Cabinet approves India-Canada MoU for cooperation in Science & Technology

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canada for cooperation in the field of Science & Technology.

The MoU will provide a mechanism and help foster scientific cooperation between R&D and academic institutions of the two countries.

Under the MoU, an innovative model of R&D cooperation between India and Canada will be implemented. Furthermore, the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnership to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability (IC-IMPACTS) programme will be supported to promote multidisciplinary research partnerships between the two countries.

In lieu of the strengthened cooperation in this segment, the R&D projects will be aimed at accelerating social transformation by providing solutions through application of science and technology. The participants will include researchers from scientific organisations, academia and R&D laboratories from India and Canada.

The two countries have identified areas of mutual cooperation, which include safe and sustainable infrastructure and integrated water management. This will help to develop institutional networking and support the establishment of connections between scientific organisations, scientists, and specialists of the two parties.

The MoU was concluded by the Department of Science and Technology with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada, in pursuance to the inter-governmental Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the India and Canada in November 2005.