New Delhi: The Australia India Strategic Research Fund framework received renewed momentum as India and Australia agreed to expand and realign their science and technology partnership towards mission-oriented collaboration in critical and emerging technologies.
The decision followed talks between Union Minister for Science and Technology Dr Jitendra Singh and Australian Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and Digital Economy Dr Andrew Charlton.
The Australian Minister called on the Indian Minister, accompanied by a high-level official delegation. During the discussions, both sides reviewed progress under the Australia India Strategic Research Fund, which will complete two decades in 2026.
Five Joint Projects Finalised Under Australia India Strategic Research Fund Round-16
The Ministers welcomed the finalisation of five joint research projects under Round-16 of the Australia India Strategic Research Fund. The projects span critical minerals processing, quantum technologies, advanced manufacturing, climate-resilient agriculture and cellular immunotherapy.
These focus areas reflect sharper alignment of bilateral research with clean energy transitions, supply chain resilience and advanced biotechnology priorities.
Three selected projects, supported by India’s Department of Science and Technology, focus on:
- High-value electronic waste recycling through photovoltaic panel reuse
- Green chemistry for recovering critical minerals from batteries
- Adversarial resilience in quantum machine learning systems
Two projects supported by the Department of Biotechnology will advance engineering of thermotolerant crops and cellular immunotherapy solutions for viral infections in immunocompromised patients.
The Ministers noted that the joint announcement of Round-16 outcomes under the Australia India Strategic Research Fund would mark a significant step in strengthening applied research partnerships.
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Mission-Mode Collaboration in Frontier Technologies
During the meeting, Dr Jitendra Singh emphasised that India is pursuing a mission-mode approach in frontier domains such as advanced materials, quantum technologies, AI-enabled research, clean energy transitions and critical minerals.
He highlighted the BioE3 policy aimed at positioning India as a globally competitive bio-economy hub.
He underscored the importance of embedding industry participation and ensuring translation of research into scalable solutions under the Australia India Strategic Research Fund framework.
Both sides reaffirmed the role of the India–Australia Joint S&T Committee and Joint Biotechnology Committee as apex mechanisms guiding bilateral cooperation. They also took note of deliberations held at their 10th meeting in November 2024 on innovation policy alignment and research translation.
The Ministers agreed that future collaboration under the Australia India Strategic Research Fund should focus on larger, impact-driven and multi-institutional projects aligned with shared national priorities and sustainable development goals.
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Two Decades of Australia India Strategic Research Fund
Launched in 2006, the Australia India Strategic Research Fund has supported more than 370 collaborative activities, including joint research projects, fellowships and workshops.
Australia committed AUD 90 million to the Fund between 2006 and 2020 and has announced continued allocations for subsequent rounds. India’s DST and DBT have collectively supported projects worth around ₹140 crore since inception.
Joint publications have more than tripled over the period, and the partnership has yielded technology demonstrators, patents and sustained researcher mobility between the two countries.
Expanding Cooperation in Space and Research Mobility
The Ministers also discussed expanding cooperation in space, including Earth observation for climate resilience, agriculture, disaster management and maritime applications, as well as space situational awareness and long-term sustainability of outer space.
They noted potential for closer engagement between space agencies, research institutions and private enterprises across the full space value chain.
Both sides agreed to deepen two-way mobility of researchers through joint doctoral and postdoctoral programmes, industry-linked fellowships and co-supervision models to ensure that the Australia India Strategic Research Fund partnership remains future-ready.
The meeting underscored the growing centrality of science, technology and innovation in the broader India–Australia strategic partnership, with both countries signalling their intent to move beyond conventional collaboration towards co-development, co-creation and industry-integrated innovation in the Indo-Pacific context.
