Science and Technology

Australian High Commission

India

High Commission address: 1/50 G Shantipath, Chanakyapuri - Telephone: 4139 9900 - Fax: 4149 4490

Science and technology in Australia

Australia has a rich tradition of achievement in science, technology and innovation.

Australia’s first Nobel laureate was William Henry Bragg, who in 1915 at age 25 was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics for his work in the analysis of crystal structure using x-rays. Bragg remains the youngest person to be awarded a Nobel Prize. Australian scientists have also shown particular strength in the biological sciences. Howard Florey shared a Nobel Prize in 1945 for the discovery of penicillin. Five more Australians have become laureates for Physiology and Medicine: Frank Macfarlane Burnet (1960); John Eccles (1963); Peter Doherty (1996); and Barry Marshall and Robin Warren (2005). John Cornforth shared a Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1975 for work related to the structure of living matter.

Australian innovations have made many practical and valuable contributions. Australians Mark Lidwell and Edgar Booth designed the first artificial pacemaker in 1928. Dr David Warren produced the first “black box” flight data recorder in 1956. In 1979, Professor Graeme Clark developed a bionic ear, known commonly as a cochlear implant, that electrically reawakens the silenced hearing nerve of the profoundly deaf. Other Australian innovations are relatively low in technology but high in humanity. The late Dr Fred Hollows developed cheap corneal replacements to cure types of blindness common in developing countries. His work is being carried on through a foundation led by his widow.

The Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research is the lead department for science, technology and innovation matters in Australia. More information is available at the department’s website, http://www.innovation.gov.au/ .

Bilateral relationship

Cooperation in science and technology is an important and growing component of the bilateral relationship. Australia and India share interests and complementary strengths in a range of areas, including renewable energy, agricultural research, biotechnology and biomedical sciences, nanotechnology, marine and environment sciences and information and communications technology.

Both governments are active in promoting greater linkages between Australian and Indian researchers. The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF), Australia’s largest bilateral fund, provides support to collaborative projects in priority areas agreed by the two governments. The Australian Government has committed $20 million over five years to the AISRF, with matching funds provided by India. More details on the fund are available at https://grants.innovation.gov.au/AISRF/Pages/Home.aspx.

Recent highlights in the bilateral relationship include the February 2008 visit to Australia by the Indian Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal, and the launch of the AISRF-supported IITB-Monash Research Academy in Mumbai in November 2008.

Beyond the AISRF, a range of Australian organisations and institutions support cooperation in science and technology with India. A selection of these is listed below.

Australian academies

The Australian Academy of Science (AAS) and the Indian National Science Academy have had a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on scientific cooperation since 1986. The agreement allows for an exchange of visits for the purposes of lecturing, carrying out joint research and participating in meetings and bilateral seminars or workshops. More information on AAS is available at http://www.science.org.au/.

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has links with 28 academies throughout the world, including the Indian National Academy of Engineering with which ATSE re-signed an S&T Agreement on 12 July 2005. More information on ATSE is available at http://www.atse.org.au/

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) is an Australian Government statutory authority that operates within the portfolio of Foreign Affairs and Trade. ACIAR’s Country and Research Program Managers work in close partnership with Australian and developing country project leaders to design projects that address genuine priorities in agriculture, forestry and fisheries and ensure that there is a clear pathway for delivery of results to end users. India was one of the first countries to become involved in collaborative projects commissioned by ACIAR and has been a key partner for over 25 years. More information on ACIAR is available at http://www.aciar.gov.au/.

Australian Institute of Marine Science

The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has expertise in the management and sustainable development of coastal ecosystems. AIMS has collaborated with researchers from the School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and the Centre for Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, to study the impact of terrestrial runoff from rice paddies, aquaculture ponds and cattle grazing on the ecology and productivity of coastal ecosystems. Collaborative research has focused on the Vellar-Coleroon estuarine complex in Tamil Nadu; in particular, the ecosystem changes that have resulted from increasing salinisation and human use within the catchment. More information on AIMS is available at http://www.aims.gov.au/.

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

Australia, through the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), and India are both active members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Board of Governors. Australia and India are also active members of the IAEA Regional Co-operative Agreement (RCA) for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology for Asia and the Pacific. More information on ANSTO is available at http://www.ansto.gov.au/.

Australian Research Council

The Australian Research Council (ARC) is committed to creating and enhancing international collaboration opportunities for the Australian community. In early 2008, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Carr, announced that ARC fellowships would be progressively opened to greater international competition.

Following this announcement, the ARC has changed the National Competitive Grants Program to open up its fellowships to international candidates for all schemes. This has included the new ARC Future Fellowships and Australian Laureate Fellowships schemes, which provide funding for eligible organisations to promote collaboration, movement and networking between Australia-based and overseas researchers. More information on the ARC is available at http://www.arc.gov.au/.

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation

Recognising the growing importance of India in the development of world S&T knowledge, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is actively working toward elevating its relationship with India in partnership with its sister agency, the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). CSIR India and CSIRO are members of the Global Research Alliance, which was formed in 2002 to apply the combined knowledge of leading international S&T institutions to solving some of the world's most pressing problems. More information on CSIRO is available at http://www.csiro.au/.

Universities

Australian universities are also actively seeking to engage with Indian counterparts in their own right, as well as through funding opportunities provided under the AISRF. Examples of Australian universities with significant engagement with India include:

Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which recently signed a MoU with the Society for Electronic Transaction and Security, Chennai, and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras during the visit of the Indian Minister. The MoU aims to facilitate collaboration on the protection of critical IT infrastructure from denial of service attacks. More information on QUT is available at http://www.qut.edu.au/.
Monash University and the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, which launched a joint Research Academy to conduct multidisciplinary research in six niche areas, including biotechnology and stem cell research. The institute aims to provide research training to high quality PhD students and offer research services to industry. More information on Monash University is available at http://www.monash.edu.au/.
Deakin University, which signed a MoU in June 2007 with Biocon, a major biotechnology company in India and is actively expanding its presence in India. More information on Deakin University is available at http://www.deakin.edu.au/.
The University of Melbourne, which has developed a proposal to establish an Australia India Institute to provide leadership in research, graduate training, executive briefings, policy advice and knowledge transfer for the benefit of India and Australia in a range of fields. More information on the University of Melbourne is available at http://www.unimelb.edu.au/.

Asia-Pacific Partnership

In a multilateral context, Australia and India are working together through the Asia-Pacific Partnership (APP) on Clean Development and Climate, a public-private partnership among Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, and the United States, to accelerate the development and deployment of cleaner, more efficient technologies to meet national pollution reduction, energy security and climate change concerns in ways that promote economic development and reduce poverty. APP members represent around half the world’s emissions, energy use, gross domestic product and population. The APP is an important initiative that engages, for the first time, the key greenhouse gas emitting countries in the Asia Pacific region. Engagement between India and Australia in Partnership Task Forces is an important mechanism to develop and maintain complementary research strengths in areas of mutual significance. The Partnership Task Forces focus their efforts in eight priority sectors including cleaner fossil energy, aluminium, coal mining, steel, renewable energy and distributed generation, power generation and transmissions, buildings and appliances, and cement. More information on APP is available at http://asiapacificpartnership.org/default.aspx