At 200 mn pounds, India-British research portfolio gets bigger

After Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Britain, a number of bilateral agreements were signed to strengthen the growing research and innovation partnership between the two countries.

With this, the investment in research in several fields, including food security, energy, water resources, healthcare, smart cities and rapid urbanisation by the Indian government, UK Research Councils and third parties now exceeds 200 million pounds.

"The research partnership between Britain and India has gone from strength to strength in recent years as we have worked together to address some of the world's major challenges," Jo Johnson, British minister for universities and science Minister, said here.

"From securing a sustainable water supply to providing clean energy, this research is advancing scientific capabilities in both countries and helping to improve the lives of millions around the world," Johnson added.

The details of a number of funded projects for Indo-British research programmes were announced on November 13 which are funded in part through the Newton Fund. The Newton-Bhabha Fund enables the Research Councils to develop a sustainable long-term partnership with India.

"A strong Indo-British research relationship helps address contemporary issues of both nations and the world at large from multiple perspectives," said Y.S.Chowdary, India's minister of state for science and technology and earth sciences.