India and Germany to build science cooperation

The DFG, the German Research Foundation, has opened an office in Delhi, India, asaying it plans to introduce a new collaborative programme with its Indian counterpart the Department of Science and Technology (DST) next year.

To date, interaction with India has resembled a one-way street – 36 Indian scientists visited Germany under the auspices of an agreement with the Indian National Science Academy in 2005,with the Indian National Science Academy in 2005, whereas just 9 German scientists went to India, said Ernst-Ludwig Winnacker, president of the DFG, at the opening ceremony, adding that building scientific cooperation between India and Germany is one of the new office’s most important tasks.

In his opening address, V. S. Ramamurthy, secretary of the DST, emphasised the strategic importance of scientific collaboration between India and Germany, calling it also the foundation for political cooperation. alumni.

Winnacker and the current Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology, T. Ramasami, signed an agreement to expand scientific cooperation through a programme of cooperation that will run from 2007-2009. An advisory board consisting of three German and three Indian scientists will be appointed, with the projects co-funded by India and Germany.

Delhi is DFG’s fourth international office, along with Beijing, Washington and Moscow. It will be headed by Gernot Gad, previously Programme Director in the International Affairs Division at the DFG’s Head Office in Bonn. “The science community’s interest in India has increased exponentially in recent years, and I have also observed growing interest in cooperation with Germany among young Indian researchers,” he said.