A new European Union-India initiative to offer opportunities for Indian top talent to join research teams in Europe
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The European Commission and the Indian Council of Social Science Research virtually signed a new implementing arrangement today, 28th October 2020 to enhance scientific cooperation. It encourages outstanding Indian social scientists to join research teams for a short period in Europe funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The joint initiative is the second of its kind for the ERC with an Indian funding body.
The Ambassador of the European Union to India, H.E., Mr Ugo Astuto, and the Member Secretary of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), Prof. V.K. Malhotra, signed the Implementing Arrangement in a virtual mode. The ceremony took place in the presence of ICSSR Chairman and University Grants Commission (UGC) Vice-Chairman, Prof. Bhushan Patwardhan, Director for International Cooperation in the Directorate-General for Research & Innovation of the European Commission Ms Maria Cristina Russo and President ad interim of the European Research Council Prof. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon.
This initiative will provide opportunities to Indian researchers (Principal Investigators of Research Projects, Senior Fellowship Awardees and Post-Doctoral Fellows) who are supported by the ICSSR and want to pursue research collaborations with European researchers, supported by the ERC. The role of the ERC and the ICSSR is to facilitate contacts between their respective scholars who are interested in international collaboration for research and knowledge creation.
The EU and India already cooperate in the field of research and innovation, but this is the first scheme fostering frontier research in social sciences and humanities. With the signing of this arrangement, an important step has been taken for such kind of multilateral collaboration.