CONCEPT NOTE
European Science, Technology and Innovation Platform in India
EU STI WORKSHOP 2015
15th April 2015, New Delhi
HOW CAN EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS AND INDUSTRY ENGAGE WITH INDIA’S
NEW RESEARCH UNIVERSITIES?
1 - Introduction
Several European research organizations, universities, and initiatives involved in supporting
cooperation at EU scale, and private companies have established offices or laboratories in
India. The “European Science, Technology and Innovation Platform in India”i has been formed
by a group of European organizations to:
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Enable information, knowledge and experiences sharing among the members;
Increase their collective and individual visibility; and
Act as a single point of entry for industries and public organizations wanting to
establish themselves in India.
The Platform was launched in early 2013 under the New INDIGO initiative and is currently
funded under the INDIGO-POLICY1 initiative.
2 - Purpose of the workshop
The EU STI Workshop 2014 will be the second event organized by the EU STI Platform after
the successful forum organized in September 2013 on “Public–Private Partnership in
Innovation in India and in Europe”.
The overarching aim of the workshop will be to showcase the Platform and its members by
bringing together the members and their existing networks, EU companies carrying out
research in India, EU Science Counselors, innovative industries in India and key Indian
institutional stakeholders and researchers to address a topic of mutual interest.
1
INDIGO-Policy is a BILAT project (2013-2016) funded by the European Commission under the EU Seventh
Framework, which is composed of 8 European and Indian partners. This project aims to support the
advancement of policy cooperation between India and Europe in Research and Innovation.
The topic: “How can European institutions and industry engage with India’s new research
universities?” has been chosen because:
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The Higher education sector is booming in India to respond to the massive increase
in tertiary age cohort in the population;2
New research universities are being created in both the public and private sectors;
Some of these new research universities are developing novel approaches to
teaching and learning and engaging with business and industry;
European companies are actively seeking to establish long term, sustainable
partnerships with Indian research institutions.
European firms wanting to establish long term partnerships with Indian higher education
institutions have faced a number of barriers in the past. These may have included issues
such as: mismatch of expectations; lack of understanding of respective perspectives and
needs; and cultural issues.
It may be that some of the new higher education institutions that have been or, are in the
process of being, created will approach engaging with European firms and institutions in a
qualitatively different manner. The expectation is that they will be keener to develop
themselves as research and innovation hubs. Therefore, they may be more inclined to take
a positive view to developing international partnerships, in particular, with European firms
and institutions.
The specific objectives of the EU STI workshop are to:
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Bring together European firms and institutions with stakeholders from the new
research universities in India;
To understand how the new research universities will fit into the Indian innovation
ecosystem;
Foster a dialogue between European firms and institutions with a view to establishing
long term, sustainable partnerships
Expected outcomes
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2
Bring together European firms and institutions with stakeholders from the new
research universities in India
Better understanding of how the new research universities will fit into the Indian
innovation ecosystem.
New relationships developed between participants
http://www.britishcouncil.in/sites/britishcouncil.in2/files/understanding_india.pdf
3 – Structure of the Workshop
The event will be held in Delhi at Maharani Hall, Hotel “The Claridges” on 15th April 2015.
The programme will start at 13:00 and proceed as follows:
13.00-14.30
Registration and Lunch
14.30- 14.40
Introduction – Expectation and outputs
Dr Srini Kaveri, CNRS
14.40 -14.50
Welcome address
Dr João Cravinho, Ambassador
of the European Union
14.50 -15.10
Key note: New initiatives in India that should
be aligned with EU
Professor L S Shashidhara, IISER
Pune
15.10- 15.30
Key note: Working with the Indian Innovation Mr Poul V Jensen, EBTC
Ecosystem: Opportunities and Risks
15.30-15.50
Key note: University-Industry Knowledge Transfer Mr. Denis Dambois, EU
in the Context of EU Research Policy
15.50 -16.00
Q&A
16.00 -16.30
Coffee Break and Networking Session
16.30 -17.30
Moderated Panel Discussion
Dr Sadhana Relia, DST TBC
Dr Amitava Bandopadhyay, CSIR TBC
Dr Purnima Rupal, CSIR
Professor Rupamanjari Ghosh, Shiv Nadar
University
 Professor L S Shashidhara, IISER Pune
 Mr Poul V Jensen, EBTC
 Mr Denis Dambois, EU
 Mr Firoz SIDDIQUI, FAURECIA
 Representative from PHILIPS TBC
 Representative from Schneider Electric TBC
17.30-17.45 Rapporteur’s comments
Mr. Nicolas Booker, IndoGenius
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17.45-18.00
i
Wrap up and Next Steps
Dr Srini Kaveri, CNRS
Members of European Science, Technology and Innovation Platform in India : European Business Group (EBG), British
Council,Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), Centre National de la recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Commissariat à
l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives (CEA), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Deutsche
Wissenschafts- und Innovationshaus (DWIH), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Deutscher
Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD), Euraxess links India, European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC), Finnish
Innovation Network (FinNode), Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Fraunhofer, Freie Universität Berlin, India Platform Ugent,
Maastricht Education and Research Center (MERC), Nordic Centre in India , Research Councils UK , Science Foundation
Ireland (SFI), ISCA, University of Birmingham, University of Cologne, University of Edinburgh, University of Heidelberg.