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India, UK to establish
joint crop science centre
for research & training
A Memorandum of
Understanding has been
signed for establishing
a joint India-UK
collaborative centre in
crop-science. Aims and
objectives of the centre
include the establishment
of a Research Centre
located in India.
Apart from that the
establishment of a joint
fellowship programme in
plant sciences to facilitate
the exchange of PhD
students and Postdoctoral
researchers between
the partnering UK and
Indian institutions.
The integration with
continuing DBT-UK
activities, such as
the DBT-Cambridge
Lectureships and
the UK-India Virtual
Joint Centres in
Agricultural Nitrogen
as well as the capacity
building, leadership
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BioVoiceNews | May 2017
development and
developing robust farmer
outreach components.
The aim of the MoU is
to develop a long term
partnership between
India and UK in Plant
Sciences. The Department
of Biotechnology
in partnership with
University of Cambridge,
UK have initiated
research-oriented
lectureship programme
at Cambridge University
and a partner institute
in India. The duration
of lectureship is for a
fixed term of five year
of which three year of
this will be in India
and two year will be in
University of Cambridge.
Five applicants have
been selected and are
working under the
joint unestablished
post of Lectureship.
Four India-UK Virtual
Joint Centres in
Agricultural Nitrogen have
been established which
will eventually integrate
into the activities of Joint
Plant Science Research
Centre. Workshop
Women Agriculture
Scientists in Cambridge
earlier was a direct result
of the joint UK-India
collaboration programme
in crop science. Twenty
five scientists in
Agriculture were sent
to Cambridge for a five
day leadership training
programme during 4th-
10th September 2016.
“The Department
of Biotechnology is
looking to expand global
partnership and will
be open to signing of
such MoU with other
countries. Crop science is
top priority of the country
and negotiations are
continuing with countries
such as Australia, EU for
establishing programmes
in Agriculture and Plant
Science,” informed the
Minister of State for
Science & Technology, Mr
Y S Chowdary recently
in the Parliament.
AU$ 1.1 million research
scholarships to 11
Indian students under
TERI-Deakin partnership
Senator Simon
Birmingham, Education
and Training Minister,
Australian Government,
awarded a three-year
tuition fee waiver
scholarship to 11 Indian