NEW DELHI: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today held a bilateral meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation, H.E. Guy Parmelin, in New Delhi, with discussions focused on further strengthening the longstanding India-Switzerland partnership in science, technology, research and innovation. The meeting focused on taking the bilateral S&T partnership into a more structured and long-term phase, with greater institutional engagement and cooperation in emerging areas of mutual interest.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said India is increasingly adopting an interdisciplinary and mission-mode approach to Science and Technology, with national programmes bringing together expertise from different disciplines and ministries. He said Artificial Intelligence is being viewed as an enabling tool rather than a separate discipline, with the potential to contribute across diverse areas of science and technology.
Referring to India’s expanding S&T priorities, he spoke about the country’s work in biotechnology, vaccine development, genome sequencing, quantum technology, space and deep ocean research, as well as the emerging opportunities in the blue economy and bio-economy.
Dr. Jitendra Singh welcomed the progress towards the Indo-Swiss Research Framework (ISRF) and the Indo-Swiss Joint Scientific Board, which provide a stronger basis for taking bilateral S&T cooperation towards a strategic and long-term framework. He also welcomed the Letter of Intent between the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and the Department of Science & Technology (DST) and the Implementation Agreement between the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and DST, and said these initiatives would further strengthen institutional engagement and research collaboration between the two countries.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said the cordial relationship between India and Switzerland makes it easier for the two countries to collaborate at different levels and stressed the need for a regular working arrangement to ensure sustained engagement and effective follow-up on areas of mutual interest. He said the two sides could continue working together to deepen cooperation in research, innovation and emerging technologies.
President Guy Parmelin said Switzerland sees India as a rapidly emerging global research and development power and seeks to position itself as a preferred long-term partner in education, research and innovation. Recalling the bilateral Science and Technology Agreement signed in 2003, he said the partnership has grown steadily and that Switzerland is committed to developing a more structured and long-term framework for cooperation.
President Parmelin said Switzerland has earmarked a further CHF 45 million for the partnership, and expressed the expectation of a corresponding commitment from India to further strengthen and consolidate the joint Indo-Swiss research framework. He expressed confidence that the two countries can achieve much more by building on their longstanding scientific partnership and working closely together.
The two sides also discussed Artificial Intelligence and its wider applications, with President Parmelin stressing the importance of ensuring that AI benefits countries across the Global South. He also invited Indian participation in the forthcoming Geneva AI Summit, reflecting the shared interest in expanding cooperation in emerging technologies and areas of global significance.
India and Switzerland have built more than two decades of cooperation in Science and Technology since the signing of the Inter-Governmental Agreement in 2003. The partnership has evolved through the Indo-Swiss Joint Research Programme and has expanded into areas including quantum technology, Artificial Intelligence, clean technology, renewable energy, ocean research and blue economy, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, biomedical research, pandemic preparedness and space technologies.
The Indo-Swiss Research Framework now seeks to take this cooperation from a project-based model towards a more strategic, system-level partnership, with enhanced mobility, knowledge exchange and long-term cooperation.
The meeting was attended from the Swiss side by Dr. Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research & Innovation (SERI); H.E. Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan; Catherine von Wyl, Scientific Advisor, SERI; Prof. Dr. Torsten Schwede, President, Swiss National Science Foundation; Thomas Gfeller, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation Switzerland Innovation; Prof. Dr. Regula Jöhl, President, Zurich University of Applied Sciences; Joël François Mesot, President, ETH Zurich; and Leena Arora Kukreja, Science & Technology Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland.
From the Indian side, Dr. Jitendra Singh was accompanied by Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology; Dr. Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; Dr. Praveenkumar Somasundaram, Head, ICD, DST; and Dr. Ramkrishna Sahoo, Nodal, Swiss Desk, DST, during the meeting.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said India and Switzerland, building on their cordial and longstanding relationship, can establish a regular working arrangement to sustain engagement and ensure continued follow-up on bilateral Science and Technology initiatives. He expressed confidence that the two countries can further deepen their partnership by working together across emerging areas of science, technology and innovation.
