India and US Collaborate to Enhance Strategic Technology Partnership: Minister
India and the US are actively collaborating to strengthen their strategic technology partnership, focusing on connecting scientists from both nations to work on emerging technologies like AI and smart connected cities, according to government officials.
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh made this announcement while presenting the Indo-US Endowment awards to 17 winning teams aimed at developing AI-enabled technologies and quantum innovations. Speaking at the US-India Science and Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF) award ceremony, which was attended by US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, Dr. Singh emphasized the significance of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET). He noted that new agreements between scientific agencies are set to enhance international collaboration across various sectors and foster a robust innovation ecosystem.
“The joint call by the DST and the National Science Foundation in areas such as computer and information science, cyber-physical systems, and secure cyberspace has resulted in the approval of 11 high-impact proposals,” the minister stated.
India and the US stand at a crucial juncture as they navigate transformative technologies like artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, blockchain, green energy, and quantum computing, all of which are poised to drive significant technological changes in the coming years.
Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the government is fostering an enabling innovation ecosystem through recent reforms, including design-linked incentives for semiconductors, production-linked incentives for automobiles, and policies for drones, while also removing barriers through initiatives like faceless assessments.
The number of startups in India has surged from 350 in 2014 to over 140,000 today. The country is also home to more than 110 unicorns, with 23 emerging just last year, reflecting India’s rapid advancement on the science, technology, and innovation (STI) front, the minister highlighted.
