UK-India research & innovation partnership set to grow

Recently in Brazil, the UK Chancellor announced a new £375m fund, known as the Newton Fund, to promote economic development though science and innovation. This is intended improve the science and research capabilities of emerging powers and strengthen their ties with Britain. We asked Geeny George, Communications Manager for Research Councils UK (RCUK) India, to explain what this means for India and how it fits into our ongoing relationship.

As a Communications Manager at RCUK India, one event or rather I should say ‘one November’ that I’ll always remember is November 2013 – where RCUK India marked its 5 successful years of research partnership with India. (See Celebrating Collaboration – an RCUK India film on the event). You can read about the areas we explored for future collaboration on our website.

At the event, the UK Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Mark Walport and Secretary of India’s Department for Science and Technology, Dr T Ramasami, co-chaired the UK-India Science and Innovation Policy Dialogue in New Delhi, and it was agreed that the UK-India research partnership has achieved a lot over the past 5 years and the next level of this collaboration calls for demonstrating greater impact.

It was agreed that a UK-India Task Force should be set up to identify potential grand challenges for UK and India to address through joint research and innovation. There is always more to do!

By December 2013, Delhi had wrapped up its celebratory events, but we haven’t been resting on our laurels since. Recently, the UK Chancellor announced the creation of the Newton Fund: a new Research and Innovation Fund of £375 million over 5 years to promote science and innovation partnership with key international partners, including India. More information is available here.

The Newton fund should augment the existing research collaboration with India to jointly deliver innovative solutions to global development challenges. The UK-India Task Force was delegated to identify potential challenges that reflect the UK and India’s shared priorities, and which could be taken forward through the new Newton Fund, and other existing UK-India collaboration mechanisms.

The Task Force held its first meeting in February in New Delhi, and was co-chaired by Professor Paul Boyle, Chief Executive ESRC and RCUK International Champion, and Professor TK Chandrashekar, Secretary of the National Science and Engineering Board.

Key research and innovation funders, and senior decision makers from both countries, attended the meeting and represented a wide spectrum of interests from knowledge to delivery on diverse themes. The Task Force identified three grand societal challenges;

1. Sustainable Cities and Urbanisation
2. Public Health and Well Being
3. Energy-Water-Food Nexus

The following two underpinning capabilities were also identified:

1. High Value Manufacturing
2. Big Data

It was agreed that the global societal challenges will be built on three pillars

1. People (capacity building)
2. Programmes (joint research)
3. Translation (innovation)

The Task Force will reconvene for autumn 2014 to review progress and to present their conclusions  for the next Ministerial Science and Innovation Council Meeting. The Newton Fund yet again echoes the benefit of research and the value of equal partnership between the UK and India. Exciting times ahead! Please get in touch if you want to know more.