The Hindu Business Line : Focus on topical technology, Sibal urges Indo-US forum

(From left) Mr Kapil Sibal, Minister for Science & Technology; Mr Y.K. Modi, FICCI President; and Mr Norman P. Neureiter, Co-Chair, Indo-US Science & Technology Forum & Director, Centre for Science & Technology & Security Policy, at a Roundtable on `Indo-US Public-Private Partnership in R&D and Technology Endeavours: The Road Ahead', in the Capital on Thursday. — Kamal Narang

New Delhi , Dec. 2

THE Minister of State for Science & Technology, Mr Kapil Sibal, on Thursday urged Indian and US scientists to focus on development of topical and frontier technologies through innovation that would enable India to bypass the lack of physical infrastructure.

Speaking at a round-table on `Indo-US Public-Private Partnership in R&D and Technology Endeavours,' organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), here, he said: "This should become the priority for the Indo-US Science & Technology Forum."

Etching the contours of the strategic role that needed to be adopted by the scientific community, Mr Sibal advised the governing body of the forum to focus on `dual use' innovative technologies for giving an impetus to projects in topical areas such as food, agriculture, healthcare and water while, at the same time, concentrating on frontier nuclear technologies, space, defence, knowledge industry and IT.

The country, he said, could ill-afford to get bogged down by the huge requirement of funds and that it was time for bridging infrastructure gaps. The FICCI President, Mr Y.K. Modi, called for building greater awareness of the Indian scientific capability with various public-private research institutions in the US. At the same time, there was need for closer interface between the public and private sector laboratories in India and the US for arriving at appropriate joint research projects, he said.