India EU Joint Committee on S&T Cooperation Sets Strategic Agenda for 2025 27

The 14th EU-India Joint Steering Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation, hosted by the European Commission, has laid the foundation for deeper, long-term collaboration in research and innovation. The meeting, co-chaired by Ms. Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, and Professor Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) of India, focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between India and the EU.

Both sides acknowledged the achievements of their 24-year-long partnership in science, technology, and innovation, and reaffirmed their commitment to building on this success. Senior officials, including EU Ambassador Hervé Delphin and Indian Ambassador Saurabh Kumar, were in attendance, highlighting the significance of this collaboration.

Key outcomes included the renewal of the EU-India S&T Agreement for 2025-2030 and ongoing collaboration through the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC), with a focus on green energy, marine plastic litter, battery recycling, hydrogen technologies, wastewater treatment, and E-mobility. India also reiterated its interest in associating with Horizon Europe. Both sides emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in emerging areas such as personalized medicine, bioeconomy, biotechnology, food security, polar research, and ICT.

The committee celebrated India's participation in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, which has resulted in 88 collaborative projects worth over €452 million, covering areas like water, vaccines, and smart grids. Discussions also focused on improving framework conditions for collaboration, promoting gender equality, fostering open science, and enhancing two-way researcher mobility, including a new co-funding agreement with CSIR for MSCA staff exchanges.

The meeting set a clear agenda for future cooperation, underscoring the shared commitment to advancing scientific research and innovation through sustained partnership.

Prior to the 14th EU-India JSTCC meeting, four Indian startups working on battery recycling met with Ms. Signe Ratso, Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, and Mr. Saurabh Kumar, Indian Ambassador to the EU. These startups were selected under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) initiative and were offered a market exploration trip to the EU to connect with potential investors and partners. This initiative highlights growing cooperation between the EU and India in green energy technologies.