Cabinet appraised of MoUs on science and tech with Russia and Uzbekistan

The Cabinet was Thursday appraised about a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between India and Russia for promotion of science and technology through exchange of students, researchers and scientists.

The pact between the Atal Innovation Mission and Talent and Success Fund of Russia was signed on October 5 during Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India.

"The MoU will facilitate promotion of science and technology, strong foundation to the collaborative work through exchange of students, teachers, researchers and scientists between India and Russia," an official statement read.

The MOU will provide a mechanism for establishing relationships with schools, universities, cultural institutions, science and technology and specialised education institutions, high-tech companies, start ups and innovation centres in both countries.

The activities are expected to promote creation of new scientific knowledge, generation of intellectual property, innovations and products development in both the countries.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia in December, it was proposed to invite Russian students to India to work with Indian students.

As a prelude to the visit of Putin last month, 10 Russian students visited India to work with 10 Indian students from five Atal Tinkering Lab schools in an 'Innovation Boot Camp' at IIT-Delhi during October 1-4.

The students worked on innovative concepts for exploring development of new prototypes in five sectors -- healthcare, space technology, clean technology, agri-technology and smart mobility.

The Cabinet was also apprised of an agreement between India and Uzbekistan on cooperation in the field of science, technology and innovation.

The agreement was signed on October 1 here in the presence of Modi and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirayoyev.

"Signing of the agreement will open a new chapter in bilateral relations, as both sides will now leverage complementary strengths spurred by a significant convergence of mutual interests in science and technology," the statement read.

The objective of the pact is to promote cooperation in the fields of science, technology and Innovation between the two countries.

The stake-holders will include researchers from scientific organizations, academia, R&D laboratories and industries from India and Uzbekistan.

Agriculture and food science, engineering sciences, information and communication technology, applied mathematics and data science, health, materials sciences, life sciences and biotechnology, physics and astrophysics and energy, water, climate and natural resources were identified as potential areas for immediate collaboration.