The second ministerial-level meeting of the India–EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) held in New Delhi on 28 February 2025 endorsed strengthening of collaboration in science, technology, and innovation.  Establishment of joint funding mechanisms, enhancement of scientific exchange and mobility, and the strengthening of public-private partnerships in priority areas such as clean energy, artificial intelligence, telecom and IT standardization with a particular focus on promoting interoperable global standards, biotechnology, water, and climate research were discussed during the meeting. Both sides also agreed to renew the long-standing Science and Technology (S&T) Agreement through 2030.Additionally, the EU’s €500 million “Choose Europe for Science” programme (2025–27) will now be open to Indian researchers, facilitating deeper research integration alongside India’s ongoing participation in Horizon Europe.

The key focus areas prioritized for India-EU cooperation in scientific research and technological advancement are- i) Clean energy & climate: including offshore wind, solar parks, integration of renewables, green hydrogen, smart grid technologies, battery recycling, EV charging standards, and biofuels; ii) AI & High-Performance Computing (HPC): including ethical large language model development, responsible AI, quantum computing, and HPC applications for climate, healthcare, and advanced industries; iii) Telecom and IT Standardization: including 6G, Open RAN (ORAN) and Quantum communication; iv) Biotechnology & bio-economy: including deep collaboration in vaccine development, precision biologics, enzyme technologies, climate-resilient agriculture, and bio-manufacturing innovation; v) Water & marine sciences: including wastewater treatment, marine pollution detection such as microplastics, blue-economy innovation, and ocean health studies supported through joint calls and vi) Other sectors: EV & battery tech, quantum communications, blue economy, ICT standardization, and vaccine R&D, under the broader TTC and S&T agenda.

The BioE3 policy encourages a collaborative approach and active engagement with potential partnersand stakeholders to synergize ongoing investments in biomanufacturing. The same is achieved throughcollaborations with international partners, research institutions, universities, government agencies, andpublic-private partnerships with startups and Indian industries. Scope for collaboration spans platformtechnologies, early-stage innovation, as well as late-stage translational research. Leveraging India’scurrent strengths in biologics manufacturing, the BioE3 Policyfurther enhances capacity for India to serve as biomanufacturing hub for global innovation bypromoting the advance to key milestones on the path to commercial scale operations.

Within the EU-India Clean Energy & Climate Partnership (CECP), established in 2016, both sides coordinate energy-climate dialogue and promote joint projects in offshore wind, solar, smart grids and storage, rooftop solar and energy efficiency. Government envisions clean technology cooperation centres on strengthening supply chains for solar energy, offshore wind, and clean hydrogen by exchanging information on sectoral capabilities and investment incentives and Research, Development and Innovation. India and the EU are working on offshore wind projects under the Facilitating Offshore Wind in India (FOWIND) initiative.

This information was given by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, MoS Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

 ***

NKR/PSM

 

(Release ID: 2153539)