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Relations between India and the UK today
are at their best ever and encompasses a wide range
of political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological
and other dimensions. There have been continuous exchanges
of high level delegations on both sides. The India-UK
Joint S&T Committee, headed by Secretary (S&T)
and Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government
met a quite a number of times to address to this important
aspect of promoting science and technology cooperation
between the two countries. Prof. King, Chief Scientific
Adviser and several top level scientists visited India
in January 2002 for the Science Festival. Lord May,
the President if the Royal Society, the apex science
body in the UK, visited India in January 2002. Similarly
there have visits at the highest level from India.
Visits of Secretary (S&T), Secretary (DSIR), Secretary(DBT)
have generated a lot of interest on the part of scientific
community to evolve contact for future cooperation
in science and technology.
Cooperation between India and UK is
being carried out under different aegis. There are
separate arrangements existing both at the inter-governmental
level and out side. While separate arrangement exists
between the Indian National Science Academy and the
Royal Society for exchange of experts at regular intervals
for certain pre-defined man-weeks, participation of
the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
has been through their involvement in the Commonwealth
Science Council. Similarly the Department of Biotechnology
has a separate programme with the Biotechnology Research
Council specifically addressing to the field of Biotechnology.
Apart from these, the UK Government, through their
DFID extends support to various scientific and technological
activities to research institutions in India through
project grants from time to time. In addition there
are education-oriented programmes coordinated by the
Ministry of Human Resources Development of the Government
of India.
At the inter-governmental level, cooperation
in science and technology between India and UK is
being effected under an S&T Agreement signed in
New Delhi on January 8, 1996. A separate `Implementing
Arrangement' was also signed dovetailing the mechanisms
of cooperative activities. These include, among others,:
1. Joint research and development projects;
2. Organization of and participation in scientific
conferences / symposia/ workshops/ exhibitions.
3. Exchange of scientific information and documentation.
4. Common use of R&D facilities and scientific
equipments .
The S&T Agreement provides for the constitution
of Joint S&T Committee with Secretary (DST) and
Chief Executive, UK Office of S&T as Co-Chairman
from India and UK respectively. Three meetings have
since been held so far:
Actual implementation under the S&T Agreement
could be broadly classified in two phases ( Phase-I
& Phase-II ). Under Phase-I, major funding was
provided by both sides to implement the various programmes
as was agreed upon during the first two meetings of
Joint S&T Committee under the UK-India S&T
Research Fund. An amount of £ 50,000 (£
10,000 per year ) was set aside from the UK side,
while a matching grant was also provided by the Indian
side to implement the programme.
Based on the various reviews taken by the Joint
S&T Committee, around 40 R&D projects were
supported , after necessary peer-review by experts
on both sides, in specific topics of Agro-Food Science
& Technology; Advanced Materials Science and Manufacturing
Systems; and Telecommunication, including Information
Technology. These projects have culminated in exchange
visits of scientists/experts representing premier
research institutions from both sides leading to some
significant achievements in the process of such interactions.
These have resulted in the publication of 43 research
papers in single author and 10 joint research papers
in important scientific publications, apart from 6
patents having been filed. Around 80 visits by Indian
scientists and 60 from the British side have taken
place under this programme.
Under the phase-II, while reviewing UISTRF programme,
a new reorientation has been given to cover the concept
of “Networking Arrangement”. This Arrangement
was designed basically to encourage scientific networking
between Young Indian and UK Researchers to enable
them to develop Joint Research & Development Projects
to be supported subsequently by he respective Research
Councils. It was also proposed that the implementation
of this arrangement would be executed by The Royal
Society from the UK side hitherto been handled by
UK Office of S&T. The Department of Science and
Technology will continue to be the focal point from
the Indian side.
Another departure relate to following an ‘open
sky ‘ approach, not limiting to any particular
area(s), but to include the Natural Sciences, mathematics
and engineering sectors, except the social sciences
sector and clinical medicines. It was also decided
that this arrangement will be applicable to post Doctoral
fellows with no more than 15 years of Post-Doctoral
research.
Besides the one-to-one Meetings, the Networking
arrangement also provides for organization of Joint
Seminars/Workshops in common areas of interest to
both the sides.
Applications are invited every quarter ending March
31, June 30, September30, and December 31 every year.
These are peer-reviewed by experts on both sides,
which then are evaluated by the Department of Science
and Technology on the Indian side, and the Royal Society
on the UK side.
More details of the networking arrangement may be
seen at UK Website : royalsoc.ac.uk and Indian Website
: dst.gov.nic.in .
OTHER EFFORTS
Discussions are also under way to generate joint
research and development projects emanating as a result
of intensive discussions among experts on both sides.
Starting with initial dialogue between senior officials
from the Department of Science and Technology, and
the UK Higher Education Funding Council (HEFC) mostly
in the nature of developing academy-industry linkages
in important economic sectors, the organization of
a Joint Workshop on Telecommunications in New Delhi,
India September 2002 among the experts has resulted
in specific topics of common interests to further
development detailed action plans to be supported
at the governmental level., through their respective
research councils. Taking this as a model, focus will
be directed in identifying other economic sectors,
for example, the Hydrogen Energy, Photonics, Advanced
Manufacturing Technology, Air-ships, Nano-science
and technology, biotechnology, to name a few.
Other efforts have been towards bringing together
young researchers on both sides to interact with each
other on a common platform with the objective to work
together in important and up-coming areas of research,
also utilizing the facilities available at some of
the premier research institutions in each others’
country. Some of the events taken in this regard are
presented below:
Joint workshops
- An Indo-UK Joint Seminar on Technology Management
was held in Hyderabad during March 4-5, 2000. About
40 Indian scientists and 3 British scientists participated
in the seminar.
-
An Indo-UK workshop on Telecommunication
was held in New Delhi during September 23-25,
2002. About 20 Indian scientists and 7 British
scientists participated in the workshop. It was
decided to formulate the joint research projects
in the broad areas of 2-10 Mb/s beyond 3G radio
with evolutionary technology, broadband access-optical
Ethernet and context aware services.
-
An Indian-UK Young Scientist
Networking conference was held on November 8,
2002 at British Council, New Delhi. About 12 Indian
and 10 British young scientists participated in
the conference representing the areas of Life
Sciences, Biotechnology and Information Technology.
- A two day Indo-UK Meet on Tuberculosis was held
in London, UK during December 9-10, 2002. A five
member scientific team from India participated in
this meet.
Contact Persons :
On India side
1. CR MURTY, Director/ Scientist’F’
International Division, Department of Science &
Technology (DST)
Technology Bhawan, New Delhi-110016
2. Naveen Vasishta, Sr. Scientific Officer
International Division.
Tele/ 473
Email: [email protected]
On UK side
Ms Ling Thompson/Ms. Jane Buckley
International Section
Royal Society, 6-9 Carlton House Terrace
London, SW1Y, UK
Tel: + 44(0) 20 7451 2565
Fax: + 44(0) 20 7925 2620
Email [email protected]
[email protected]
Dr Guru Gujral, Adviser (S&T)
British Council Division,
17, Kasturba Gandhi Marg,
Connaught Place,
New Delhi 110011
Tel: 23711401
Important Links
Royal Society, London: www.royalsoc.ac.uk/international
Higher Education Funding Council for England: http://www.hefce.ac.uk
British Council, New Delhi : www.britishcouncil.org/india
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