India’s Science and Tech Ministry Wants to Connect Diaspora to Indian Researchers

Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of India’s Department Science and Technology, said the government would like to connect Indian academia and industry with Indian American presidents of American universities. (IANS photo)

NEW DELHI – Stressing the important role that the Indian diaspora could play in connecting with Indian academia and industry, a top official said the government is determined to connect them with Indian researchers.

“Given the constraints and cultural differences in research ambience of two countries, we can work through mutual collaborations with the help of government initiatives such as VAJRA, SPARC, etc., particularly in futuristic technologies like cyber-physical system, quantum, hydrogen, electric mobility, in which several Indian scientists are also doing substantial work,” Science and Technology Secretary Prof. Ashutosh Sharma said during his recent interaction with several Indian American presidents of American universities.

The Science and Technology Ministry is determined to connect the Indian diaspora with Indian researchers, and DST has had several dialogues with the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy on the development of bilateral scientific cooperation, he said, as per an official release.

Sharma has been periodically interacting with persons of Indian origin in science, technology, engineering, medicine, and mathematics. On Aug. 20, 2021, he, along with University Grants Commission chairman Prof. D.P. Singh had interacted with 11 presidents/chancellors of U.S. universities in which India’s Ambassador in the United States Taranjeet Singh Sandhu had also participated.

DST’s head, International Cooperation, S.K. Varshney pointed out that in STEMM areas, the first significant step was taken by organizing the Vaishwik Bharatiya Vaigyanik summit in 2020, and now an online portal, Pravasi Bharatiya Academic and Scientific Sampark, has also been launched to connect the Indian diaspora with Indian academic and research institutes.

Prof. Singh shared his insights on the new National Educational Policy.

During the interaction, Indian diaspora suggested that frequent actions need to be taken on collaborations along with a set timelines and defined focus areas. They proposed upgrading the healthcare system and promotion of medical sciences along with technical education so as to develop cooperation in certain focus areas like health care, artificial intelligence machine learning, agriculture, and so on, the release added.

The meeting was attended by Prof. Satish K. Tripathi of the State University of New York, Buffalo, Prof. Pradeep Khosla of the University of California, San Diego; Prof. Michael Rao of Virginia Commonwealth University, Prof. Kumble Subbaswamy of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; Prof. Ashish Vaidya Northern Kentucky University, Prof. Renu Khator of the University of Houston, Prof. Neeli Bendapudi of the University of Louisville, Kentucky; Prof. Venkat Reddy of the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; Prof. Mauli Agrawal of University of Missouri, Kansas City; Prof. Mantosh Dewan of Upstate Medical University, SUNY; and Prof. Mahesh Daas of the Boston Architectural College, Boston.