India to host 5 events as part of BRICS Science Technology Innovation Steering Committee

New Delhi, Jan 18: India will host five events this year as part of the BRICS Science Technology Innovation (STI) Steering Committee, the government said Tuesday. The five events are -- BRICS Startups Forum Meeting; Working Groups Meetings on Energy; Biotechnology & Biomedicine; ICT & High-Performance Computing; STIEP (Science, Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Partnership) Working Group Meeting and the launching of BRICS innovation Launchpad as a microsite (Knowledge Hub), it said.

The decision was made at the 15th meeting of the BRICS Science Technology Innovation (STI) Steering Committee on Monday, the Science and Technology ministry said in a statement. "India has successfully handed over the BRICS Chairmanship to China from January 2022.

The theme for BRICS 2022 is 'Foster High-Quality BRICS Partnership Usher in a New Era for Global Development’," the ministry said. A series of sectoral events and meetings, including minister level and BRICS summit, will be organised during the year, it said.

The BRICS STI Steering Committee meeting was attended by representatives from BRICS nations’ scientific ministries and foreign missions. From the Indian side, the meeting was led by Sanjeev Kumar Varshney, Advisor and Head International Cooperation, Department of Science and Technology, the ministry said.

During the meeting, the Chinese side presented broad outline of activities to be carried out during the whole year. It mainly includes thematic meetings, BRICS Young Scientist Conclave, Senior official, and Ministerial level meetings. A total of 25 events have been planned, of which India will host five, the ministry said.

The BRICS Young Scientist Conclave will be held in September in a virtual format, and thematic focus may be carbon peak neutralisation; biomedicine, artificial intelligence, material science and modern agriculture. China has proposed to host the 10th BRICS S&T ministerial meeting and senior official meeting in September.

At the sideline of the ministerial meeting, an exhibition will be organised showcasing the outcomes of successful projects supported under the BRICS Framework Programme( 2015-2022). The meeting also discussed the finalization of BRICS Calendar of scientific events and programs. It was agreed that by the end of this month, all countries will notify the specific dates, venue, and format of meeting.

India tentatively indicated willingness to host the STIEP working group meeting in March 2022 and BRICS startups forum meeting in May/June 2022. PTI