India and UK Sign Pact to Boost Science and Tech Collaborations

India and the UK share numerous parallels, and 2023 will be a very exciting year for India. The partnership will elevate the sectors, companies and jobs of tomorrow for the benefit of the countries.

Jitendra Singh, a minister of state for science and technology, visited London intending to expand bilateral cooperation in the area of scientific research and development. He began the visit by signing a memorandum of understanding with his British counterpart. The foundation of a new UK-India Net Zero Innovation programme was among the initiatives addressed in the MoU, which was approved at a ministerial-level Science and Innovation Council meeting.

The two nations' joint research MoU will allow for quicker and deeper scientific collaboration between the two scientific powerhouses, spurring economic growth, creating skilled jobs, and enhancing lives in the UK, India, and throughout the world. The agreement, according to the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology, will remove red tapes impeding significant partnerships and launch a slew of new joint research initiatives aimed at advancing solutions to some of the world's most pressing issues, ranging from climate change and pandemic preparedness to emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Additionally, India will continue the UK-India science cooperation as a partner for the UK's International Science Partnerships Fund. 

The revitalised relationship will begin with two new joint UK-India research programmes. One will fund research into diseases and health affecting farm animals with GBP five million from the UK and GBP 3.3 million from India while the other will focus on technology and skills partnerships.

Other bilateral agreements to be made at the Science and Innovation Council meeting include a number of joint research calls between the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Indian Department for Science and Technology (DST), including initiatives on sustainability and solid earth hazards, a plan to begin a partnership for decarbonising India's pharmaceutical and fine chemical industries, and a program of UK-India university partnerships, including one Aston University and CSIR Dehradun on sustainable biofuels. The UK government stated that joint funding agreed upon by both parties will support the cooperative activities carried out under the MoU, with the financial details for each initiative being decided on a case-by-case basis.