March 01, 2002
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INDIA-BRAZIL SCIENCE COUNCIL SOON TO BOOST TECHNOLOGICAL COOPERATION
India and Brazil will soon set up a Science Council to give a boost to their ongoing scientific and technological cooperation. The council will evaluate the implementation of the programme of cooperation on a regular basis and identify thrust areas for collaboration in various fields not only of mutual interest but also of global concern. In specific, the two sides will identify joint research projects in the frontier areas of science and promote application-oriented collaboration projects and transfer of technologies from one country to another.
The modalities of speedily setting up the council which will act as an apex level broad-based advisory body were discussed here last night between the visiting Brazilian delegation headed by Prof. Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, its Minister for Science and Technology and the Indian delegation led by the Minister for Human Resource Development and Science and Technology, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi. Both the sides will soon short-list about 10 mutually agreed joint projects for implementation during the year
The decision to set up the Council was agreed upon in a memorandum of understanding signed between Dr. Joshi and Prof. Sardenberg in Brasillia in July last. The MoU also stipulated the setting up of a Programme Management Board comprising 6 representatives from each side to coordinate the scientific activities. From the Indian side, the Secretary, Department of Science and Technology (DST) will be the Chairman and representatives from the Department of Biotechnology, CSIR, Department of Ocean Development and head of the International Division of DST will be members and the officer in-charge of Indo-Brazilian programme in DST will be member secretary.
During the discussions the two sides agreed to take up collaboration in biotechnology in a big way, especially in agricultural and biomedical research, bio-informatics, biosafety and genetics. The possibilities of cooperation were also explored in biofertilizers, nitrogen fixing, genomics, diagnostics, genetic disorders as well as a joint programme in bio-energy. Another important area identified for collaboration at the meeting related to climate modelling, because of regional similarities. Areas of cooperation in oceanography, space, arid zone and drought management were also touched upon.
Dr. Joshi told Prof. Sardenberg that India values South-South cooperation and said the two countries can work together to effectively fight for the rights of the developing countries at the WTO and WIPO for better trade and patent bargains. Prof. Sardenberg said there is immense potential for a stronger Indo-Brazilian partnership and agreed to share research facilities in each other’s country.