Science and technology cooperation between Europe and India has grown rapidly in recent years. The new joint cooperation initiatives launched under the European Commission's (EC) funding stream for 2007-2013 will support efforts towards EU-India strategic partnerships on key topics of mutual interest. The EC's 7th Framework Programme (FP7) offers a prime opportunity to capitalize on Europe's immense reservoir of research resources and tools in information and communication technology (ICT), and to build on the strengths of India to help achieve key economic, societal and developmental goals.
EuroIndia will help pave the ground for a durable and sustainable institutional framework that will strengthen links between the two regions and bring mutual and lasting benefits. The project will seek to align common areas of interest with the priorities for Europe's i2010 (the EU policy framework for the information society and media) and the Indian Information Technology Policy. Grids, new network architectures, e-health and entrepreneurship are among the ICT themes and issues that have much to gain from international cooperation, helping to drive forward the development of technology that will ultimately benefit large communities.
The first EuroIndia Info Day will be held on Tuesday 22 April 2008, in conjunction with the Networked Media Workshop (NEM) on Wednesday 23 April. Both events will be hosted by the Indian Institute of Sciences in Bangalore. Lab visits in Bangalore have been organized for Thursday 24 April. The Info Day will increase the visibility of EC programmes in India and prepare the ground for lasting strategic partnerships. European experts and European Commission officials will share their know-how and explain the inner workings of EU-funded research projects, which will serve as practical examples on how to move from ideas to successfully funded international research projects.
The EuroIndia initiative is led by the Department of Informatics at the Copenhagen Business School, and the partners are ERCIM, Infra Technologies (France), Trust-IT Services Ltd (UK), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay.
