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The Max Planck Society (MPS) of Germany and the Department of Science and Technology today signed an MOU, thereby launching new cooperation programmes to foster scientific exchanges.
The MoU was signed by Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and Prof. Gruss, President of the Max Planck Society, in the presence of the German Chancellor, Mr. Gerhard Schroder and the Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development, Mr. Kapil Sibal, here today.
Under the MoU, upto 15 fellowships will be awarded to up-coming Indian scientists who have completed their doctorates. They will thus be able to finance a four-year-stay at a Max Planck Institute in Germany. Partner groups for 2004 – IIT, Delhi, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the National Center for Biological Sciences, Bangalore will be assisted for five years. The programme targets young Indian scientists. Max Planck Society will also set up a new division in that will handle relations with three countries including India.
Mr. Schroder and Mr. Sibal also inaugurated the Indo-German Science Circle (IGSC) and launched its website on the occasion. The IGSC will promote lectures given by outstanding scientists and eminent personalities from the public field with a scientific background. Furthermore, it will help foster contact building and networking particularly among the young scientists. On the internet the Virtual Science Circle – will provide an interactive forum on various topics: www.science-circle.org.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Sibal said that India has successfully emerged as a vaccine superpower. He said industry-R&D partnerships in the area of pharmaceuticals has paid dividends. He said the MoU signed today can usher in tremendous possibilities by complementing each others needs and strengths. "It is time to launch some major flagship R&D projects with high visibility and also formulate collaborations involving industry and R&D institutions. On the research front, joint centers of R&D in frontier areas like Nanotechnologies should be established to complement and supplement our respective efforts and capabilities to accelerate our collaborative march forward to seize upon the ever widening horizon of opportunities", Shri Sibal said.
Mr. Schroder said that economic modernization has to be moderated with social balance. He said, any scientific development has to have a social context. Mr. Schroder said that the science circle will give a boost to research activities and will help the young scientists to network with each other as also helping Universities to expand their linkages.
A panel discussion on science and society was also organized which was co-chaired by the German Minister of Education and Research, Mrs. Edelgard Bulmahn and Mr. Sibal.
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