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Solutions to global water challenges with focus on
water and wastewater management including water
usage, treatment and control for different purpose like
agriculture, industry, portable etc.
Development and integration of renewable energy based
solutions and energy efficiency in electricity and heating
systems.
A joint working group in STI at government level was also
convened in May 2018. Its task is to ensure continued
progress in the bilateral collaboration. The next meeting is
scheduled to take place in the second half of 2019. Here,
the two governments will discuss new priorities for the
bilateral collaboration.
Outside the call, the areas of biotechnology and materials
science are prioritized and together with other stakeholders,
the Danish and Indian governments are currently exploring
and identifying new areas for bilateral collaboration.
Food and Agriculture is an important area of interest. So are
areas like Clean-tech, ICT, and Life Sciences, which are the
general sector focus areas for all Innovation Centres.
Innovation Centre Denmark in India
Innovation Centre Denmark is present in New Delhi and
Bangalore. The combined efforts of both offices plays an
important role in facilitating and implementing bilateral
collaboration. The Innovation Centre pursues collaboration
with India in the areas of STI and Higher Education and
supports Danish research and educational institutions and
companies to get access to Indian research and innovation
environments, both in the public as well as the private sector.
A prime example of this is the first Indo-Danish project
under the government agreement involving Department of
Biotechnology, IIT Delhi and DESMI RO-Clean. It is a proof-
of-concept and pilot project to clean up floating plastic
debris in the Barapullah drain in Delhi and is funded jointly
by the Indian government and the Danish company.
The attraction of India
India is today a center of innovation and new technologies.
The country has one of the world’s largest national STI and
Higher Education systems. Moreover, India is developing a
vibrant start-up and incubator environment and hundreds
of multinational companies have opened industrial R&D
centers and laboratories in different sectors and locations
in India. Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and
Hyderabad are considered special hot spots for innovation
due to the presence of top-academic and research institutes
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as well as the development of allied industries.
One of the pull factors that attracts Danish companies
and researchers to India is the growing skill and talent
base. Another important pull factor is the Government of
India’s ambitious goals and strong focus on economic and
social development. STI is seen as a tool for economic and
social development, and the government of India wants to
increase the investment in research to 2% of GDP and to 6%
of GDP in education.
As the Indo-Danish STI-collaboration develops, Innovation
Centre Denmark wants to engage Danish companies more
deeply. One key area of interest is to get the companies
more involved in the ongoing research and innovation
project collaboration funded by Innovation Fund Denmark,
the Indian Department of Science and Technology and
Department of Biotechnology.
Connecting the Danish science and technology based
companies to the developing Indian start-up landscape,
including incubators and accelerators is another area of
interest. A particular objective is to be active in technology
fields that Danish SME’s and corporates consider the most
important for their future business development.
Many exciting things are happening in India. Several
of India’s flagship programs and missions generate
demand for R&D and new solutions in both the public and
private sector. Moreover, a large amount of international
funding is already flowing into India. This funding creates
opportunities for broadening and deepening the Indo-
Danish STI collaboration. In fact, the Indo-Danish bilateral
agreement has made it easier for the governments to
collaborate on societal challenges of mutual interest.
By building partnerships and promoting linkages between
different types of stakeholders in society the governments
can help facilitate and fund new solutions to overcome
societal challenges.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has
set an agenda that gives a direction and provides a shared
platform. In all areas of societal development, both
research institutions and companies should be at the center
of the efforts and activities of the governments. It is a big
task for the government of Denmark to encourage that the
right Danish stakeholders are present where development
and innovation take place at a global level. This is necessary
to continue to be in lead.