India – UK Virtual Innovation Center

Blog Credit : Trupti Thakur

Image Courtesy : Google

India – UK Virtual Innovation Center

 

India and the UK are set to jointly establish the India-UK ‘Net Zero’ Innovation Virtual Centre, according to minister of state for science and technology Jitendra Singh.

The announcement was made during the India-UK Science & Innovation Council meeting, chaired by Singh and attended by UK Science Minister George Freeman.

 Singh highlighted India’s progress towards becoming an economic powerhouse under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the country’s technological and innovative capabilities garnering global recognition, particularly following its covid vaccine success. The two leaders called for increased science and technology collaboration between the countries.

The minister emphasized the close cooperation between India and the UK, as evidenced by the ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030,’ which outlines collaboration across various sectors, including health, climate, trade, education, science and technology, and defense. Singh informed Freeman that the UK has become India’s second-largest international research and innovation partner under Modi’s leadership.

Both ministers supported the proposal for the India-UK “Net Zero” Innovation Virtual Centre, which will facilitate collaboration between stakeholders from both nations to work on focus areas such as decarbonization of manufacturing processes and transportation systems and green hydrogen as a renewable energy source.

Singh also discussed India’s net zero journey, emphasizing the importance of energy efficiency and renewable energy. He mentioned India’s leadership in initiatives like the India Solar Alliance and Clean Energy Mission. Singh underlined the crucial role of scientific and technological innovations in shaping India’s future as it celebrates 75 years of independence.

About India-UK NET zero innovation virtual center

• It will provide a platform to bring stakeholders from both countries together to work in some of the focus areas including theDecarbonization of manufacturing processes & transport systems and Green Hydrogen as a renewable source.

Other Developments 

• The close collaboration between the India-UK strengthened through an ambitious ‘Roadmap 2030’that provides a framework for UK-India relations across health, climate, trade, education, science and technology, and defence.
• the MOES and UK Met Officecollaboration in weather and climate science aims to conduct joint research on natural hazards in the South Asian monsoon system, improve the modelling capabilities at different scales, and improve tools and techniques for risk based (ensemble) forecasting of natural hazards,
• the MOES-NEKTON joint research programme towards exploration and conservation of marine biodiversity under the Deep Ocean Mission in India.

Importance 

• The UK has emerged as India’s second-largest international research and innovation partner.
  • The India-UK Science & Technology (S&T) collaborationhas been growing at a rapid pace and the joint research programme has gone from an almost zero base to close to £300-400 million now.
• The partnership will provide a great mechanism to support research and innovation in both countries for long-term sustainable growth through expanding and maximizing cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
• The revival of the DST Innovate UK Industrial R & D programme will provide opportunity to Indian and UK academia and industry for developing newer products/process together for economic growth of both nations.

 

 

Blog By : Trupti Thakur