Parliament approves scientific cooperation agreement with India

Brussels, 15 May 2002

The European Parliament has approved a research and technical cooperation agreement with India, which will allow Indian scientists to take part in EU research programmes and vice-versa.

The agreement builds on longstanding scientific cooperation between India and the EU, under which joint research projects have been carried out under the 'Cooperation for development' programme of the EU Framework programmes for research. 53 projects have been funded by the Commission under the Fourth and Fifth Framework programmes alone.

The new agreement will enable Indian scientists to participate in EU research activities and will give European scientists access to similar Indian programmes.

The agreement provides for cooperation in the following fields:

- participation of research institutions, other research entities and persons to RTD (research and technological development) projects of each entity;
- pooling of RTD projects already implemented;
- visits and exchanges of scientists and technical experts;
- joint organisation of conferences and seminars;
- concerted actions for dissemination of results and exchange of experience;
- exchange and sharing of equipment, material and research facilities;
- exchange of information on practices, laws and regulations.

India allocates 2.5 billion euro (0.72 per cent) of its GDP to research and technological development each year. Research activities are managed by the government-funded Council of scientific and industrial research (CSIR), the world's largest publicly funded industrial R&D agency.

Principal areas of research include aerospace engineering, ocean sciences, molecular biology, metallurgy, chemicals, mining, food, petroleum, leather and the environment. Industry provides 17 per cent of the total research budget in India, a figure which is expected to rise following further international collaboration in aeronautics and chemical engineering.

CORDIS RTD-NEWS/© European Communities, 2001