MoU signed for several key technology areas
India and Israel will enhance partnership in areas like innovation and startups and usher in a new phase of deeper bilateral collaboration, Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr Jitendra Singh said when a high-level Israeli delegation led by Dr. Daniel Gold, Head of DDR&D, Israeli Ministry of Defence, called on him in Delhi on 2 May 2023.
On the occasion, India and Israel signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Industrial Research and Development Cooperation with focus on several key technology areas, like Aerospace, Electronics Instrumentation, Civil, Infrastructure & Engineering, Ecology, Environment, Earth & Ocean Sciences and Water, Mining, Minerals, Metals & Materials, Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Energy (Conventional & Non-Conventional) and Energy Devices, Agri, Nutrition & Biotech and Healthcare.
The Multi-Sectoral Agreement was signed between CSIR and Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), Ministry of Defense, Israel, at the CSIR-Science Centre, New Delhi (see picture).
Welcoming the signing of the agreement, Dr Jitendra Singh said that 2023 is a very important year as India and Israel are celebrating 30 years of successful diplomatic relations.
The Minister said he is optimistic that this agreement will open a new phase in India-Israel partnership in areas like Innovation, Technology and StartUps.
He noted that India-Israel are not only bilateral partners, but play a larger role to address some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, through joint investments and new initiatives in Water, Energy, Transportation, space, health and food security sectors, through the grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America – “I2U2” Group.
Dr Jitendra Singh pointed out that the Indian Government has been promoting S&T developments and handholding start-up innovations in our country by providing necessary policy and budgetary support enabling action at the ground level.
Science and Technology have always been an integral part of Indian culture. Indian Science has come to be regarded as one of the most powerful instruments of growth and development, especially in the emerging scenario and competitive economy, he said.
“Space, Health, Food, Agriculture, Energy, Aerospace, Smart Cities, Environment, Infrastructure, Materials among others and Sustainable Growth are key pillars and focused areas of our present government,” said the Minister of State who is also in charge of Earth Sciences, Atomic Energy and Space.
The Minister was happy to note that India and Israel have bilateral consultation mechanisms in all cooperation fields, including water, agriculture, counter-terrorism, and defence. He said that Defense has particularly been the cooperation priority with Israel and in November 2021, Defense R&D Organization (DRDO) and DDR&D have inked a Bilateral Innovation Agreement (BIA) to promote innovation and accelerated R&D in startups and MSMEs of both countries for the development of dual use technologies.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that it is essential to strengthen bilateral ties particularly for technology development and implementation.
CSIR with its strong focus on Industrial research and development, could work with its Israeli peers for strengthening each other’s domestic industrial sector as also taking their joint developments to other countries, he added.
The Minister expressed happiness in knowing that the joint activities have already begun in the Healthcare sector, and a way ahead has been made for other important areas like Aerospace, Quantum technologies, Lasers, Green Hydrogen, Instrumentation and water. fiinews.com
