CHENNAI, June 23:
India has inked pacts with six countries, including the US and Australia, for collaborative research in science and technology area to be undertaken at a joint investment of USD 180 million over the next five years, a senior Department of Science and Technology (DST) official said today.
“We have plenty of them. We have about 83 agreements on research collaboration with various countries. We have committed USD 180 million on a five year budget with six countries..”, DST Secretary T Ramasami told here.
Of the total figure, he said US and Australia have jointly put USD 125 million with India. “It is several instruments of collaboration which have been built on common front”, Ramasami said adding the agreements were aimed at promoting “research collaboration” between the countries.
Noting that 10 years ago India had signed similar research agreements with the United States, he said last year it was signed between Russia and the Germany.
From researchers point of view, he said, “India is not looked as a donor or a giver (in a collaboration), but they are looked at as a partner..”.
Earlier, delivering his address on “Successful Indo-French Science and Technology Cooperation”, he said there was a proposal to set up a Common Institute for undertaking research studies on water.
“It is coming up at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. It is not a separate entity. It is a virtual institution, where scientists from France and India work together”,he said.
Stating that the scientists at the Centre would work on “advanced research technologies”, he said “today’s science becomes, tomorrow’s technology.”
Similar to the proposed virtual institution on water, Ramasami said, “we have set up an institution on Mathematics in Pune. Mathematicians from both France and India meet there… We give (invest) about Rs 2 crore of money every year for doing research activities.
“They come here and work on various theorems. This particular collaboration is now moving into innovation and support system..”, he said.
Ramasami said India had been having joint collaboration with France for more than 25 years and every year Rs 10 crore was alloted toward this.
He also said India had become one of the largest manufacturers of vaccines for children. India has 43 per cent share in global vaccine manufacturing and two third in children vaccine.
Out of every three children vaccinated anywhere in the world, two of them receives vaccines manufactured in India. (PTI)
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