Newton at TECH Summit – developing UK-India ‘RISTA’

I got an opportunity to attend the India-UK TECH Summit which was held in New Delhi from 7-9 November 2016, a mega event showcasing GREAT Britain’s technological prowess and opening up portals for greater Indian investment and partnership. This three day spectacle comprised of a gamut of activities which included five summits on technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, intellectual property rights, higher education and design, a 24 hour hackathon on ‘Finclusion’, an exhibition space with super cool kits including the R2D2 (Artoo-Detoo) of the Star Wars fame, and a hive- abuzz with business pitching. The Summit was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (speech) and UK Prime Minister Theresa May (speech) and was attended by senior ministers and government officials, tech pundits, bosses of the industry sector, students and enthusiasts from both India and the UK.

The Summit halls were packed with an enthralled audience, who floated from one hall to the other relishing as much of the TECH extravaganza on offer. The interactive robots strolling down the corridors were quite a sight. It was nothing short of a grand Indian wedding, and a cross cultural one at that! Apart from the hullabaloo under the roof, another event was organized in the plush gardens (relatively clear of the smog) – The Education, Science and Innovation ‘Futures Event’.

Organized on 8 November by the Newton team in India, the Futures Event was to showcase the growing successes achieved under the Newton-Bhabha programmes and celebrate the links developed between the two countries through a vast majority of education and research partnerships. Chevening,  UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), GREAT scholarships to name a few! Science ministers of UK and India, Jo Johnson and Dr Harsh Vardhan respectively attended the event and announced several new programmes under Newton-Bhabha initiative including the launch of the Industrial R&D call between Innovate UK and Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA). The first Newton Prize was also launched by UK minister Jo Johnson. Indian minister Harsh Vardhan acknowledged the burgeoning UK-India ties in the area of science and technology for over 250 years which prompted him to coin an acronym for it- ‘Indo-UK RISTA’ (Research, Innovation and Science  and Technology Alliance). Baroness Tessa Blackstone, Chair British Library and former UK minister addressed the audience and talked about the digitisation project of the two centuries old Indian print, supported through the Newton Fund.

After the initial speeches, the event provided a platform for informal networking and interaction between a wide spectrum of audience comprising of the very forthcoming ministers, alumni’s of Newton-Bhabha programmes and various scholarships, officials of existing and potential UK delivery partners and Indian funders, innovators and entrepreneurs. Another notable attendee was Prof. Patrick Wolfe, Deputy Director of the Alan Turing Institute, UK’ s national centre for data science, an area offering great potential for collaboration between UK and India. Photo-ops galore, the event provided the perfect setting for showcasing the flourishing links between the two countries under the Newton program and paving the way for an exciting future.

My take away…? Tête à Tête with the ministers, interaction with enthusiastic Newton alumni, officials/funder/partners-all buzzing with ideas and excitement, basking in the glory of having organized a successful event, oh and a chocolate éclair!