The annual EU-India Science, Technology and Innovation Cooperation Day is being held between 21-22 September 2016 at the CSIR – National Institute of Oceanography at Dona Paulo, Goa. The 7th edition of the event was inaugurated by the Mr. Kozlowski, Ambassador of the European Union to India today. At the inauguration, the ambassador spoke at length about EU’s research initiatives with India and stressed on the need to augment food security around the globe. He estimated that the world’s global population would touch 9 billion by 2050 and the food production would need to be increased from current levels by 70%. He reiterated that this represented an enormous opportunity for researchers.
His Excellency Mr Kozlowski, Ambassador of the EU to India.
Krishnaswamy Vijay Raghavan who is the Secretary of Indian Department of Biotechnology spoke about the threat to scientific thought with the rise of movements against biotechnology and genetically modified food. He emphasised the need for educating the public and correctly disseminating information about scientific discoveries. Indian science is yet to acquire this capability. He further highlighted India’s achievements in R&D and how it is now the leader in the generics market and is growing exponentially in the market for Biosimilars.
Latest Developments in Indo-European Science & Tech Innovation
Elisabetta Balzi, the Director-General of Research and Innovation, European Commission spoke about the importance the of the bio-economy in Europe, which employs more than 20 million people. She further elaborated on the various schemes the EU has for promotion and collaboration in different sectors of the bio economy.
The session ended with presentations about Inno Indigo which supports policy dialogue through networking. The Inno Indigo platform has been able to bring together STI organizations in India and Europe. This has led to the launch of several pilot initiatives in India and EU in the fields of Biotechnology and Water Technology.
EU Funding for Horizon 2020.
Later in the day, the conference will have parallel sessions on Sustainable Food Security, Bio Based Innovation and Marine Economy. A valorisation workshop that will help researchers commercialize their discoveries is scheduled in the afternoon.A networking event to connect institutions in Europe with Indian researchers is planned for tomorrow. Watch this space for more updates.
