NEW DELHI: In a bid to strengthen academic research India and Israel have decided to launch a joint programme to the tune of $5 million from both sides annually over a three-year period. The broader contours of the long-term programme were agreed upon during a meeting between HRD minister Kapil Sibal, who is currently on a visit to Israel, and Israeli leaders.
During the meeting "both the countries have agreed in principle to establish a long-term programme that will bring together Indian and Israeli researchers to carry forward research in areas of mutual interests," an official statement here said. Sibal met Israeli finance minister Yuval Steinitz, minister for education and chairman of the council for higher education Gideon Sa'ar and Israel's chairman of the planning and budgeting committee Manuel Trajtenberg, it said.
Officials in the HRD ministry said both sides have agreed that the academic programme will be coordinated by UGC on the Indian side and the Israel Science Foundation for Tel Aviv. Sibal's visit coincides with the 20th anniversary of full diplomatic ties between Israel and India during which economic relations have deepened and innovation has become a shared value and goal of the two countries.
A joint working group has identified the broad areas for cooperation in renewable and sustainable energies, bio-medical sciences, cyber-security, humanities and social sciences, the statement added.
Source: The Times of India
