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India and UK to work as R&D partners in solar alliance and nanomaterials research

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2016

Abstract

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Article Commentary
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Copyright © Materials Research Society 2016 

At the 5th Indo-UK Science and Innovation Council Meeting (SIC) held in London in June, the two countries agreed on collaboration in a number of projects, including areas in solar energy and nanomaterials. The meeting was co-chaired by India’s Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences (DST), Harsh Vardhan, and the UK Minister for Universities & Science, Jo Johnson.

As part of their commitment to the solar alliance, the research projects will focus on systems-level design and development covering solar energy generation, storage systems, and grid integration, particularly for microgrid systems.

Furthermore, researchers from India will have access to the neutron scattering facility of the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Oxford. This will help to enhance Indian capability to fabricate structures at the nanoscale level for creating interesting and technologically important materials through research in fundamental science.

The SIC oversees the entire gamut of the India-UK science, technology, and innovation cooperation and meets once every two years. The last meeting of the SIC was held in New Delhi in November 2014, at which time the two countries launched the Newton-Bhabha Program to support bilateral science and technology (S&T) cooperation. Both nations have now agreed to address grand societal challenges on food, energy, and water security; health and well-being; and smart cities and rapid urbanization with increasing access and sharing of expertise, resources, and facilities.

Under the Newton-Bhabha Program, the two sides also agreed on a collaborative program on energy efficiency in the built environment as a part of the Smart Cities mission. They agreed on augmenting the India-UK Centre of Advanced Manufacturing cooperation linked to the Make in India Program and UK’s Catapult Centre Program. The projects will be designed to deliver industry-relevant results that can be readily applied to current challenges in the manufacturing supply chain.

A program on water quality research will address natural contaminants such as arsenic and fluoride in groundwater as well as other pollutants (e.g., pharmaceutical and personal care products). To further support industrial R&D, the two countries added projects in the areas of clean technology, electronic design, and the Internet of things.