UK and India seeking cooperation on science and technology

The UK and India are planning wide-ranging agreements in science and technology to cement bilateral cooperation in medicine, R&D, ICT, energy and education to the benefit of both countries.

The plans were unveiled in the southern Indian cities of Bangalore and Chennai yesterday. UK Prime Minister David Cameron is leading a major delegation to India of UK government ministers, including Business Secretary Vince Cable and Universities and Science Minister David Willetts. The delegation also includes businesspeople, academics and cultural figures.

In a keynote speech in Bangalore at Infosys, India's largest IT company, the UK's Prime Minister discussed cooperation on science and technology. He said, among other things, that UK and India research funders have committed up to £60 million ($92.4 million) worth of jointly-funded research into climate change, water and food security and disease prevention. Included in this, the Wellcome Trust has announced £45 million of research with the Indian Department of Biotechnology on affordable health care.