Department of Science & Technology (DST), Govt of India

Several joint research projects in the areas of nano-materials and Energy have been supported. Additionally, setting up of an Indo-Finnish Design Innovation Centre is being discussed.

A call for joint R&D projects proposal  has been announced in the areas of Agriculture Biotechnology,Nano-materials and Information Technology and both sides have agreed to support twenty new bilateral projects.

The new model of R&D cooperation under the IC-IMPACTS (India-Canada Centre forInnovative Multidisciplinary Partnership to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability) has aided to promote multidisciplinary research partnerships aimed at accelerating social transformation by providing solutions through application of science and technology. The projects cover areas of sustainable infrastructure, energy conservation, and integrated water management.

The 8th India-Bulgaria Joint Committee on Science & Technology held in New Delhi had concluded a Programme of Cooperation (POC) between the two governments in the fields of solar energy, water science, biotechnology etc. for the period 2015-2017. A fellowship program has also been agreed for Bulgarian scientists to work in R&D labs in India for a period up to six months.

Shri Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India and Mr Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Belgium jointly activated 3.6 m optical telescope installed at Devsthal, near Nainital. The activation was done remotely during the visit of Prime Minister to Brussels. This is the largest optical telescope in Asia. In addition to the telescope projects, eight joint R&D projects in Earth Sciences, Astrophysics, Biology, and Material Sciences are being currently implemented.

During the year 2016, in a meeting between Secretary, DST, and and Vice Chairman, State Committee on Science & Technology, Belarus, it was agreed to support ten new joint R&D projects on solar harvesting materials, polymer coatings, biofuels and bioenergy.

The programme for Scientific & Technological Cooperation is carried out in the frame of the bilateral “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Austria and the Government of the Republic of India on Scientific and Technological Cooperation of 1st October 2008.

The collaboration supports several competitive grant projects and seven major Grand Challenge projects under the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF). During the year 2016, the cooperation was further strengthened with the announcement of reciprocal fellowship awards for early and mid-career researchers to undertake fellowship immersions in each other’s country.

During the year 2016, eleven new bilateral R&D projects in areas of agri-biotechnology, automation engineering,drug discovery and bioenergy have been approved