An agreement to work together on research and innovation was struck on Wednesday between the UK and India. According to a formal statement, the two nations signed a memorandum of cooperation on research in the UK Parliament.The goal of this agreement is to facilitate faster, deeper scientific cooperation between the two nations in order to support economic growth, create skilled jobs, and enhance quality of life in the UK, India, and around the world. The two nations intend for this agreement to reduce the amount of red tape that currently prevents significant collaborations.
As part of this agreement, new collaborative research initiatives will be introduced with the goal of advancing research on some of the most pressing global concerns, such as pandemic preparation and climate change, using AI and machine learning.
Under this research relationship, a number of new initiatives will also be started, including the first-ever UK-India scientific deep sea journey and the creation of a new UK-India Net Zero Innovation Virtual Centre with a focus on industrial decarbonization. Under this cooperation, a programme of academic collaborations between the UK and India will be initiated, including one on sustainable biofuels between Aston academic and CSIR Dehradun. Among other things, there are plans to start a cooperation to decarbonize India’s fine chemicals and pharmaceutical businesses.
The money for each initiative will be decided between the UK and India on a case-by-case basis, according to the official statement. The funding for the collaborative activities carried out under the MoU would be supported by joint funding agreed upon by both parties.