India, Italy to launch joint innovation forum

NEW DELHI : India and Italy have decided to establish a joint Innovation Forum to promote and connect the world of research with the world of business and investment.
The decision was taken at meeting of the Indo-Italian Joint Committee established under the Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement originally was signed between Italy and India in 2003.
The meeting was held in Rome this week marking the re-launch of cooperation in the sectors of science, technology and innovation.
The Indian delegation led by Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof Ashutosh Sharma, while the Italian delegation was led by Vincenzo De Luca, Director General for Cultural and Scientific Cooperation.
The Committee approved several initiatives in bilateral scientific R&D projects of significance with the aim of facilitating the mobility of researchers who will be jointly selected and co-financed within the framework of the 2017-2019 Indo-Italy Executive Programme of Scientific and Technological Cooperation.
Information and Communication Technology, energy, environment and sustainable agriculture, health care, biotechnology and medicine, nanotechnology and advanced materials, physics and astrophysics and technology applied to the cultural and natural heritage, are the areas agreed upon by the two countries for joint projects.
The members discussed a new scientific and technological cooperation programme on applied science, aimed at developing technologies and processes to be applied in industry. Joint workshops are to be alternatively held in Italy and India, starting from 2017. (AGENCIES)