Joint Committee Meeting on Science and Technology

As a part of the dynamic and multi-dimensional partnership between India and Philippines the first ever Joint Committee Meeting (JCM) on Science & Technology between the respective Department of Science and Technology was successfully held on 8 July 2021. The JCM was held to expedite implementation of the bilateral Programme of Cooperation (POC) in Science and Technology, for the period 2019-2022 signed during the State Visit of the President of India to the Philippines in October 2019.

The JCM was co-chaired by Mr S K Varshney, Adviser & Head, International Cooperation, Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and Dr Rowena Cristina L Guevara, Undersecretary for Research & Development, Department of Science and Technology, Government of Philippines. The meeting was attended by over 40 scientists, academicians and researchers from leading institutions of both countries, such as Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Indian Institute of Science (IISc), CDAC, Department of Biotechnology, Indian Council of Agricultural Research from India and DOST-PAGASA, DOST-ASTI, DOST-PCAARD and others from the Philippines.

During his inaugural speech, Ambassador of India to Philippines Shambhu S Kumaran said that science and technology based solutions are at the center of our contemporary living especially in the context of the pandemic. Therefore science & technology cooperation needs to be one of the most important components of our dynamic bilateral partnership. He stressed the importance of building knowledge partnerships between the leading Research & Development institutions of both countries, as a key pathway for bilateral engagement. On his part, Ambassador of Philippines to India Ramon S Bagatsing Jr appreciated the constructive role being played by Indian IT-BPM industry in Philippines, by being one of the largest earners for the domestic economy as well as among the largest foreign employers in the Philippines which highlighted the potential for deeper engagement in the ICT sector, including in new technologies. Amb Bagatsing drew attention of DOST to take serious look at Indian capacities in Science & Technology and encourage participation of Filipino research scholars under the various cooperation initiatives, including the ASEAN-India Doctorate Program.

The meeting held focussed discussions on five broad areas of cooperation outlined under the Programme of Cooperation (POC) on Science & Technology, namely agricultural biotechnology; health, pharmaceutical & medical sciences; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Material Science & Technology; and Ocean & Atmospheric Science.

Participating researchers/academicians/government agencies from both sides explored avenues for cooperation through joint research projects, capacity building activities (such as online training as well as dedicated workshops and conferences), and exchange of relevant S&T information and personnel on all the broad areas of cooperation i.e. Agricultural Biotechnology (New Breeding and Genome Editing Techniques, Biofertilizers, soil enhancers); Health, Pharmaceutical, and Medical Sciences (Vaccine Development and Therapeutics); Information and Communication Technology (AI applications in diverse areas and Blockchain Technology); Materials Science and Technology (additive manufacturing and nanotechnology, green and sustainable packaging); and Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences (Marine and wave forecasting, monsoon meteorology).

Both sides also agreed to develop guidelines, and launch a Joint R&D Call For Proposals on the identified areas within the year, including fellowships being offered under the ASEAN-India Program.

Science & Technology collaboration is likely to add a new dimension to the growing bilateral relationship, as India shares it’s knowledge of agri-innovations, nano technology, meteorology, biotechnology, vaccines, artificial intelligence etc with Philippines.