Collaborative Relationships with India Entered a New Stage

Of the emerging countries, India has continued to progress remarkably at high speed, and the progress is supported by the country’s high standards for science and technology (S&T). Intensifying scientific and technological cooperation and promoting strategic collaborative research between the country and Japan are expected to contribute to extensively addressing bilateral as well as global issues.

For three days starting on December 11, 2015, a summit meeting was held in India between Japan’s Prime Minister Abe and India’s Prime Minister Modi; JST President Michinari Hamaguchi visited the country at the same time. During the Japan-India Innovation Seminar, attended by Prime Minister Abe, President Hamaguchi emphasized the need for S&T collaboration between the two countries.

In order to strengthen cooperation between the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology of India and JST, they signed a letter of intent for the promotion of collaborative research and the establishment of international collaboration hubs. The two parties will initiate a call for proposals starting in the very near future in order to begin collaborative research that will lead to the establishment of symbolic collaboration hubs for research in information and communications technology.

JST runs the Japan-Asia Youth Exchange Program in Science (Sakura Science Plan). Through the program, we invited high school students, undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral scientists from Asia, including India and China, for a short stay in Japan in order to foster interest in our country’s S&T. Discussions took place between high school students from India who participated in the program, President Hamaguchi, and Deputy Minister Kazuo Todani of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. The students said that they would like to study in Japan and obtain degrees; they expressed their aspirations for Japan.

This past November, JST established a liaison office in New Delhi, India. We will strive to accelerate the promotion of collaborative research and personnel exchanges between the two countries.

• - This is an English translation of NEWS 4 in TOPICS, which was published in the February 2016 issue of JST news.
  http://www.jst.go.jp/pr/jst-news/pdf/2015/2016_02_p14.pdf