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About
Us
International Cooperation in Science
& Technology facilitates/promotes sharing of expertise
and infrastructures for developing knowledge and technologies
in a wide range of pure and applied disciplines. Some
of the recent concerns such as rapid globalisation,
increasing costs of R&D, fast depleting material
resources, low self life of new technologies, rising
economic competition and the growing need to protect
intellectual property have forced the counties whether
developed or developing to consider and use international
scientific and technological collaboration as a mutually
beneficial mode of pursuing and attaining their S&T
aspirations and developments.
1.1 International cooperation in science
and technology is essentially a mechanism:
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To provide the possibility of interaction between
scientific researchers to update and refine
their knowledge base for accelerating the pace
of investigations as also to fill up any gap
in the available information,
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To develop advanced technologies, high tech
equipment and new generation materials, required
for the economic growth of the participating
countries, and
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To make mutual advantage of complementary scientific
and technological capabilities among participating
country teams.
1.2 Further, the International cooperation
coupled with national priorities or taken as natural
extension of the ongoing national programmes or
alternately a tool for triggering activities in
new areas of S&T could be beneficial for the
participating countries in true sense.
2. The S&T International Cooperation (STIC)
Division of Department of Science and Technology (DST)
in association with other Scientific Departments and
agencies of the Government of India and in close cooperation
with the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry
of Home Affairs, Indian Missions abroad and Foreign
Missions in India is involved in:
a. Formulation and signing of bilateral
and multilateral S&T agreements;
b. Assessment and evaluation of S&T
strengths in other countries;
c. Promotion of interaction and building
partnership of Indian scientific agencies and R&D
personnel with their counterparts
in other countries on themes of mutual interest
and benefit;
d. Implementation and promotion of bilateral,
regional and multi-lateral cooperation in S&T
through specific Programmes
of Cooperation (POC).
e. Establishment of Bi-national/multinational
S&T centres and implementation of major R&D
programmes.
3. Agreements/MOUs have been signed/established
with many countries facilitating extensive scientific
cooperation/linkages and contacts at scientist/group/institution
levels. Implementation of the agreements/MOUs is done
primarily through POCs which includes the following
modes of cooperation.
4. Programmes of Cooperation (POCs) in S&T
with various countries coordinated by DST, provides
for:
a. Joint R&D projects/centres;
b. Joint Workshops/symposia/seminars;
c. Exploratory visits and Project related
Exchange visits of Scientists;
d. Exchange of S&T information and documentation;
e. Access to Major Research and Infrastructural
facilities;
f. Fellowships/Short duration training programmes
and
g. Others forms of cooperation as agreed
mutually.
5. Some of the identified areas for international
cooperation includes Biotechnology, Advanced Materials,
Nano technology, Catalysts, Lasers, Electronics and
Microelectronics, Atmospheric Sciences, Remote Sensing,
Siesmicity and disaster management, Renewable Energy,
Photonics, Sensors, drugs and pharmaceuticals including
herbal drugs, Information Technology and Astronomy
& Astrophysics.
6. Bilateral Agreements have been entered
into by India with over 63 countries in Africa, Asia,
Asia Pacific, Europe, CIS countries, North America,
South America and Australia. Arrangements have also
recently been made to promote India's cooperation
in S&T with Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) as a Dialogue Partner, as well as under the
aegis of Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Srilanka, Thailand
Economic Cooperation (BIMST-EC) and South Asian Association
for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
7. Some of the international centres/facilities
for Joint R&D that have been established under
the bilateral programmes include:- The Integrated
Long Term Programme (ILTP) with the erstwhile USSR
and now with Russia, International Advance Research
Centre (ARC-I) for New Materials and Powder Metallurgy
at Hyderabad, Indo-Russian Centre for Medical Lasers
at New Delhi; and Radio Telescope Facility at Mauritius,
Indo-Russian Institute of Biotechnology at Allahabad,
Indo-Russian Centre on Seismology and Earthquake Engineering
in Moscow etc. In addition , Indo-French Centre on
Organic Synthesis and Indo-French Centre on Solid
State Chemistry have been set up at I.I.Sc. Bangalore
8. Some of the bilateral programmes are supported
through creation of autonomous mechanisms like Indo
French Centre for Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR)
at New Delhi and Indo-Uzbek Centre for Promotion of
S&T in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. An Indo-US Forum
has also been set up at New Delhi to promote S&T
cooperation between India and USA.
9. With regard to the multi-lateral cooperation,
the Govt. of India is supporting centre for S&T
for Non-Aligned and other Developing Countries (NAM
S&T Centre) with its headquarters at New Delhi.
Govt. of India also provides support for training
of S&T personnel sponsored by Third World Academy
of Science (TWAS), The International Centre for Theoretical
Physics (ICTP), Centre of Science for Developing Societies
(CSDS) from developing countries in India. Govt. of
India plays an active role in UN Programmes and its
specialized agencies on S&T matters.
10. Scientific Attaches have been posted in
the Indian Missions in Germany, Japan, USA and Russia.
They act as focal points for interaction in these
countries. Their services are available to all ministries,
scientific agencies and R&D institutions on matters
relating to cooperation in S&T. Technical Liaison
Officers have been posted in the Indian Missions in
Austria, France, UK and USA to provide specialized
services generally in the fields of Space, Defence
and Atomic Energy. They also interact on behalf of
Indian interests in the fields of S&T.
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