Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh on Tuesday held discussions with a delegation of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on the effective implementation of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement and deeper cooperation in science, technology, research and critical and emerging technologies.
The delegation, led by Angelika Winzig, MEP from Austria, and Raffaele Stancanelli, held discussions with the Minister on strengthening the India-EU strategic partnership.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the India-EU partnership offers significant opportunities for closer collaboration in areas of mutual priority, with science and research forming an integral part of the relationship.
During the meeting, the Minister said early and effective implementation of the India-EU FTA should remain a collective priority. He also expressed India’s expectation of continued support from the European Parliament for its early signing and ratification.
He said the agreement would create new opportunities for businesses, consumers and skilled professionals and provide further momentum to the broader India-EU strategic partnership.
On research and innovation, Dr Jitendra Singh said these areas are central to the government’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, with greater emphasis on high-impact research, translating research into technologies and products, and increasing industry participation.
He highlighted the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) and the EUR 10 billion Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) initiative, aimed at supporting high-risk, high-impact research and fostering deep-tech startups.
The Minister invited greater India-EU cooperation in frontier areas including Artificial Intelligence, quantum technologies, advanced materials, biotechnology, semiconductors, high-performance computing and next-generation telecommunications, including 6G.
On artificial intelligence, he said India is particularly interested in applications in areas such as healthcare and science, along with responsible and trustworthy adoption.
Dr. Jitendra Singh also highlighted opportunities for cooperation in the semiconductor sector. He said India’s growing semiconductor and electronics ecosystem and the European Union’s efforts to build resilient and secure semiconductor supply chains could create scope for collaboration in research, innovation, investment and ecosystem development.
The discussions also covered clean and green technologies, climate and environmental challenges and green hydrogen.
Under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council, India and the EU have made progress on clean and green technology workstreams, including a 60-million-euro joint investment over four years for collaborative research on waste-to-hydrogen, marine pollution and recycling of electric vehicle batteries.
The proposed India-EU Innovation Hub on Electric Vehicle Charging Technologies and Testing was also discussed. The initiative is aimed at bringing together research capabilities, testing infrastructure, standards expertise and startup ecosystems from India and the EU.
The two sides are also sharing knowledge on Hydrogen Valleys and working towards cooperation on hydrogen-related safety standards. Dr Jitendra Singh said cooperation in green hydrogen could support greater trade and investment, including potential green hydrogen exports from India to the EU over the medium term.
On India’s association with the Horizon Europe programme, the Minister said it would expand opportunities for Indian researchers to work with European institutions in cutting-edge areas of mutual interest.
He said discussions on India’s association are progressing, with substantial convergence between the two sides, while some legal, financial and institutional issues remain under discussion.
Dr Jitendra Singh invited the European Parliament’s ITRE delegation to identify areas where Indian and European research and innovation priorities could converge, particularly in areas where cooperation can lead to joint research, technology development and scale-up.
