WIREDGOV

The UK and India have announced a co-funded package of research initiatives.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) India and the Government of India have been working together since 2023 to devise a jointly funded £19.4 million package. The package will fund research initiatives in:

• farmed animal diseases
• understanding geohazards
• innovation in sustainable materials, manufacturing and power electronics

Speaking at the ITC Maurya on 4 September 2024, British High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron welcomed the range of UKRI councils and Government of India departments engaged in these joint ventures.

She was joined by the secretaries of the three Government of India departments who have co-funded these projects:

• Professor Abhay Karandikar from the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
• Dr Rajesh S Gokhale from the Department of Biotechnology (DBT)
• Dr M Ravichandran from the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)

Lindy Cameron, British High Commissioner to India, said:

From the discovery of graphene at the University of Manchester, to Homi J Bhabha discovering the laws of electron-positron scattering to furthering our understanding of nuclear physics, it is undeniable that research and innovation from the UK and India continues to benefit the world.

The breadth of these awards is a tribute to the nature of the UK-India partnership, addressing challenges ranging from understanding geohazards, tackling infectious diseases in farming, and transforming our industries for a sustainable future.

The UK and India are recognised globally as powerhouses for science and technology. When we bring the best minds from our countries together, we are truly capable of tackling the challenges of tomorrow.

Sukanya Kumar, Director UKRI India said:

UKRI’s partnership with India is built on the foundation of our complementary strengths as research and innovation partners. The 16 new awards announced are a testament to the breadth and depth of this partnership. Through these awards, 16 UK-India teams will join hands to increase our understanding of geohazards, tackle issues related to farmed animal disease and health, and develop the innovations needed for sustainability in our foundation industries.

I am proud of the central role UKRI India has played in facilitating these new collaborations.

Industrial Collaborative Research and Development

The High Commissioner also announced the successful projects from the Industrial Collaborative Research and Development for Sustainability (CR&D) programme. The CR&D programme is a jointly funded initiative between DST and Innovate UK that was launched in April 2023.

These projects will engage with business partners from both the UK and India. They will fund collaborative research and development in sustainable materials and manufacturing and power electronics, machines and drives, all with a focus on industrial sustainability.

The confirmed list of projects totals £2 million of jointly committed funds.

The projects

Sustainable biogas plants via valorisation of digestate through solar drying (SuBiDi)

UK lead: COOLSKY LTD

India lead: NDDB Mrida Ltd

Digitalized and Sustainable Approaches for Reusing, Repairing, Recycling Permanent Magnets from Electronic Wastes (PermMag-DiSARE)

UK lead: SILEX WORLD LTD

India lead: Karo-Sambhav

Construction 3D Printing assisted with IoT Sensors and Smart Ultrasound System for Enhanced Automation and Process Optimization (CONISSUS)

UK lead: Ivy Tech Ltd

India lead: Tvasta Manufacturing Solutions Pvt. Ltd

Zero emission steam for textiles

UK lead: Steamology Motion Ltd

India lead: TM Patel Processing Private Ltd

UKRI and the Government of India have jointly supported research and innovation over the last 15 years. They have facilitated over £400 million of match-funded research, in areas that continue to be diverse and that combine the mutual strengths of the two countries.

The DST Secretary, Professor Abhay Karandikar, said:

India is fast moving to become an economic powerhouse and that the nation is on track to achieve its Climate Change and Environmental targets on time. We are committed towards our Environmental goals which includes consistent efforts towards development of mitigation and monitoring solutions or environmental pollution and techno based pathways for reducing the carbon emissions and achieve the ambitious net zero targets.

I am proud to announce four new UK-India projects in partnership with UKRI’s Innovate UK to support businesses in India and the UK to co-develop the products, services and processes which would provide greater returns in terms of socioeconomic benefits to common man in both countries.

Farmed animal disease and health

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology and Government of India have jointly committed £8.9 million to fund seven projects.

Research groups in the UK and India will work together to build on their combined strengths and tackle issues of improving farmed animal health and welfare in the UK and India.

Launched in May 2023, this partnership has yielded a range of joint projects.

The projects

Unravelling the mechanisms of differential virulence and drug resistance in bovine TB: mycobacterium orygis as a current and emerging threat

UK lead: Professor Ian Jones, University of Reading

India lead: Dr Bappaditya Dey, National Institute of Animal Biotechnology Hyderabad

A comparative one-health approach tackling AMR infections UK and indian livestock

UK lead: Dr Robert Atterbury, University of Nottingham

India lead: Dr Nitin Kurkure, Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University

Understanding the role of the type II MLA system in OMV biogenesis: towards developing an effective vaccine against campylobacter jejuni in poultry

UK lead: Dr Ozan Gundogdu, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

India lead: Dr Amirul Mallick, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata

Understanding and controlling lumpy skin disease in Indian cattle

UK lead: Dr Georgina Limon-Vega, Pirbright Institute

India lead: Dr Baldev Raj Gulati, ICAR-National Institute of Veterinary Epidemiology and Disease Informatics

The contribution of cross-species innate immune responses to the host control of Q-fever

UK lead: Dr Brian Ferguson, University of Cambridge

India lead: Dr Sandhya Ganesan, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram

Detecting drug resistance in surra in India

UK lead: Professor Mike Barrett, University of Glasgow

India lead: Dr Rajender Kumar, National Research Centre on Equines

Reducing reliance on ionophores: eimeria population biology and impact on selection for antimicrobial resistance

UK lead: Professor Damer Blake, Royal Veterinary College

India lead: Professor Chaitanya Joshi, Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre

The DBT Secretary, Dr Rajesh S Gokhale, said:

UKRI and DBT have a long history of working together across mutually agreed important aspects of biotechnology, such as sustainable biofuels, tackling industrial waste, food-security and agri-tech, among others. I am pleased to announce seven new awards under our DBT and BBSRC-UKRI partnership call on Farmed Animal Disease and Health (FADH).

With a combined investment of £8.9 million, DBT and UKRI are supporting these new partnership projects to advance the mechanistic understanding of susceptibility of farmed animals to infectious diseases, resistance to disease with a focus on understanding host factors, and farming practices for a more sustainable global food chain.

Solid earth hazards

The High Commissioner and the MoES Secretary also announced £8.5 million awarded to five projects as part of the understanding geohazard processes and their impacts across India funding opportunity. This joint initiative is between the Ministry of Earth Sciences and UKRI’s building a secure and resilient world strategic theme, led and delivered on behalf of UKRI by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

Launched in June 2023, this initiative will support five projects bringing together UK and Indian researchers to further understand the processes behind earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis in India and its neighbouring countries to improve community resilience.

The projects

Quantifying earthquake hazard and enhancing resilience in India

UK lead: Professor Alex Copley, University of Cambridge

India lead Professor Rajiv Sinha, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur

Dynamic Risk for Cascading Himalayan Hazards

UK lead: Professor Hugh Sinclair, University of Edinburgh

India lead: Professor Rajiv Sinha, Department of Earth Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur

People Centred Tsunami early warning for Indian Coastlines (PCTWIN)

UK lead: Professor Fatemeh Jalayer, University College London

India lead: Dr. T. Srinivasa Kumar, Director, Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services

The properties, mechanisms, and hazards of interplate and intraplate earthquakes in India

UK lead: Professor Daniel Faulkner, University of Liverpool

India lead: Dr Deepjyoti Goswami, BGRL, Ministry of Earth Sciences

An interdisciplinary analytical framework for high mountain landslides and cascading hazards: implications for communities and infrastructure

UK lead: Dr Anshuman Bhardwaj, University of Aberdeen

India lead: Dr Sheikh Nawaz Ali, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences

Professor Christopher Smith, UKRI International Champion said:

Geohazards, are a vital area of research which requires collaborative international action by researchers, policymakers, governments, private sectors, and civil societies.

This programme will further our understanding of the fundamental physics of earthquakes and landslides to build resilience and mitigation against natural disasters in India, delivering real benefits to communities and critical infrastructure. Our partnership with the Ministry of Earth Sciences in India is core to its success, and the real-world impact of our programme.

The MoES Secretary, Dr M Ravichandran, said:

Our world is changing. Geohazards like earthquakes and landslides are becoming more frequent, severely impacting lives, destroying communities, and slowing down economic growth. Yet our understanding of these phenomena is still developing. Improving this understanding is an effort we need to make together, across national boundaries.

MoES is proud to collaborate with UKRI’s NERC with a combined investment of £8.5 million to support five projects that will further our understanding of Geohazards, and help us together save lives, communities, and reduce damage well beyond our geographical boundaries.