general, so as to provide them with a broad understanding of the NATO perception of defence R&T, and NATO structures and practices to promote international cooperation in defence R&T.
3. Assist Partners to identify their research and technology requirements and provide them with tools to plan effective defence R&T programmes within the context of their national strategies.
4. Exchange information and expertise on national policies, plans and priorities for defence R&T and to harmonise R&T concepts, procedures, and terminology.
5. Foster closer cooperation between the defence establishments of the NATO nations and Partners to increase mutual confidence, understanding and transparency to promote the enhancement of R&T activities.
6. Create a forum for defence R&T academic and industrial dialogue between NATO and Partner nations on issues affecting international collaborative R&T programmes.
7. Encourage rationalisation, standardisation and interoperability between Partner and NATO nations.
8. Identify individual national defence R&T requirements that could be pursued to expand the scope of Partnership activity and create bilateral cooperative R&T programmes.