Minister announces Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing
Finnish companies will partner with India for Carbon-neutral technologies and innovations, enhancing cooperation for Sustainability in Climate Change, Finland Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde said during a meeting with Minister of State Science & Technology; Earth Sciences as well as Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh.
The envoy also invited India to explore the possibility of deeper cooperation in Finland’s Biobank project to mediate high quality human samples for medical research to promote development of new products and services that promote public health.
“Finland reiterated its commitment for enhanced cooperation in the areas like renewable and bio-energy, sustainability, edu-tech, pharma and digitization,” Ministry of Science & Technology said in a release on 9 Mar 2022 following a review of bilaterally supporting projects.
Both the sides noted with satisfaction that around 100 Finnish companies are actively operating in India in various sectors such as telecom, elevators, machinery and energy including Renewable Energy, while around 30 Indian companies are also active in Finland mainly in the IT, auto-components and hospitality sector.
The Ambassador led a Finnish delegation and reviewed the progress of bilateral cooperation in areas like 5G, Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability with Dr Singh.
India and Finland have worked out a detailed plan for establishment of the Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing, announced Dr Singh.
India has already identified three premier institutes viz IIT Madras, IISER Pune and C-DAC Pune for working with Finnish counterpart institutions for the Virtual Network Centre.
Formal announcement for establishment of the Indo-Finnish Virtual Network Centre on Quantum Computing is likely to be made during the visit of Finnish Minister of Economic Affairs Mika Tapani Lintilä to India next month (April 2022).
The Minister also called for joint collaboration in DST initiated mission mode programs like Electric Vehicles, Cyber Physical System, Future Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen Fuel etc to address the societal challenges.
The bilateral Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) collaboration between the two countries is an attempt to stimulate innovative R&D projects that address a specific need or challenge, demonstrate high industrial relevance and commercial potential and aim to deliver benefit to both the nations.
India and Finland has strong bonding in STI within the framework of S&T agreement. The Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology has been collaborating for over a decade with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland together with Business Finland and Academy of Finland.
He noted Finland’s leading role in clean and green technologies which can help India’s drive towards sustainable development.
An inter-governmental S&T cooperation Agreement between India and Finland was signed on 25 March 2008. The agreement envisages sharing of experiences in national research, development and innovation policies and programmes, exchanging scientists and researchers, industrial research, joint research and development projects and joint workshops. fiinews.com
