1 Expand cooperation between our universities in light of India’s New Education Policy, including by agreeing mutual recognition of qualifications before the end of 2021, simplification of the education regulatory framework, embracing online courses, integrating vocational training into mainstream education and greater international collaboration.
2 Work towards mutual recognition of professional qualifications at the earliest possible date.
3 Enhance development of direct linkages and partnerships between higher educational institutions of both the countries.
4 Support and promote the two-way mobility of a greater number of students, teachers and researchers.
5 Enhance exchange of ideas on the India-UK partnership by organising networks of leading think tanks, universities and research organisations, as well as libraries and museums in both countries.
6 Enhance cooperation between India and the UK on strengthening the role of women in STEMM at schools, universities, and research institutions and creating an enabling environment for equal participation of women in STEM disciplines through collaboration on new initiatives like Gender Advancement for Transforming Institutions (GATI) project.
7 Develop collaborations between Industry, Academia and the Government to foster innovation among school students by focusing on teacher training, mentoring and sharing of global best practices through initiatives like the India Innovation Competency Enhancement Program (IICEP).
8 Continue the biennial ministerial UK-India Science and Innovation Council to set the agenda for the two governments’ science, research and innovation collaborations, and align with wider-shared priorities and deliver in partnership.
9 Build on the two countries’ existing bilateral research, science and innovation infrastructure and governmental relationships to continue to support high-quality, high-impact research and innovation through joint processes. Position the UK and India as mutual partners of choice and a force for good in the world in areas of shared priority, including health, the circular economy, climate, clean energy, urban development and engineering healthier environments, waste-to-wealth, manufacturing, cyber physical systems, space and related research.
10 Forge partnership across the pipeline of research and innovation activity, from basic research to applied and interdisciplinary research and through to translation and commercialisation across government departments to optimise impact, utilize expertise and networks and minimise duplication.
11 Leverage and build on existing, long-standing bilateral partnerships such as on education, research and innovation, to stimulate a joint pipeline of talent, excellent researchers and early-career innovators and explore new opportunities for student and researchers exchanges by establishing joint centres and facilitating access to state-of-the-art facilities.
12 Establish a series of dialogues / working groups under the Memorandum of Understanding on Telecommunications and ICT agreed between the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department of Telecoms in India and the Joint Declaration of Intent on Digitalisation between DCMS and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), and strengthen the existing India-UK Tech Partnership to tackle global challenges; realising the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and emerging technologies, the benefits of interactive data systems, and the changing use of technology to overcome the digital divide with a particular focus on the digital economy and society; cyber resilience and telecoms; health technologies; and promoting clean growth, smart urbanisation and future mobility. These discussions will inform a new ministerial level Dialogue on Technology.
13 Work together to share knowledge and expertise regarding artificial intelligence, scientific support to policies and regulatory aspects including ethics, and promote a dialogue in research and innovation. Through Tech Summits, bring together tech innovators, scientists, entrepreneurs and policy makers to work together on challenges including the norms and governance of future tech under the cross cutting theme of ‘data’.
14 Grow programmes such as the Fast Track Start-Up Fund to nurture innovation led, sustainable growth and jobs, and tech solutions that benefit both countries. Explore partnerships with joint investment to enable the growth of technology-enabled innovative businesses and increase the number of start-ups and MSMEs growing and scaling-up internationally, for example in relation to climate and the environment, med tech devices, industrial biotech and agriculture, and sustainable development, helping to achieve the Global Goals by 2030.
15 Launch a UK-India Young Entrepreneurship Forum.
16 Leverage the Indian and UK strength in Agriculture and allied sciences with a focus on research and innovation to halt the decline in biodiversity associated with large scale approaches to agriculture, improving nutrient and water use efficiency, reducing post-harvest losses, improving shelf life of healthy foods, major animal/aquaculture/plant infections, urban and deep-sea farming, aquaculture diversification, etc. to ensure food security.
17 Explore partnership around the future of work as we enter the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and adapt to working differently and sustainably with new technologies in the post-COVID landscape, in particular creating more opportunities for young people and women to propel the 4IR and understanding the impact and opportunities of this shift and these technologies on people’s lives and culture.