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INDIA BRAZIL SIGN MOU FOR COOPERATION IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
New Delhi ~ July 6, 2001
India and Brazil are to step up co-operation in science and technology in areas of biotechnology climate research and marine sciences under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The programme of cooperation was signed in Brasilia last night by the Minister of Science and Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi now on a four-day visit to Brazil and Mr. Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg Minister of Science and Technology of Brazil. Other areas of cooperation will include new materials renewable energies, space, physics, chemistry, mathematics and industry-research partnership.
Earlier Dr. Joshi called on the President of Brazil Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso. He briefed the President on the interaction between the two countries in environment, bio-technology, climate research and advanced materials. Dr. Joshi lauded the rapid progress made by Brazil in science and technology. The current energy crisis faced by Brazil was also discussed. President Cardoso desired that India and Brazil work together to face the challenges in the area of energy. He called for strengthening scientific and technological ties between India and Brazil.
Under the MoU a management board will be constituted to coordinate the activities. It will consist of governmental and private sector representatives from both sides.
The two countries are also to set up an India-Brazil Science Council to evaluate the programme of cooperation.
Dr. Joshi and his delegation which included Prof. V.S. Ramamurthy, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Prof. Govardhan Mehta, Director, Indian Institute of Sciences, Bangalore and Prof. P.M. Tandon visited National Synchrotron Laboratory at Campinas and highly praised the Brazilian scientists who had set up this facility indigenously. They also visited the Brazilian Agency for Agricultural Research in Brasilia where they exchanged views on genetically modified crops of which nearly 1000 trials are currently going on in Brazil.
During official level discussions. Secretary rank officers from important Brazilian organisations relating to space industrial research, health, biotechnology, information technology and science and technology took part. On Indian side
Prof. Mehta mentioned about the recently developed SIMPUTER while Prof. Tandon briefed the Brazilian side about developments in the areas of biotechnology and health. Dr. Joshi is addressing the Brazilian Academy of Sciences at Rio de Janeiro today on sustainable consumption. He will later visit the Brazilian National Laboratory for Scientific Computation in Petropolis.
Dr. Joshi invited his Brazilian counterpart Mr. Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg to visit India. Mr. Sardenberg accepted the invitation and agreed to visit India in October this year.
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