Scottish Development International, the international arm of Scottish Enterprise, have inked two strategic tie-ups between Scottish and Indian Universities, post the recently concluded Scottish trade delegation visit to India. These include agreements between University of Dundee & Bangalore BioCluster and Scottish Association for Marine Science with Annamalai University & AMET University, respectively, for research in Life Sciences and Marine Biotechnology.

University of Dundee signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bangalore BioCluster to create a joint Drug Discovery Centre to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Currently, there is an active programme of scientific collaboration between University of Dundee and Bangalore BioCluster.  The Drug Discovery Centre will focus on effective prevention and treatment of the ever-increasing range of infections caused by bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi, hospital-acquired infections and in major diseases such as tuberculosis and malaria.

According to Professor Mike Ferguson, Regius Professor of Life Sciences,  University of Dundee, the partnership with Bangalore BioCluster is for in anti-microbial drug discovery. BioCluster is a powerhouse of Life Sciences research and we look forward to applying our combined expertise to one of the most important of medical dilemmas like antimicrobial resistance.

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) also exchanged Memoranda of Understanding with Annamalai University and AMET University to cooperate more closely in education and research.

SAMS, a partner of the University of the Highlands and Islands and of the United Nations University aims to develop faculty, student and knowledge exchange programmes, co-supervised PhDs, and joint research projects.

With Annamalai University SAMS’ collaboration will focus on developing knowledge and skills for sustainable management of the coastal environment, including aquaculture. With AMET University the focus of collaboration will be for marine biotechnology and microbiology.

Joanne Allday, marketing manager, Education at The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS), said, “that exchange of information and funding is now being sought to support faculty and student exchanges, to develop long-lasting relationships for the future.”

This month, Scottish Development International went on to meet over 100 Indian companies across Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad.  India and Scotland share a unique focus on education, research and innovation to build solutions. The collaborative project partnerships which have been inked would address India’s critical needs in health, life sciences and biotechnology said Rooma Kumar Bussi, Country Manager, Scottish Development International.