Aiming to create joint infrastructure for advanced research in the field of biotechnology and health, the Indian government in collaboration with European Union (EU) and other nations in Europe has launched a Networking Pilot Programme (NPP) on Biotechnology and Health. Considering the fact that biotechnology is one of India’s research strengths while health is the second field of rising importance in India, biotechnology and health has been selected as the theme of the project.

Research programmes under this pilot project, named New INDIGO (Initiative for the Development and Integration of Indian and European Research), will begin in September this year. In the first phase, the research projects will focus on: biomarkers and diagnostics; bioinformatics for health; and structural biology for health.

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has already tied up with countries like Austria, France, Hungary, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain for the project.

Notwithstanding the existing scientific cooperation between India and the EU as well as with several European countries in the last few years, a further step in cooperation is aspired. New INDIGO aims to support this aspiration by advancing harmonisation in R&D relationships on a European level; strengthening multilateral science and technology (S&T) cooperation between Europe and India; and providing for a flexible and tailor-made programme of cooperation between Europe and India.

New INDIGO aims to provide a framework that is beneficial to the Indian scientific community and institutions seeking access to the European Research Area on the one hand, and European scientists seeking access to the Indian scientific landscape, making networking tools available to Euro-Indian S&T cooperation.

It also aims to support high quality research networks working on collaborative projects, and at the same time provide a mechanism for future extended projects of Euro-Indian cooperation. Multilateral networked research projects will be funded, providing for mobility and workshops. This includes strengthening existing contacts in order to initiate and prepare joint projects or foster cooperation.

In order to realise multilateral research cooperation, projects have to involve at least two European and one Indian partner.

Senior DBT officials said that due to the rapid expansion of its research and development expertise, promoting research cooperation with India is a priority in the bilateral research policies of most European countries and in the international science and technology policy of the European Union (EU). The fundamental observation is that India has become a prominent country in Asia, not only from an economical point of view, but ever so much from a scientific point of view. In EU context India has been quoted a strategic target country.

Even though India is now counted in the emerging economies of the world, its science and technology system is comparable to the S&T systems of the developed countries on a large measure. The number of Doctorate Produce by the educational system (8.428 PhDs in science, 2005-06) and the steep increase in budget for science and technology (threefold increase in 2007-2012 compared to 2005-06 figures), shows that India makes serious efforts to grow and expand its science and technology. Cooperation with other countries supports these developments, providing opportunities to young scientists as well as to established labs and researchers. Already the larger part of joint publications of Indian researchers is in cooperation with European partners. The substantial number of established bilateral programmes with most European countries, combined with the large funding instruments by the European Union, lays a strong basis for Indian-European cooperation, officials said.