The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Canada for cooperation in the field of Science & Technology.  The MoU will provide a mechanism and help to foster scientific cooperation between R&D and academic institutions of India and Canada.

Salient features:

·         An innovative model of R&D cooperation between India and Canada will be implemented under a MoU concluded by the Department of Science and Technology with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada.

·         Under this MoU, the India-Canada Centre for Innovative Multidisciplinary Partnership to Accelerate Community Transformation and Sustainability (IC-IMPACTS) programme will be supported to promote India-Canada multidisciplinary research partnerships.

·         The R&D projects will be aimed at accelerating social transformation by providing solutions through application of science and technology.

·         The participants will include researchers from scientific organizations, academia and R&D laboratories from India and Canada.

·         Identified areas of mutual cooperation include safe and sustainable infrastructure and integrated water management.

·         This will help to develop institutional networking and support the establishment of connections between scientific organizations, scientists and specialists of India and Canada.

Background:

The MoU was concluded in pursuance to the inter-governmental Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the India and Canada concluded in November 2005.

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AKT/VBA/SH