EU's offerings for Indian researchers

Dr Andrew Sors, Minister Counsellor, Head of Science and Technology, European Commission Delegation to India, Bhutan and Nepal

As the international partner in this year's Bangalore Bio 2006, the European Union (EU) announced exciting new opportunities for the research community in India, in particular with the 7th EU Research Framework Program, 2007–2013.

This cooperation will build upon and further extend Indian participation in the current 6th EU Research Framework Program (2002 – 2006). Here, more than 50 collaborative research projects include almost 75 participants in India. A few examples of institutions which are included are the Indian Institute of Science (Bangalore), the Indian Institutes of Technology in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Roorkee, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (New Delhi) and many others.

FP7 will be the largest international research and development program in the world. It is likely to have a budget in the region of 55 billion Euros (about $70 billion) during the period 2007–2013. It includes a wide range of activities, including collaborative research, investigator-driven research and research fellowships.

Addressing a press conference, Dr Andrew Sors, Minister Counsellor, Head of Science and Technology, European Commission Delegation to India, Bhutan and Nepal, underlined the great mutual advantages both for India and the EU. "India and the EU share the proud tradition of scientific excellence as well as a strong commitment to the crucial growth of science and technology for economic growth as well as for society needs. The EU is pleased to be closely and actively associated with Bangalore Bio 2006, which is seen as a major opportunity to strengthen links and partnerships across academia and enterprise in these fields of science and technology," he added.

The European Union greatly welcomes participation by Indian researchers and research institutions in FP7, in collaboration with scientists and institutions in Europe. The EU may fund successful applications based on independent peer review of proposals for joint research projects or for fellowships, he said.

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