India-EU to pledge 5 M Euros each in science research

New Delhi, Nov 7 (UNI) Embarking on a new era in science and technology cooperation, India and the European Union will pledge five million Euros (Rs 28 crore) each on collaborative research in computational materials science, European Commission's Director General for Research Jose Manuel Silva Rodriguez said today.

The collaborative research will be part of the first EU-India coordinated call for proposals to be finalised at the fourth EU-India science and technology cooperation steering committee meeting here tomorrow, Mr Rodriguez told a press conference.

''It is hoped to attract the best institutions in India and the EU to work together in this important field,'' he said.

The project is expected to take off next year, EU's Science and Technology Counsellor Andrew Sors told UNI.

Mr Rodriguez said the steering committee meeting would also review the progress of the EU-India cooperation agreement that was about to be renewed for a further five years.

It would also decide on the roadmap of cooperative actions for the coming year and beyond, based on principles of symmetry, reciprocity and mutual benefit.

He said the bilateral cooperation would deal with important issues such as biotechnology, energy and climate change.

''Energy and climate change are extremely important for bilateral relations and will be high on the agendas of the EU-India Summit in New Delhi on November 30 and the EU-India Business Summit on November 9,'' he said.

UNI