State Secretary Martina Hirayama on science mission to India
Bern, 22.03.2024 - State Secretary for Education, Research and Innovation Martina Hirayama will travel to India from 23 to 28 March on a science mission. She will be accompanied by a science delegation and visit Bangalore and New Delhi. Switzerland and India are long-standing cooperation partners in education, research and innovation (ERI). The visit will further strengthen bilateral relations in these areas.
On the agenda for State Secretary Hirayama and the science delegation are official talks with representatives from relevant ministries. The talks will provide an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations in the field of science as well as future prospects. Ms Hirayama and the delegation will also visit leading research institutes and businesses in order to familiarise themselves with developments in India's ERI landscape and to identify possibilities for future cooperation.
Switzerland and India maintain good ERI relations, which are supported by various instruments. A bilateral agreement has been in place between the two countries since 2003 to strengthen cooperation in the fields of science and innovation. The agreement provides for a Joint Committee Meeting every two years; the next one is expected to take place in Bern later this year.
The Swiss global network for education, research and innovation, Swissnex, has been present in Bangalore since 2010, where it supports the networking of Swiss and Indian ERI stakeholders. Since 2016, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and its partner agencies in India have funded almost 240 joint bilateral research projects. Furthermore, SERI has mandated the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) as the leading house for South Asia and Iran to expand scientific cooperation between these regions. Since 1961, the Confederation has awarded almost 340 of its Excellence Scholarships to Indian researchers.
Address for enquiries
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI
Communications
medien@sbfi.admin.ch
+41 58 485 67 74
Publisher
State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation
http://www.sbfi.admin.ch
