Indo-German centre to promote research set up at Gurgaon

Updated on: Wednesday, December 08, 2010

With sharp increase in student exchange between India and Germany, a dedicated centre to help researchers mobilise resources and facilitate interface with
the industry was inaugurated in Gurgaon today.
The Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) was declared open by visiting German Parliamentary State-Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education and Research Thomas Rachel and T Ramasami, Secretary Department of Science and Technology.

India and Germany have committed 10 million euros (Rs 596 million) each for joint research projects for the first five years.

The IGSTC will fund bilateral research projects in the field of applied sciences and help bring companies and the industry from both countries on board.

The Centre's current focus lies on natural sciences, life sciences and engineering.

A first set of four research projects has been selected -- one in solar energy and three in biotechnology, a German Embassy statement said.

A second call for research proposals is being prepared for early 2011, it added.

The Centre shall also encourage public private partnerships (PPP) to foster elements of innovation and application and cultivate a culture of cooperation between
science and industry.

The decision to set up the Centre was taken during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Germany in 2006.

Singh and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had said India and Germany would work together to set up IGSTC in India to facilitate research and industry collaboration to develop new technologies and commercialise it for overall economic and societal development of both countries.

There has been a 45 per cent increase in German students visiting India for higher studies, Ramasami said.

Over 1,700 students from India and Germany have benefited from the exchange programme last year, he said.

Germany is one of the top seven investors in India, accounting for nearly 3 per cent of the total inflows since 2002.

Nearly 600 Indo-German joint ventures are in operation at present and Germany ranks second on foreign technology transfer approvals with 1,110 approvals so far -- roughly 13 per cent of the country's total technology approvals, Chairman
of CII's National Committee on Technology Vikram Kirloskar said.

Indo-German centre to promote research set up at Gurgaon

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