S&T COLLABORATION BETWEEN ITALY AND INDIA  

1. INTERGOVERNMENTAL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL COLLABORATION AGREEMENT      

1.1.  The Executive Programme in force for 2008 - 2010

The Executive Program in effect for the period 2008-2010 was signed in Delhi on 21 November 2008 and it identified the following priority sectors:      

     · Electronics, Telecommunications and Computer Sciences
     · Health, Food and Biotechnology
     · Design Engineering and Technology
     · Materials Science and Technology
     · Physics, Technology and Application of Accelerated Particles 
     · Transport Systems including Automotive Technologies
     · Energy and Environment
     · Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration Technologies

In these sectors a joint approval was given for:   
     - 23 new research projects;
     - 4 projects of national importance;
     - 3 on-going projects.

Under these projects, seminars, conferences, specialized training and workshop-cum-exhibitions shall be organized which shall witness participation of eminent Italian and Indian personalities from the science and industrial field.  

1.2. Collaboration in S&T in the period 1978 - 2007

Collaboration in the R&S field between Italy and India officially started in 1978 when the Italian foreign minister and the Indian Science and Technology minister, in consultation with their respective research institutions, universities and industries, signed a Scientific and Technological Collaboration Agreement, which was then split  into three yearly “Operational Projects”, to identify priority areas for the development of bilateral collaboration and to define norms for implementing these programs.

The S&T collaboration was fostered by signing on the 28 November 2003 the S&T Agreement which, once approved by both the Governments, become operational and included the following innovative features:  
1.       new and more modern instruments (also financial) for collaboration.
2.       thrust to projects under the 6th Program Framework of the EU;
3.       defining regulations for issues related to protection of patents and utilization of   results of such projects (IPR);                                                   
4.       new initiatives such as “creation of joint centers and research laboratories and joint centers of excellence” and “creation of a virtual network of laboratories and scientific research academies”.  

Year 2005 was marked by the visit of the Minister of Education Mrs. Letizia Moratti, during the visit of President Ciampi in February, resulting in a further significant improvement in scientific and technological collaboration under way between Italy and India.

The following agreements were signed during the visit: a MOU along with Indian minister of Science and Technology to provide 150 PhD and post-PhD scholarships for Indian students for a total of 3 million euro each year for 3 years and seven agreements for collaboration in Science and Technology and creation of Joint Research Laboratories for technologically advanced sectors such as space, IT, NeuroIT, BioIT, MEMS, WEB.  These agreements, in addition to those existing with the internationally most prestigious research centers in the United States of America, Israel, China and Japan, consolidate the international policy on research adopted by Italy which concentrates on bilateral collaboration, setting up of joint laboratories under equal terms from both scientific and financial point of view and, for the first time, indicate important scientific and economic repercussions in our country.      

2. Particularly relevant collaborations in S&T between Italy and India 

·  In the field of nuclear physics, the on going collaboration between the Sincrotone of Trieste and the Indian institutions is much appreciable. This collaboration is not limited to carrying out joint research projects but also organizing training programs for Indian researchers, consultancy by Italian experts and the construction of an Indian beam-line at the Sicrotrone of Trieste. 

·  In the genetic and biotechnology field particularly important is the collaboration between Italy and India started by International Center for Genetics and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste and New Delhi. The Center, promoted in 1982 by UNIDO for carrying out research and training activities in genetic engineering and biotechnology sectors, with a particular attention to the requirements of developing countries, it became an autonomous institution in February 1994 within the United Nations system. There are 66 member countries, majority of which are developing countries, to whom ICGEB offers scientific services which include technical assistance for carrying out research projects and providing telematic network for analysis of genome sequence in humans and in other organisms and also the transfer of know-how to industries through a innovative patent policy.  

ICGEB plays an important role in the promotion of sustainable application and use of biotechnology and amongst its various activities is included a series of instruments for spreading scientific information all over the world. The use of this information by the United Nation led to a specific agreement between the ICGEB and the UN Secretariat. 

Besides, the Center collaborates with important international organizations for programs related to protection of biodiversity and biosafety (by making available in the network, a bibliographic data base on biosafety and risk assessment for making genetically modified organisms) and for implementation of section 10 of the Agreement for banning biological weapons with the aim of guarantee international cooperation in these important sectors.                                 

The Italian government made a contribution of 6.8 billion lire to ICGEB in 1986, of 9.8 billion lire in 1997, 1998 and in 1999 (through Development Cooperation), of 13 billion lire in 2000, 17 billion lire in 2001 and 20 billion lire in 2002. India annually invests around 2 billion lire every year.

·   An important collaboration is under way since 2001 between the University of Trento and various Indian universities. The India-Trento Program for Advanced Research (ITPAR) is a part of the bilateral initiatives agreed upon at governmental level during the “Fifth Session of Indo-Italian Joint Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation” held in Rome on 12 March 2002 which envisages joining of human resources (exchange of researchers for short and long term), of finances (funds for research) and of infrastructures (scientific instruments and/or common laboratories). 

The participants in these initiatives are: The Province of Trento, Italian scientific organizations (University of Trento, CNR, ITC-irst) and Indian organizations (University of Hyderabad and of Pondicherry), Tata Institute of Mumbai, Aeronautic Development Agency of Bangalore).

Four projects in the Microsystems, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Physics & Material Science sectors are operational.

An informative website, http://dit.unitn.it/itpar, has also been created.

This program is turning out to be one of the most innovative and significant amongst the bilateral collaboration programs under way and it is expected to to expand in Italy at a national level and subsequently at European level.

·   Of particular relevance is the Agreement on scientific, technological and cultural collaboration between the University of Udine and the Birla Science Center signed on 2.10.2001 at Hyderabad which promotes the organization of important scientific events every year in Italy and India in the field of Information Science.

Amongst the most significant results of this agreement are a MOU between the University of Udine and the Birla Science Center for establishing an International Institute for Applied Mathematics and Information Science, and a MOU between the Company EIDON (Ud) and the Birla Global Infotech Services Private Limited for the development and marketing of softwares. Every year a group of students or young graduates come to Udine for training programs.

·   In the archaeology and restoration field numerous Italian projects in specialized sectors are highly admired. It would be enough to mention the archaeological exploration in the Kapilavastu district, the birth place of Budha, the restoration of the 3rd century statue of Jayavara, the research on the Ashoka pillar, environment and architectural restoration of the area of the Bagmati river and of the main worship places in the Kathmandu valley, the restoration of the sun temple in Konark.

·   With regard to the environmental sector a seminar on Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation was organized in November 2005. An important outcome of this seminar was the signing of a MOU, during the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal in December 2005,  for Cooperation in the field of Climatic Change and for carrying out joint projects in the field of  “Clean Development  Mechanism” under the Kyoto Protocol.  

3. AGREEMENTS AND PROTOCOLS IN EFFECT BETWEEN ITALY AND  INDIA IN THE S&T SECTOR  

Besides the agreements between the two Governments, cited in p. 1.1, various other agreements and projects between Universities and Scientific institutions of the two countries are being carried out and the most important of these are listed below: 

-   Intergovernmental agreement for cooperation in science and technology (Rome, 28/4/78)
-   Agreement on cultural and scientific collaboration between the University “La Sapienza” of Rome and the Indian University Grant Commission (Rome, 18/3/94)
-   Indo-Italian Council for Research and Cooperation in Science, Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences (Delhi, 24/5/94)
-   S&T Cooperation protocol between the National Research Committee (CNR) and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) (Rome, 6/2/95)
-   Work Program for scientific and technological cooperation 1997-1999 between the National Research Committee (CNR) and CSIR (Delhi, 14/3/97)
-   Memorandum of Understanding between the National Research Committee (CNR)-Finalized project RAISA and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (Delhi, 3/12/98)
-   Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the Science and Technology fields between the Department of S&T, Gov. of India (DST) and the Inter-University Research Centre on Developing Countries, Italy (CIRPS) (Rome, 23/11/99)
-   Agreement on Cooperation in exploration and use of space between ISRO and ASI   (Bangalore and Rome, 31/05/00) Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration in the Research and Training sector between the University of Bologna and the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation (Chennai, 24/05/01)
-   Agreement on scientific, technological and cultural collaboration between the University of Udine and the B.M.Birla Science Centre in Hyderabad (Udine, 2/10/01)
- Intergovernmental agreement on scientific and technological cooperation (Delhi, 28/11/03)
-   Intergovernmental executive program for scientific and technological cooperation 2005-2007 (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   MOU between the Ministry of Education, University and Research of the Italian Republic (MIUR) and  the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Republic of India (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Agreement between the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on the Cooperation in space science, technology and applications (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Establishment of an Indo-Italian Joint Center for Enabling Web Technologies and their Applications. MOU between the University of Trento and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Establishment of a Research Hub on MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems). MOU between the  ITC-irst, Trento and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Establishment of a Research Hub “International Institute for Applicable Mathematics and Information Sciences”. MOU between the University of Udine and the B.M. Birla Science Centre, Hyderabad (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Establishment of a Research Hub on Neuroinformatics. Technical Agreement between the National Research Council and the National Brain Research Centre, Pune (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Establishment of a Research Hub on Bioinformatics. Technical Agreement between the National Research Council and the University of Pune (Delhi, 14/02/05)
-   Establishment of a Research Hub on Information and Communication Technologies. Agreement between S.S.S.Anna, Pisa and the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (Delhi, 14/02/05)  
-   MOU between the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India and the Ministry for Environment and Territory of the Republic of Italy on Cooperation in the Area of Climate Change and Development and Implementation of Projects under the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol (Montreal, 7/12/05)
-   Intergovernmental executive program for scientific and technological cooperation 2008-2010 (Delhi, 21/11/08)    

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