From lamb biryani to Land Rovers

The UK and Make in India – ‘a recipe for success?’

As a young boy in London I grew up watching my father spending almost every Saturday cooking curry in our kitchen. I eagerly watched the clock tick down until dinner-time when I could finally see what my father had made. Little did I know back then that I would go from watching traditional Indian fare made in the UK, to watching traditional UK fare made in India.

So it was that I recently found myself on the factory floor of Jaguar Land Rover in Pune, watching the latest models of one of the UK’s iconic brands roll off the production line. Today most people know that Jaguar Land Rover is part of one of India’s own iconic brands, Tata. As UK Trade and Investment’s new First Secretary for Advanced Engineering here in India it’s my job to ensure that the engineering and manufacturing links between India and the UK are stronger than ever. And that’s where UK science and innovation really can drive the future of collaboration between our two countries.

On the same trip that I watched UK and Indian engineers putting together high quality cars, I visited a company operating the latest 3-D printing technology; another developing rocket technology for India’s space programme and an automotive company focused on developing the lowest emissions’ engine technology that India has ever seen. What did all of these companies have in common? UK and India collaboration. All of these examples, and more, were happening through the best of the UK working with the best of India. Now whilst I’d seen UK/India collaboration in my parents’ kitchen many years previously, seeing it on this scale and in these areas completely blew me away. But what’s next in this story?

I recently read a blog by Ben Kitchener, who works at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, on how UK and India should be working together to establish a recipe for success on joint collaborations. I agree – we bring complementary attributes that can benefit research and innovation in both countries. I’d say India has a huge appetite to research more, design more and Make in India more. I think the UK is well placed. Through Innovate UK and the Catapults, Research Councils and Universities, etc to companies with cutting edge innovations

So remembering my dad’s cooking in the 70s I am confident of cooking up my own success through working with my colleagues to build stronger and deeper collaborations between UK and Indian partners.