India is the world’s most populous country and is widely recognized as a leader in digital technologies. However, its participation in European Union (EU) research programmes remains relatively modest.
Since 1990, Indian organisations have signed a total of 514 EU research grants. This number is comparable to countries such as Argentina, which has signed 523 grants, and Tunisia, with 426 grants. Despite India’s strong position in technology and innovation, its engagement with EU research initiatives has not seen significant growth.
The situation appears to have worsened under the current EU research programme, Horizon Europe. To date, Indian organisations have participated in only 57 projects, involving 64 different institutions. Most of these organisations have taken part in only one or two projects.
This recent participation contrasts sharply with the seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which ran from 2007 to 2013. During that period, Indian research organisations were involved in FP7 projects 287 times. Several large Indian institutions, including the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the Energy and Resources Institute, and Jawaharlal Nehru University, were actively engaged and took part in multiple projects.
The comparatively low level of participation under Horizon Europe raises questions about the future of India-EU research collaborations and highlights potential opportunities for increased partnership moving forward.
https://sciencebusiness.net/news/r-d-funding/international-news/data-corner-indias-research-cooperation-eu-declining
