Alongside this the United Kingdom named India as a partner for the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund (Image: Reuters)
The meeting was chaired by UK Science Minister George Freeman and Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh
A Memorandum of Understanding is signed between India and United Kingdom to collaborate on science and innovation. A press release shared by the UK government called the agreement a ‘landmark’ on science, research and innovation. The agreement between the two countries was signed at UK-India Science Innovation Council meeting in the UK Parliament. The meeting was chaired by UK Science Minister George Freeman and Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh.
The agreement aims to enable quicker, deeper collaboration on science between the two science ‘powerhouses’. This will also drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and improve lives of the people living in the UK, India, and worldwide said the press release. Besides this, it is also stated that agreement has the potential to remove tapes in some of the major collaboration between the two countries said the release.
To quote the press release by the United Kingdom “unleashing a raft of new joint research schemes aiming to deliver progress on some of the biggest issues facing the world, from climate change and pandemic preparedness through to AI and machine learning.” Under the MOU, both the countries will establish a new UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre and UK-India scientific deep sea voyage. The Net Zero Innovation Virtual centre will focus on industrial decarbonisation mentioned the official note.
United Kingdom’s Minister of State for the new Department for Science, Innovation and Technology George Freeman said: “India is rapidly building on its phenomenal software and innovation sectors to become a global powerhouse in science and technology.” Minister George Freeman called the agreement ‘ deepening of UK’s collaboration with other global science superpowers’. The alliance aims to tackle shared global challenges and will grow the sectors, companies and jobs of tomorrow for the benefit of both countries and the globe said the UK government press release.
Alongside this the United Kingdom named India as a partner for the UK’s International Science Partnerships Fund. This will carry forward the UK-India science partnership built through the Newton-Bhabha fund said the press release. This renewed partnership will kick off with two new joint UK-India research programmes- £5 million UK funding, matched by India, for research into Farmed Animal Diseases and Health and £3.3 million UK funding, matched by India, towards a technology and skills partnership programme. The latter will enable UK and Indian researcher to develop skills, technologies and knowledge in areas such as AI, machine learning and bio-imaging.
Read all the Latest Education News here
