Access Keys:
08/11/2016
A series of joint UK/India research initiatives worth up to £80 million were announced today by the UK Science Minister, Jo Johnson and Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, India.
The investments were announced during the India-UK TECH Summit being held in New Delhi and attended by UK and Indian Prime Ministers Theresa May and Narendra Modi. The TECH Summit has brought together British and Indian science and technology experts and businesses to connect and explore the future of India-UK collaboration.
Supported by the UK Government and Indian partners through the Newton Fund, the joint research being delivered by the Research Councils will address major global challenges including, anti-microbial resistance, healthcare and water quality.
Initiatives include reducing energy demand, addressing the urgent need to combat anti-microbial resistance; cleaning, processing and exploiting polluting industrial waste streams; providing clean water supplies, and addressing reproductive health issues facing women in low-income settings. Another scheme will expand a project to digitise an additional 3,000 Bengali books that will improve the reach of cultural research.
Jo Johnson, UK Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation said: “The joint research programmes announced today show the depth and breadth of the relationship that exists between the UK and India. They will increase our collective knowledge, improve the lives of local people and help tackle some of the major infrastructure and environmental challenges that lie ahead.”
Professor Philip Nelson, Chair of the RCUK Executive Group and CEO of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) said: “International research collaborations that draw on the talents of academics across the world, are vital for us to tackle the big global challenges. Cooperation improves understanding of different cultures and ways of working. The UK’s Research Councils will use the calls and projects announced today to build a prosperous, cleaner and healthier future.”
New UK-India research initiatives, supported by the Newton Fund, Research Councils UK and Indian funding partners, to address major global challenges and expand cultural horizons:
A £13 million UK-India research programme will strengthen the global fight against anti-microbial resistance (AMR). The UK and Indian science ministers will announced the investment when they open the inaugural meeting of the Research Councils UK-India Strategic Group on AMR, in New Delhi tomorrow, 9th November 2016.
A £7.4 million programme on Energy Demand Reduction in the Built Environment.
Partners: EPSRC, ESRC, Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST)
Partners: NERC, EPSRC, DST
Partners: Research Councils UK, Innovate UK, India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
Partners: MRC, ESRC, Department for International Development (DFID), DBT
Other Newton Fund programmes:
Partners: EPSRC, DST
Five new UK-India projects have been awarded funding under the £6.5 million programme on Atmospheric Pollution and Human Health in an Indian Megacity. These projects will investigate the human health impacts of urban air pollution in the Indian megacity of Delhi.
NERC, MRC, DBT, Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
Partners: Research Councils UK, Innovate UK, DBT
Partners:
Additional Research Councils UK programmes announced:
Since 2011, RCUK India has facilitated co-funded initiatives between the UK, India and third parties that have grown to over £200 million in joint research programmes supporting over 100 projects and including over 90 industry partners.
The UK research councils will continue to build on these existing research collaborations with India and UK researchers, research facilities and research institutions will carry on working together solving the numerous pressing challenges that face both countries.
- ends -
Contact:
EPSRC Press Office
Tel: 01793 444404 or email: pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
About the Newton Fund
The Newton Fund builds science and innovation partnerships with 16 partner countries to support their economic development and social welfare, and to develop their research and innovation capacity for long-term sustainable growth. It has a total UK Government investment of £735 million up until 2021, with matched resources from the partner countries.
The Newton Fund is managed by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and delivered through 15 UK Delivery Partners, which include the Research Councils, the UK Academies, the British Council, Innovate UK and the Met Office.
For further information visit the Newton Fund website (www.newtonfund.ac.uk) and follow via Twitter: @NewtonFund.
Research Councils UK India
Research Councils UK (RCUK) India, launched in 2008, brings together the best researchers in the UK and India through high-quality, high-impact research partnerships. RCUK India, based at the British High Commission in New Delhi, has facilitated co-funded initiatives between the UK, India and third parties exceeding £200 million. The research collaborations are often closely linked with UK and Indian industry partners, with more than 90 partners involved in the research. RCUK India plays a key role in enhancing the UK-India relationship in science and research. Follow RCUK India on Twitter: @RCUK_India
Research Councils UK (RCUK) is the strategic partnership of the UK’s seven Research Councils. Our collective ambition is to ensure the UK remains the best place in the world to do research, innovate and grow business. The Research Councils are central to delivering research and innovation for economic growth and societal impact. Together, we invest £3 billion in research each year, covering all disciplines and sectors, to meet tomorrow’s challenges today. Our investments create new knowledge through: funding research excellence; responding to society’s challenges; developing skills, leadership and infrastructure; and leading the UK’s research direction. We drive innovation through: creating environments and brokering partnerships; co-delivering research and innovation with over 2,500 businesses, 1,000 of which are SMEs; and providing intelligence for policy making. Find out more about our work at www.rcuk.ac.uk.
The seven UK Research Councils are:
A series of joint UK/India research initiatives worth up to £80 million were announced today by the UK Science Minister, Jo Johnson and Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, India.