New awards strengthen Australia-India science links

New Delhi, Mar.4 (ANI): The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith, today announced the winners of the inaugural Australia India Science and Technology Research Awards (AISTRA).

The awards support three month overseas research placements for talented early career researchers from Australia and India.

The theme for the inaugural awards, "energy generation in a low-carbon future", reflects the importance India and Australia place on meeting our growing energy requirements in a sustainable manner.

Dr.Akshat Tanksale from the University of Queensland will work with researchers at India's National Chemical Laboratories in Pune on efforts to convert agricultural matter into carbon-neutral fuel additives.

Dr. Ashish Garg of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur will travel to RMIT University in Melbourne to collaborate with Australian researchers working on solar cell technology.

Both scientists are expected to undertake their overseas placement in the first half of 2010.

The AISTRA program was established in 2009 to promote greater collaboration between the Australian and Indian research communities.

The awards are administered by the Australian Academy of Technology Sciences and Engineering with the support of the Australia-India Council, which sits within the Australian epartment of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

The awards will make a valuable contribution to both governments' efforts to strengthen links in science and technology and on sustainable development. They complement the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund, a joint undertaking of both governments, which the Prime Ministers of Australia and India agreed in November 2009 to extend and expand.

With an Australian contribution of A$50 million (Rs 200 crore) over the next five years, matched by the Government of India, the AISRF is Australia's largest fund for bilateral collaboration ith any country. (ANI)