Final Report Summary - INDIA GATE (Increasing the dialogue between India and Europe by improving EU awareness and access to Indian research and innovation technology programmes)
Executive summary:
The project INDIA GATE has been funded under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) 'Capacities -International cooperation' (INCO) it is part of the ACCESS4EU strategy, set up by the European Commission (EC) in the third call of proposal of the INCO programme, aimed at increasing European researchers' awareness on funding opportunities for international research projects in several International cooperation partner countries (ICPC). The overall objective of the INDIA GATE project has been to strengthen and increase European Union (EU)-India science and technology (S&T) cooperation by supporting the access for EU researchers to Indian research and innovation (R&I) programmes.
Moreover, the initiative planned to achieving the following specific objectives:
1. mapping Indian R&I programmes and Europe-India S&T agreements, and identifying opportunities and obstacles for the EU research community to access Indian R&I programmes;
2. raising awareness amongst EU researchers about Indian R&I programmes and encouraging EU researchers to participate in these programmes;
3. assessing European researchers' participation in Indian R&I programmes;
4. providing an in-depth look into Indian Innovation policies and opportunities with a specific focus on the clusters in India and Europe.
The project started on 1 January2010 and finished on the 31st of December 2012.
The INDIA GATE consortium achieved the following results:
1. Mapping of:
(i) INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers;
(ii) bilateral agreements between India and European Member States;
(iii) overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes;
(iv) information about European Industry presence in India;
(v) obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes.
2. Broad dissemination in Europe and in India:
(i) organisation of three EU info days during EC events;
(ii) dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India;
(iii) dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites;
(iv) drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'
3. Identifying cooperation opportunities in innovation by:
(i) mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes;
(ii) analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation.
Project context and objectives:
The INDIA GATE initiative's primary goal is to increase the S&T cooperation between India and the EU by creating a 'one-stop shop' for funding opportunities that are available in India for European organisations.
The S&T agreement between India and EU recognises the mutual benefit of access to respective funding programmes. As a matter of fact several initiatives exists to support Indian organisations' participation in the FP7. INDIA GATE aims to play a similar role for European organisations who wants to benefit from RTD funding sources from India, thus bringing EU-India scientific cooperation forward by an increased participation of European organisations in Indian funding programmes and contributing to an increased mutual understanding of EU-India respective research systems.
The INDIA GATE team, through a 3-years-work, drew an holistic picture of the Indian Science, technology and innovation (STI) landscape by mapping the Indian R&I funding programmes and system, identifying the reasons for establishing operations in India or the obstacles that inhibit European researchers and organisations from taking part in the identified opportunities, making the information available in a user-friendly manner to stimulate, encourage and facilitate participation. As result several reports were written and published on the INDIA GATE website.
The Indian industrial system has been examined also since it is recognised that industry plays an important role in shaping R&I landscape. The cluster existence has been investigated and some success stories illustrated.
The team was very committed to raise awareness of Indian organisations, Indian Research Managers and Programme owners about the mutual benefit of collaboration and the importance of being open to Europe for some Indian programmes. With this aim several events and networking meetings were organised along with informal contacts which were also part of this strategy leading to a side effect: the recognition of the need of reciprocity of the EU-India S&T agreement from the Indian stakeholders / S&T players too.
The strategic objectives of INDIA GATE
The objective of INDIA GATE is to improve the understanding of the Indian R&I system from different perspective: economic, social and statistics. Each objective generated a report - which is downloadable from the INDIA GATE website - or an event as in the case of raising awareness.
This final publication aims at wide spreading the information and analysis the INDIA GATE team collected as far and as a one-stop-shop publication.
- map and identify funding opportunities open for European organisations in India with a focus on their reciprocity character, rules of participation and funding rates;
- analyse the obstacles for participation with focus on their reciprocity conditions;
- review the bilateral agreements between EU Member States and India;
- improve the flow of information on programmes and funding opportunities (Initiatives of the Government of India, Bilateral Programmes) designed to support scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and India;
- enhance know how on cultural differences in business conduct and working style via an user friendly e-training;
- identify and demonstrate mutual understanding, interest and benefit in S&T cooperation between the EU and India;
- increase the mutual understanding of respective research systems.
Each of the above objective forms a specific report which provided the basis for the present publication. The complete list of reports developed within the INDIA GATE project is available on the website.
- list of the ministries and the funding agencies in India;
- list of opportunities;
- database on funding providing organisations;
- report on innovation landscape and motives for establishing operations in India;
- report on status on opening up funding programmes in India;
- report on cluster existence and cooperation;
- EU industry in India;
- report on bilateral agreement;
- report on obstacles facing EU organisations;
- report on conclusions, best practices and recommendations.
Work package (WP)s
WP1 - Project management and coordination: Coordination aimed at ensuring the every-day management and administration; monitor the progress of the project activities, ensure quality results and submitting all reports and deliverables as planned.
WP2 - Identifying opportunities: Identifying opportunities covered a wide analysis of funding opportunities and funding organisations in India open for European researchers. Part of the work aimed at discussing new opportunities of opening up research programmes in India for European organisations and developing a contact database useful for European researchers. Surveys have been conducted and the results are available in the reports downloadable from the project website.
WP3 - INDIA GATE info supporting EU participation to Indian research programmes: INDIA GATE INFO WP developed the primary information point, the one-stop shop for European researchers. It is not only a website with useful information, but also a guide to Indian funding opportunities in the form of fact sheets, searchable database of funding programmes and calls, e-tools on rules of participation, stakeholders of interest, best practices. Would a European researcher be interested in any aspects of research collaboration opportunities supported by Indian organisations, this is a starting point.
WP4 - Dissemination: Dissemination activity raised the awareness of (primarily) European researchers on funding and research collaboration opportunities, introduced the results on online and offline forums, described the research, innovation and business landscape in India and the high benefits of collaboration. High quality dissemination materials were developed and distributed in order to reach the targeted stakeholders and wide audience. This WP also aimed at organising Information days, training, which provided the opportunity for capacity development and networking.
WP5 - Innovation: Innovation focused on mapping the innovation landscape in India and investigated the existing and future potential innovation activities of the European industry in India including clusters and cluster cooperations.
Project results:
The INDIA GATE consortium achieved several results during the 3 years of project. It is possible outline the results in three main areas:
a. Mapping of:
(i) INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers;
(ii) bilateral agreements between India and European Member States;
(iii) overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes;
(iv) information about European Industry presence in India;
(v) obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes.
b. Broad dissemination in Europe and in India:
(i) organisation of three EU info days during EC events;
(ii) dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India;
(iii) dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites;
(iv) drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'.
c. Identifying cooperation opportunities in Innovation by:
(i) Mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes;
(ii) analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation.
Objective 1: Mapping
1. INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers;
2. bilateral agreements between India and European Member States;
3. overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes;
4. information about European Industry presence in India;
5. obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes.
INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers
The INDIA GATE Consortium mapped the funding opportunities open for European organisations in India with a focus on their reciprocity character, rules of participation and funding rates. CSIR, supported by EIRC and CITT, conducted workshops, interview, internet search and organised discussions face to face and via phone and emails with policy maker, in order to obtain the information needed.
The nine major governmental agencies (Department) have been examined and six categories of cooperation initiatives emerged.
The ministries / departments of Government of India who have the schemes for collaboration with EU and member countries are: (i) Department of S&T (DST) , Ministry of S&T
(ii) Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of S&T
(iii) Council of Scientific and industrial research Technology
(iv) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Department of Information Technology(DIT)
(v) Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(vi) Ministry of Human Resource Development
(vii) Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE),Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation
(viii) Ministry of Environment and Forests; 9. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The categories of cooperation initiatives are emerged by the analysis of S&T programme opened to EU researchers. The six typology are:
(i) bilateral programme have been set up between India and EU Member States;
(ii) activities with EU, including agreements between India and the EU;
(iii) fellowship programme, grants available to researchers to gain experience and to complete their training;
(iv) 'Visiting scientist from abroad' programme (VSAP);
(v) specific programmes;
(vi) new Indigo programme which aim is to establish a joint infrastructure for advanced research in biotechnology and health.
Detailed information about each initiative is available in the INDIA GATE reports (contact person, modalities for applying, funding rules). The portfolio of cooperation initiatives and funding opportunities has been summarised and personalised.
Bilateral agreements between India and European Member States
The INDIA GATE project summarises the existing bilateral co-funding opportunities between India and the 27 member states of the EU. The aim is to serve as a support material which enables the project partners to comprehend the areas of cooperation EU and India hold, to understand the structure and methodology adopted in order to identify best practices, to analyse the governing reasons behind the success/failure of the models. It helps to understand the functioning model of S&T cooperation between India and EU as a whole. The screening of bilateral agreements focuses on the areas of S&T cooperation, the implementing nodal agencies, the funding rules and procedures, eligibility criteria between India and the EU Member States of Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland Sweden, Slovenia, and United Kingdom / England. The information on India and EU associated countries is also provided (Belarus, Croatia, Israel, Norway, Swiss, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey). The information is sourced from reliable government agencies, news articles, approved reports and informal opportunistic interactions with academicians executing some of the research projects. As reported India has S&T cooperation agreements with the 27 Member States of EU, and 'Life sciences and biotechnology' is the sector with which India has a cooperation agreement with as many as 18 EU Member States. However it is to be noted that all the cooperation agreements have not been translated into call for proposals. Information and communication technologies (ICT) stands next in line with 12 Member States having agreements with India. The spread of the agreements with the EU MS only emphasises the common research priority between India and EU and gives a direction in which the cooperation can be mutually beneficially.
These agreements will come into full play only when all the activities in these agreements are enforced through regular proactive steering committee meetings, coupled with joint workshops, and better awareness of the agreements to the stakeholders. All of the above steps will be fully enforceable subject to the issue of reciprocity of the EU scientists in Indian funding programmes is resolved.
The RTDI Access4 EU database, with the information on funding opportunities included in the ACCESS4EU programme database comes from 11 countries worldwide to which INDIA GATE provided the information on India. In the RTDI Database, European researchers interested in international collaboration will find a broad range of opportunities offered through funding organisations outside of the EU. Searching for India only, 38 funding programmes will be listed with details and links to calls and official information. The database is accessible from the Access4EU homepage: Statistics show the status in the second period, the 19 calls registered in the first period increased to 38. As networking is one of the most important benefits, it is important to get to know the players in the EU-India S&T collaboration environment. The D2.7 deliverable, the database on organisations having EU India collaboration gives information on 101 projects financed through FP6 and 113 projects financed in FP7.
The analysis of the bilateral agreements shows how the most EU-Member states have S&T collaboration with India through active S&T cooperation agreements as in the case of Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and moderately active agreements with Austria, Finland, Denmark and Hungary. Moreover many member states work with India on the basis of memorandum of understanding / programme of cooperation or other agreements between institutions of their countries and institutions of India, the countries which have exhibited enhanced cooperation are mainly due their long standing historic relationship with India, they also have substantial human and financial inputs with well-established science counsellors, science advisors, and attachés with well qualified scientists attached to their embassies. The reciprocity between the member states is successful mainly because of the good professional and personal contacts between the science counsellors / advisors / embassy and the Indian administration and Indian institutions.
Overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes
A deep analysis on the Indian STI system was carried out by INDIA GATE project. A strong emphasis on the India R&I landscape was reported in the publication 'Cooperate with India'; a significant part was dedicated to describe how work the India's STI system aimed also at identifying the innovation landscape and capacity in India, with special emphasis on the mechanisms that support cooperation with the EU. A strong focus was dedicated to analyse the concept of Innovation in India, an approach that emerged from the distinctive strength of Indian system where is increasing the interest of policymakers and businesses around the concept of 'Frugal innovation'. The deliverables developed under the WP5 put the attention on the policies and initiatives related to the innovation, like the 'Decade of innovation', and on the industry sectors of interest of Europeans and more devoted to Innovation. The state of the art on the Indian STI system take into account the Indian cluster and the possibility of cooperation.
Information about European Industry presence in India
More specifically information about the EU industry presence in India and cluster formations have been analysed in order to focalise the area of cooperation with Europe counterparts. The INDIA GATE project in the WP5 tried to understand the impact of existing activities, measures, establishments with regards to further boosting innovation in the future. Focusing on a research sample of 24 European companies based in India, it provides the business framework in which those companies undertake research activities and helps understand the current R&D landscape of the country.
The report finds that almost 42 % of the companies are involved in industrial production, while 46 % focus on R&D activities. Additionally, environment and energy are the major activities performed by 29 % the European companies, followed by automotive, transport and logistics and healthcare which involve 17 % companies in each. In terms of employment, 48 % of the companies employ more than 1 000 people and 55 % represent a turnover of more than 50 million EUR. Around 43% of them are involved in trade activities whereas 38 % are wrapped in direct export.
Moreover, the analysis suggests that the quality and price of product are found as an internal problem which should be addressed effectively. Regarding the external difficulties, the existing laws and regulations, corruption, political instability and insufficient government institutions appear to be the most important barriers. Finally, 35 % of the companies are the recipient of equity based FDI, 26 % have adopted Joint Ventures, and another 26 % are following Greenfield approach.
Obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes
INDIA GATE has undertaken a study on benefits and obstacles of participating in European funded programmes. The study built on the results of a questionnaire. Three partners, FORTH, Europa Media and EIRC were the major contributors to this task. The questionnaire has been returned by 143 people in Europe and 140 people in India already having experience in EU India S&T cooperation. The results are summarised in D2.8 Report on obstacles facing EU organisations.
When asked if which of the proposed areas is perceived as an essential obstacle for scientific cooperation, both EU and Indian partners agreed that 'Administrative requirements from donors' and the 'lack of knowledge of funding opportunities' are huge obstacles to cooperation.
Apart from the proposed areas both sides declared that there are other areas which could be considered as essential obstacles.
Additional obstacles presented by Indian participants
- The administrative requirements of the EC in terms of reporting are far too cumbersome. There is more emphasis on completing paper work than achieving results. EC really needs to think of ways to simplify reporting requirements.
- Financial accountability process is extremely time-consuming and results in less time available to focus on the scientific and technical aspects of the project. Further, EU does not support 100 % cost eligibility. EU supports need based employment with hourly payments which does not work in India. Being permanent employee of government institutions, the salary budget becomes difficult to manage and utilise. It should be liberalised as per our structure and administrative requirements. The EU financial rules do NOT AT ALL reflect the reality of smaller cooperation partners in developing countries; too often pre-financing is required and the ineligibility of taxes (e.g. for subcontracting or travel) is detached from reality (constituting huge burden on the smaller partner) and offensive to the host country (why refusing to pay taxes?).
- Audit rules in India are different from that of EU. This poses difficulty in financial reporting.
- Too much 'guarding' of IPRs, leading to insufficient sharing of knowledge.
- The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) site is too complex and needs a help guide to help people access relevant information.
Additional obstacles presented by European participants:
- Exchange of plant material is not so easy. Requirements from India are very demanding while they have a quarantine service!
- To some extent, time difference to schedule video or telecommunication conferences. Different academic (teaching / examination obligations) schedules for Europe and India when having academic institutions as project partners.
- The process for obtaining VISA is too slow; a more effective protocol to get the VISA would be convenient and necessary.
- Travel expenses, often limited budgets of the European partners for travel to India. Different framework conditions for research.
- Administrative obstacles such as permission for our partner(s) to open a bank account in order to receive foreign funding; it took one year to obtain it.
- It is difficult for Indian organisations to understand the EU programmes and funding and how it works. Not much information for European on how the Indian programmes work.
- Enormous and un-necessary bureaucratic difficulties linked to the management of FP projects. Difficulties in financial management due to not only for the differences in some of the administrative rules between Europe and India, but also for the difficult to follow the EC administrative procedures for the funded programmes (as for example, the rules for the presentation of Audit certificates in FP6). Understanding the EU financial policy and needs was not given by Indian partners and they were not really willing to accept these.
- Is there enough appetite on the Indian side? Do we mean the same thing when we say 'R&I'? This needs to be investigated. They seem to be happy inside their bubble and subscribe to the theory: 'what is not understood is best ignored'. The scientific knowledge of the Indian partners was poor, so as well project management and technical help needed was much more time consuming than in other projects. Information events for Indians what participation in EU FP project means (esp. in terms of admin and finances) are needed to prepare them in advance! The mismatch is in requirements of the sponsors. The Indian sponsor (DST) appears to be much more relaxed about many administrative issues, which results higher responsibilities attributed to the EU partners and especially the coordinator, with the latter managing both projects in effect.
- Not having the same priorities for the collaboration.
Conclusion:
The obstacles faced by EU researchers to participate in EU-India collaboration are: lack of knowledge of funding opportunities, difficulty finding partners, cultural difference in working style, administrative requirements from donors, difficulty obtaining a VISA, official documents and intellectual property rights issues, getting bio-materials from India, un-necessary bureaucratic difficulties linked to the management of FP projects and quality and dedication of Indian partners.
The obstacles faced by Indian researchers to participate in EU-India collaboration are: lack of knowledge of funding opportunities, difficulty finding partners, cultural difference in working style, administrative requirements from donors, difficulty obtaining a VISA, official documents and intellectual property rights issues, administrative requirements of the EC in terms of reporting, financial accountability process and lack of 100% support, too much guarding of IPR and CORDIS site is too complex.
Objective 2: BROAD DISSEMINATION IN EUROPE AND IN INDIA
(i) organisation of three EU info days during EC events;
(ii) dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India;
(iii) dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites;
(iv) drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'.
Organisation of three EU info days during EC events
The INDIA GATE project partners have been actively involved in several info days organised by the Access4EU projects. The three mayor Info Days was organised in 2011 and 2012 in the following areas: ICT, Health and Water.
ICT: 'Access4EU info day at the ICT proposers day, 20 May 2011, Budapest, Hungary'
In the ICT info session, Europa Media provided input and practical assistance as well as ideas and feedback. Rajashree Iyer, EIRC gave a presentation and held discussions with the interested stakeholders.
HEALTH: 'Opportunities for doing Health Research in third countries - health info day Access4EU, info-sessions, 9 June 2011, Brussels, Belgium'
For the health info session, INDIA GATE was the lead project (together with Canada) and APRE was the main responsible partner within INDIA GATE. RP Singh CSIR gave presentations and held discussions with the interested participants.
Water: 'EU-India STI cooperation days 2012 - Water, 8-9 November 2012, Hyderabad, India'
In the water session, Martina De Sole, APRE, presented the INDIA GATE project activities and achievements and each partner took part in the event organisation.
In addition to these info days, INDIA GATE partners actively contribute to the organisation of other events of interest for sharing the opportunities offered by INDIA GATE to EU researchers. In details: 1. EU India coop days 2011 Vienna, 1-2 December 2011; 2. 'World mobility tour' Rome, 17 February 2012-13. The new India-Europe partnership for R&I Brussels, 31 May - 1 June 2012 - Brokerage event .
Dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India
The deliverable 4.5 collects the events attended by INDIA GATE partners in order to disseminate the information about the project and the funding opportunities for EU researchers in India. Several events were selected and attended by EU partners during the three years of the project. The activities performed during the conferences, workshops and information day were the distribution of the INDIA GATE brochures or giving a presentation about the INDIA GATE project and the opportunities offered to the European researchers. The events attended were equally distributed along the lifecycle of the project, also to share the different information among the target audience. Almost 80 events where attended by INDIA GATE Partners both in Europe and India.
Dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites
INDIA GATE has decided at the beginning of the project to join forces with the other ACCESS4EU projects in order to maximise the efforts for dissemination and visibility for the project. Therefore, the logo was developed in line with the common ACCESS4EU logo. In addition to the work as described in the Description of Work, it is worth highlighting the involvement of INDIA GATE in both the Common dissemination strategy (CDS) for Access4EU and the common web portal on support activities promoting EU India S&T Cooperation.
- INDIA GATE is working closely with the other ACCESS4EU projects for a coherent and more efficient dissemination of funding opportunities available in India and other third countries. This approach was very much encouraged by the EC, and INDIA GATE is contributing with input and information. Two of the INDIAGATE partners in INDIA GATE (FORTH and APRE) are members in the core group which developed the strategy.
- INDIA GATE is an active project in the www.EUIndiaCoop.org initiative, a single entry point for support activities aiming at strengthen and reinforcing EU India S&T cooperation. The initiative gathers currently 13 projects and initiatives. The dissemination tools for the initiative are business cards, info sheet, logo and banner. This portal is developed and maintained by Europa Media. The cooperation between projects has been much appreciated and encouraged by the EC.
The dissemination plan has been drafted by APRE during the first reporting period. It presents an overview of the dissemination strategy of the INDIA GATE project. In addition, it summarises the CDS of all ACCESS4EU projects that is based on a joined initiative of Project coordinators from APRE, Help Forward, DLR. The main promotional material developed are logo, leaflets, brochures, 11 newsletters and the publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings', described in the paragraph below.
In addition to activities described, the INDIA GATE project developed e-package tools (D3.5). The e- package tools provide a comprehensive information directory where interested stakeholders can access and obtain information in a user friendly way, benefiting from the latest IT developments. The e-tools are mostly based on the results and information collected in WP2. Information is structured to provide direct access to relevant information according to the interest of the users. Remote access is also provided by download options available for most of the information presented. The INDIA GATE e-package has two key elements: (1) S&T Landscape information database, and (2) Services. The EU-India S&T landscape database has different segments (e.g. platform, agreements, downloads section). The e-package services support European researchers in S&T cooperation with India.
Drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'
APRE was responsible for the drafting of the Publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'. 10 reports drafted by the INDIA GATE partners have been gathered and elaborated into the final publication. APRE drafted the structure which guided the implementation of the entire publication taking into consideration the information available in the INDIA GATE reports.
The findings of ten INDIA GATE reports have been reported in the publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'. The publication is a useful tool for those wishing to approach the Indian R&I system by offering information on the research centres, figures on performances, industry trends.
A comprehensive analysis of the Indian Science & technology system has been done including the description of the patents system, the educational structure and the workforce enrolled in the Research & development sector.
Then the Indian Innovation system has been analysed with a particular focus on the Frugal innovation - which is a feature of the Indian system - and real cases. Also a look on the future of Innovation is part of the analysis. A deepen presentation of the National Innovation Council and the opportunities it offers to European players is part of chapter 2 which concludes with a mapping of the clusters existing in India. To complete the industrial picture on India, a study of the most 6 industrial sectors has been presented with their trends and opportunities: automotive, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, energy, transport, water and waste water management.
The list of 23 R&I programmes in India at the governmental level that are accessible for European researchers (bilateral programmes, activities with EU, fellowship programme, visiting scientists from abroad programme, New Indigo programme, specific programme). The Bilateral agreements between India and the 27 Member States have been mapped.
The relationship existing between the EU and India has also been explored. The policy initiatives have been presented and the participation of Indian organisations in the FP7 thoroughly analysed together with the picture of the European presence in India. The EU- India relationship has been studied also from an individual point of view through the analysis of the obstacles for cooperation between European and Indian researchers and organisations and a view of the differences in business culture in the R&I environment.
The achievements of EU-INDIA S&T coop initiative have been well described as a best practice, which can be transferred also to other region / countries.
All the reports drafted by the INDIA GATE project are available on the INDIA GATE website at the link: http://www.access4.eu/india/514.php
Objective 3: Identifying cooperation opportunities in innovation
(i) Mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes;
(ii) analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation.
Mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes
The mapping of Indian Innovation Landscape is part of the WP5 'Innovation'. This WP is aimed at identifying the innovation scenery and capacity in India, with special emphasis on the mechanisms that support cooperation with the EU. More specifically, it is concerned with the EU industry presence in India and cluster formations that could support cooperation with Europe counterparts. The reports developed under these activities try to understand the impact of existing activities, measures, establishments with regards to further boosting innovation in the future. The first report (Del 5.1) was devoted to describe the Innovation landscape and motives for establishing operations in India. It focused on the policies, measures, actors, planned initiatives, and facilities that enhance innovation in India. Chapters on Frugal Innovation and Indicators for innovation were included in the study, as a deep analysis on the Indian Innovation Strategy. In addition the report looked into the funding opportunities (grants) and overall support (tax reductions or exemptions) available in India for European organisations willing to establish operations in India. The report focuses also on opportunities for both public and private EU organisations for establishing innovation/R&D centres, participate in the National Innovation Council initiatives and in selected industry sectors. It offers a broad outline of each sector's current status including market trends, major developments and investments, government initiatives pertaining to each sector and innovation. The industry sectors selected are automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, transportation, energy, water and wastewater management. The second report (Deliverable 5.2) was devoted to analyse the European Industry in India. This activity aimed at investigating the presence and R&I activities of European industry based in India. The emphasis was given to European industries with R&I activities in India. The partners developed a questionnaire, which was disseminated to the main research officers of European industries in India. The questionnaire served first hand information collection, which was then analysed through statistical analysis.
Analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation
The analysis about the cluster existence and cooperation is the results of the analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation within the INDIA GATE project carried out under the deliverable 5.3. It comes from the need to understand how clusters on the international level building on complementarities in order to improve their global reach and competitiveness, and thus their overall impact. The report is based on the results of a desk research and the conclusions of the 'EU-India dialogue on global outreach of European and Indian Innovation Clusters' even held in December 2010; the second and third 'EU-India STI cooperation days' held in Vienna in December 2011 and in Hyderabad on 8-9 November 2012; and the European cluster conference 2012 organised on 18-20 April in Vienna. It looked into the activities or initiatives that are aimed at enhancing cooperation between them with the view to create synergies, focused on both a general overview on the concept of Cluster and a detail description of policies at support of cluster in India and Europe. INDIA GATE project also highlights how research cooperation between European and Indian clusters is promoted and how Europe and India can learn from each other.
Potential impact:
Fulfilling its main objective, INDIA GATE increased the S&T cooperation between India and the EU by improving access to information on funding opportunities available in India for European organisations.
Several reports were drafted by the INDIA GATE partners
- The R&I programmes in India at the governmental level that are accessible for European researchers (bilateral programmes, activities with EU, fellowship programme, visiting scientists from abroad programme, New Indigo Programme, Specific programme) were collected and published.
- Calls for proposals have been published in the RTDI database.
- The bilateral agreements between India and the 27 Member States have been mapped.
- A comprehensive analysis of the Indian S&T system has been done including the description of the patents system, the educational structure and the workforce enrolled in the Research & development sector.
- The obstacles hindering the effective cooperation in the field of S&T between India and the EU have been analysed to be able to build the most effective solutions to combat them. The list of conclusions and recommendations has been developed and disseminated via several online and offline channels.
- Then the Indian Innovation system has been analysed with a particular focus on the Frugal innovation - which is a feature of the Indian system - and real cases.
- A mapping of the clusters existing in India has been done.
- A study of the most 6 industrial sectors has been presented with their trends and opportunities: Automotive, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, energy, transport, water and waste water management.
- A cultural differences section was developed in the publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings' for European organisations and stakeholders to help them learn more about their Indian counterparts and how to work more efficiently and effectively with them.
INDIA GATE was be able to reveal all potential in bilateral and multilateral cooperation between India and the Member States of the EU in the field of research and S&T, promoted widely through the previously listed tools and channels.
The e-package has been developed for stakeholders and end-users. The information is transformed into the electronic, user-friendly format and includes funding opportunities, rules of participation, business conduct in India and other useful information to enhance knowledge in Europe on India's cooperation opportunities.
Mobilisation of researchers, policy makers
INDIA GATE reached the maximum number of stakeholders and used effective means informing all potential beneficiaries.
In order to cover the EU-27, the partners made use of their extensive networks to spread information about the project. The project was presented at a series of events and informed relevant stakeholders of the services being offered and communicated the objectives of the project. Additionally, information and results of the project were distributed to NCPs in the EU to further advertise the results of the project and to increase the awareness of the project's efforts to respective actors within the EU. Within India, the partners worked to increase awareness by informing their extensive networks and by informing various governmental agencies and actors about the progress and results of the project.
The list of dissemination activities is included in this report. The consortium reached out to stakeholders on major events addressing several thousands of people, but mostly focused on events of smaller size (around 50 people) where real networking, serious discussions and exchange of experience, information took place.
INDIA GATE's web statistics are very good, the project's official website reached around 25 thousand views, around a few thousand unique visits. It was one of the most visited sites in Access4EU. The EUIndiaCoop.eu website also generated several thousands of unique visitors.
INDIA GATE stimulated the dialogue between European and Indian researchers and provided networking opportunities for thousands of people on the two sides to identify areas of collaboration and to allow better access to information and encourage policy makers to develop more conducive policies for cooperation.
The concrete results of INDIA GATE can be summarised as following:
- formulation of policy recommendations and feedback to policy makers;
- comprehensive collection of information on funding opportunities in India open for European organisations;
- increased mutual understanding, interest and benefits in S&T cooperation between EU and India;
- enhanced information flow between the two regions;
- improved know how in both regions on cooperation opportunities;
- enhanced capacity in both regions related to project development and implementation;
- database of funding programmes;
- statistics on participation of Indian organisation in European funded projects.
INDIA GATE website: http://access4.eu/india/
The project INDIA GATE has been funded under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) 'Capacities -International cooperation' (INCO) it is part of the ACCESS4EU strategy, set up by the European Commission (EC) in the third call of proposal of the INCO programme, aimed at increasing European researchers' awareness on funding opportunities for international research projects in several International cooperation partner countries (ICPC). The overall objective of the INDIA GATE project has been to strengthen and increase European Union (EU)-India science and technology (S&T) cooperation by supporting the access for EU researchers to Indian research and innovation (R&I) programmes.
Moreover, the initiative planned to achieving the following specific objectives:
1. mapping Indian R&I programmes and Europe-India S&T agreements, and identifying opportunities and obstacles for the EU research community to access Indian R&I programmes;
2. raising awareness amongst EU researchers about Indian R&I programmes and encouraging EU researchers to participate in these programmes;
3. assessing European researchers' participation in Indian R&I programmes;
4. providing an in-depth look into Indian Innovation policies and opportunities with a specific focus on the clusters in India and Europe.
The project started on 1 January2010 and finished on the 31st of December 2012.
The INDIA GATE consortium achieved the following results:
1. Mapping of:
(i) INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers;
(ii) bilateral agreements between India and European Member States;
(iii) overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes;
(iv) information about European Industry presence in India;
(v) obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes.
2. Broad dissemination in Europe and in India:
(i) organisation of three EU info days during EC events;
(ii) dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India;
(iii) dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites;
(iv) drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'
3. Identifying cooperation opportunities in innovation by:
(i) mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes;
(ii) analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation.
Project context and objectives:
The INDIA GATE initiative's primary goal is to increase the S&T cooperation between India and the EU by creating a 'one-stop shop' for funding opportunities that are available in India for European organisations.
The S&T agreement between India and EU recognises the mutual benefit of access to respective funding programmes. As a matter of fact several initiatives exists to support Indian organisations' participation in the FP7. INDIA GATE aims to play a similar role for European organisations who wants to benefit from RTD funding sources from India, thus bringing EU-India scientific cooperation forward by an increased participation of European organisations in Indian funding programmes and contributing to an increased mutual understanding of EU-India respective research systems.
The INDIA GATE team, through a 3-years-work, drew an holistic picture of the Indian Science, technology and innovation (STI) landscape by mapping the Indian R&I funding programmes and system, identifying the reasons for establishing operations in India or the obstacles that inhibit European researchers and organisations from taking part in the identified opportunities, making the information available in a user-friendly manner to stimulate, encourage and facilitate participation. As result several reports were written and published on the INDIA GATE website.
The Indian industrial system has been examined also since it is recognised that industry plays an important role in shaping R&I landscape. The cluster existence has been investigated and some success stories illustrated.
The team was very committed to raise awareness of Indian organisations, Indian Research Managers and Programme owners about the mutual benefit of collaboration and the importance of being open to Europe for some Indian programmes. With this aim several events and networking meetings were organised along with informal contacts which were also part of this strategy leading to a side effect: the recognition of the need of reciprocity of the EU-India S&T agreement from the Indian stakeholders / S&T players too.
The strategic objectives of INDIA GATE
The objective of INDIA GATE is to improve the understanding of the Indian R&I system from different perspective: economic, social and statistics. Each objective generated a report - which is downloadable from the INDIA GATE website - or an event as in the case of raising awareness.
This final publication aims at wide spreading the information and analysis the INDIA GATE team collected as far and as a one-stop-shop publication.
- map and identify funding opportunities open for European organisations in India with a focus on their reciprocity character, rules of participation and funding rates;
- analyse the obstacles for participation with focus on their reciprocity conditions;
- review the bilateral agreements between EU Member States and India;
- improve the flow of information on programmes and funding opportunities (Initiatives of the Government of India, Bilateral Programmes) designed to support scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and India;
- enhance know how on cultural differences in business conduct and working style via an user friendly e-training;
- identify and demonstrate mutual understanding, interest and benefit in S&T cooperation between the EU and India;
- increase the mutual understanding of respective research systems.
Each of the above objective forms a specific report which provided the basis for the present publication. The complete list of reports developed within the INDIA GATE project is available on the website.
- list of the ministries and the funding agencies in India;
- list of opportunities;
- database on funding providing organisations;
- report on innovation landscape and motives for establishing operations in India;
- report on status on opening up funding programmes in India;
- report on cluster existence and cooperation;
- EU industry in India;
- report on bilateral agreement;
- report on obstacles facing EU organisations;
- report on conclusions, best practices and recommendations.
Work package (WP)s
WP1 - Project management and coordination: Coordination aimed at ensuring the every-day management and administration; monitor the progress of the project activities, ensure quality results and submitting all reports and deliverables as planned.
WP2 - Identifying opportunities: Identifying opportunities covered a wide analysis of funding opportunities and funding organisations in India open for European researchers. Part of the work aimed at discussing new opportunities of opening up research programmes in India for European organisations and developing a contact database useful for European researchers. Surveys have been conducted and the results are available in the reports downloadable from the project website.
WP3 - INDIA GATE info supporting EU participation to Indian research programmes: INDIA GATE INFO WP developed the primary information point, the one-stop shop for European researchers. It is not only a website with useful information, but also a guide to Indian funding opportunities in the form of fact sheets, searchable database of funding programmes and calls, e-tools on rules of participation, stakeholders of interest, best practices. Would a European researcher be interested in any aspects of research collaboration opportunities supported by Indian organisations, this is a starting point.
WP4 - Dissemination: Dissemination activity raised the awareness of (primarily) European researchers on funding and research collaboration opportunities, introduced the results on online and offline forums, described the research, innovation and business landscape in India and the high benefits of collaboration. High quality dissemination materials were developed and distributed in order to reach the targeted stakeholders and wide audience. This WP also aimed at organising Information days, training, which provided the opportunity for capacity development and networking.
WP5 - Innovation: Innovation focused on mapping the innovation landscape in India and investigated the existing and future potential innovation activities of the European industry in India including clusters and cluster cooperations.
Project results:
The INDIA GATE consortium achieved several results during the 3 years of project. It is possible outline the results in three main areas:
a. Mapping of:
(i) INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers;
(ii) bilateral agreements between India and European Member States;
(iii) overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes;
(iv) information about European Industry presence in India;
(v) obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes.
b. Broad dissemination in Europe and in India:
(i) organisation of three EU info days during EC events;
(ii) dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India;
(iii) dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites;
(iv) drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'.
c. Identifying cooperation opportunities in Innovation by:
(i) Mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes;
(ii) analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation.
Objective 1: Mapping
1. INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers;
2. bilateral agreements between India and European Member States;
3. overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes;
4. information about European Industry presence in India;
5. obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes.
INDIA GATE and S&T programmes open to European researchers
The INDIA GATE Consortium mapped the funding opportunities open for European organisations in India with a focus on their reciprocity character, rules of participation and funding rates. CSIR, supported by EIRC and CITT, conducted workshops, interview, internet search and organised discussions face to face and via phone and emails with policy maker, in order to obtain the information needed.
The nine major governmental agencies (Department) have been examined and six categories of cooperation initiatives emerged.
The ministries / departments of Government of India who have the schemes for collaboration with EU and member countries are: (i) Department of S&T (DST) , Ministry of S&T
(ii) Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of S&T
(iii) Council of Scientific and industrial research Technology
(iv) Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Department of Information Technology(DIT)
(v) Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
(vi) Ministry of Human Resource Development
(vii) Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE),Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation
(viii) Ministry of Environment and Forests; 9. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The categories of cooperation initiatives are emerged by the analysis of S&T programme opened to EU researchers. The six typology are:
(i) bilateral programme have been set up between India and EU Member States;
(ii) activities with EU, including agreements between India and the EU;
(iii) fellowship programme, grants available to researchers to gain experience and to complete their training;
(iv) 'Visiting scientist from abroad' programme (VSAP);
(v) specific programmes;
(vi) new Indigo programme which aim is to establish a joint infrastructure for advanced research in biotechnology and health.
Detailed information about each initiative is available in the INDIA GATE reports (contact person, modalities for applying, funding rules). The portfolio of cooperation initiatives and funding opportunities has been summarised and personalised.
Bilateral agreements between India and European Member States
The INDIA GATE project summarises the existing bilateral co-funding opportunities between India and the 27 member states of the EU. The aim is to serve as a support material which enables the project partners to comprehend the areas of cooperation EU and India hold, to understand the structure and methodology adopted in order to identify best practices, to analyse the governing reasons behind the success/failure of the models. It helps to understand the functioning model of S&T cooperation between India and EU as a whole. The screening of bilateral agreements focuses on the areas of S&T cooperation, the implementing nodal agencies, the funding rules and procedures, eligibility criteria between India and the EU Member States of Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland Sweden, Slovenia, and United Kingdom / England. The information on India and EU associated countries is also provided (Belarus, Croatia, Israel, Norway, Swiss, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey). The information is sourced from reliable government agencies, news articles, approved reports and informal opportunistic interactions with academicians executing some of the research projects. As reported India has S&T cooperation agreements with the 27 Member States of EU, and 'Life sciences and biotechnology' is the sector with which India has a cooperation agreement with as many as 18 EU Member States. However it is to be noted that all the cooperation agreements have not been translated into call for proposals. Information and communication technologies (ICT) stands next in line with 12 Member States having agreements with India. The spread of the agreements with the EU MS only emphasises the common research priority between India and EU and gives a direction in which the cooperation can be mutually beneficially.
These agreements will come into full play only when all the activities in these agreements are enforced through regular proactive steering committee meetings, coupled with joint workshops, and better awareness of the agreements to the stakeholders. All of the above steps will be fully enforceable subject to the issue of reciprocity of the EU scientists in Indian funding programmes is resolved.
The RTDI Access4 EU database, with the information on funding opportunities included in the ACCESS4EU programme database comes from 11 countries worldwide to which INDIA GATE provided the information on India. In the RTDI Database, European researchers interested in international collaboration will find a broad range of opportunities offered through funding organisations outside of the EU. Searching for India only, 38 funding programmes will be listed with details and links to calls and official information. The database is accessible from the Access4EU homepage: Statistics show the status in the second period, the 19 calls registered in the first period increased to 38. As networking is one of the most important benefits, it is important to get to know the players in the EU-India S&T collaboration environment. The D2.7 deliverable, the database on organisations having EU India collaboration gives information on 101 projects financed through FP6 and 113 projects financed in FP7.
The analysis of the bilateral agreements shows how the most EU-Member states have S&T collaboration with India through active S&T cooperation agreements as in the case of Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and moderately active agreements with Austria, Finland, Denmark and Hungary. Moreover many member states work with India on the basis of memorandum of understanding / programme of cooperation or other agreements between institutions of their countries and institutions of India, the countries which have exhibited enhanced cooperation are mainly due their long standing historic relationship with India, they also have substantial human and financial inputs with well-established science counsellors, science advisors, and attachés with well qualified scientists attached to their embassies. The reciprocity between the member states is successful mainly because of the good professional and personal contacts between the science counsellors / advisors / embassy and the Indian administration and Indian institutions.
Overview of Indian scientific and technological policies and programmes
A deep analysis on the Indian STI system was carried out by INDIA GATE project. A strong emphasis on the India R&I landscape was reported in the publication 'Cooperate with India'; a significant part was dedicated to describe how work the India's STI system aimed also at identifying the innovation landscape and capacity in India, with special emphasis on the mechanisms that support cooperation with the EU. A strong focus was dedicated to analyse the concept of Innovation in India, an approach that emerged from the distinctive strength of Indian system where is increasing the interest of policymakers and businesses around the concept of 'Frugal innovation'. The deliverables developed under the WP5 put the attention on the policies and initiatives related to the innovation, like the 'Decade of innovation', and on the industry sectors of interest of Europeans and more devoted to Innovation. The state of the art on the Indian STI system take into account the Indian cluster and the possibility of cooperation.
Information about European Industry presence in India
More specifically information about the EU industry presence in India and cluster formations have been analysed in order to focalise the area of cooperation with Europe counterparts. The INDIA GATE project in the WP5 tried to understand the impact of existing activities, measures, establishments with regards to further boosting innovation in the future. Focusing on a research sample of 24 European companies based in India, it provides the business framework in which those companies undertake research activities and helps understand the current R&D landscape of the country.
The report finds that almost 42 % of the companies are involved in industrial production, while 46 % focus on R&D activities. Additionally, environment and energy are the major activities performed by 29 % the European companies, followed by automotive, transport and logistics and healthcare which involve 17 % companies in each. In terms of employment, 48 % of the companies employ more than 1 000 people and 55 % represent a turnover of more than 50 million EUR. Around 43% of them are involved in trade activities whereas 38 % are wrapped in direct export.
Moreover, the analysis suggests that the quality and price of product are found as an internal problem which should be addressed effectively. Regarding the external difficulties, the existing laws and regulations, corruption, political instability and insufficient government institutions appear to be the most important barriers. Finally, 35 % of the companies are the recipient of equity based FDI, 26 % have adopted Joint Ventures, and another 26 % are following Greenfield approach.
Obstacles to be overcome for Europeans to link with Indian S&T programmes
INDIA GATE has undertaken a study on benefits and obstacles of participating in European funded programmes. The study built on the results of a questionnaire. Three partners, FORTH, Europa Media and EIRC were the major contributors to this task. The questionnaire has been returned by 143 people in Europe and 140 people in India already having experience in EU India S&T cooperation. The results are summarised in D2.8 Report on obstacles facing EU organisations.
When asked if which of the proposed areas is perceived as an essential obstacle for scientific cooperation, both EU and Indian partners agreed that 'Administrative requirements from donors' and the 'lack of knowledge of funding opportunities' are huge obstacles to cooperation.
Apart from the proposed areas both sides declared that there are other areas which could be considered as essential obstacles.
Additional obstacles presented by Indian participants
- The administrative requirements of the EC in terms of reporting are far too cumbersome. There is more emphasis on completing paper work than achieving results. EC really needs to think of ways to simplify reporting requirements.
- Financial accountability process is extremely time-consuming and results in less time available to focus on the scientific and technical aspects of the project. Further, EU does not support 100 % cost eligibility. EU supports need based employment with hourly payments which does not work in India. Being permanent employee of government institutions, the salary budget becomes difficult to manage and utilise. It should be liberalised as per our structure and administrative requirements. The EU financial rules do NOT AT ALL reflect the reality of smaller cooperation partners in developing countries; too often pre-financing is required and the ineligibility of taxes (e.g. for subcontracting or travel) is detached from reality (constituting huge burden on the smaller partner) and offensive to the host country (why refusing to pay taxes?).
- Audit rules in India are different from that of EU. This poses difficulty in financial reporting.
- Too much 'guarding' of IPRs, leading to insufficient sharing of knowledge.
- The Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) site is too complex and needs a help guide to help people access relevant information.
Additional obstacles presented by European participants:
- Exchange of plant material is not so easy. Requirements from India are very demanding while they have a quarantine service!
- To some extent, time difference to schedule video or telecommunication conferences. Different academic (teaching / examination obligations) schedules for Europe and India when having academic institutions as project partners.
- The process for obtaining VISA is too slow; a more effective protocol to get the VISA would be convenient and necessary.
- Travel expenses, often limited budgets of the European partners for travel to India. Different framework conditions for research.
- Administrative obstacles such as permission for our partner(s) to open a bank account in order to receive foreign funding; it took one year to obtain it.
- It is difficult for Indian organisations to understand the EU programmes and funding and how it works. Not much information for European on how the Indian programmes work.
- Enormous and un-necessary bureaucratic difficulties linked to the management of FP projects. Difficulties in financial management due to not only for the differences in some of the administrative rules between Europe and India, but also for the difficult to follow the EC administrative procedures for the funded programmes (as for example, the rules for the presentation of Audit certificates in FP6). Understanding the EU financial policy and needs was not given by Indian partners and they were not really willing to accept these.
- Is there enough appetite on the Indian side? Do we mean the same thing when we say 'R&I'? This needs to be investigated. They seem to be happy inside their bubble and subscribe to the theory: 'what is not understood is best ignored'. The scientific knowledge of the Indian partners was poor, so as well project management and technical help needed was much more time consuming than in other projects. Information events for Indians what participation in EU FP project means (esp. in terms of admin and finances) are needed to prepare them in advance! The mismatch is in requirements of the sponsors. The Indian sponsor (DST) appears to be much more relaxed about many administrative issues, which results higher responsibilities attributed to the EU partners and especially the coordinator, with the latter managing both projects in effect.
- Not having the same priorities for the collaboration.
Conclusion:
The obstacles faced by EU researchers to participate in EU-India collaboration are: lack of knowledge of funding opportunities, difficulty finding partners, cultural difference in working style, administrative requirements from donors, difficulty obtaining a VISA, official documents and intellectual property rights issues, getting bio-materials from India, un-necessary bureaucratic difficulties linked to the management of FP projects and quality and dedication of Indian partners.
The obstacles faced by Indian researchers to participate in EU-India collaboration are: lack of knowledge of funding opportunities, difficulty finding partners, cultural difference in working style, administrative requirements from donors, difficulty obtaining a VISA, official documents and intellectual property rights issues, administrative requirements of the EC in terms of reporting, financial accountability process and lack of 100% support, too much guarding of IPR and CORDIS site is too complex.
Objective 2: BROAD DISSEMINATION IN EUROPE AND IN INDIA
(i) organisation of three EU info days during EC events;
(ii) dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India;
(iii) dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites;
(iv) drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'.
Organisation of three EU info days during EC events
The INDIA GATE project partners have been actively involved in several info days organised by the Access4EU projects. The three mayor Info Days was organised in 2011 and 2012 in the following areas: ICT, Health and Water.
ICT: 'Access4EU info day at the ICT proposers day, 20 May 2011, Budapest, Hungary'
In the ICT info session, Europa Media provided input and practical assistance as well as ideas and feedback. Rajashree Iyer, EIRC gave a presentation and held discussions with the interested stakeholders.
HEALTH: 'Opportunities for doing Health Research in third countries - health info day Access4EU, info-sessions, 9 June 2011, Brussels, Belgium'
For the health info session, INDIA GATE was the lead project (together with Canada) and APRE was the main responsible partner within INDIA GATE. RP Singh CSIR gave presentations and held discussions with the interested participants.
Water: 'EU-India STI cooperation days 2012 - Water, 8-9 November 2012, Hyderabad, India'
In the water session, Martina De Sole, APRE, presented the INDIA GATE project activities and achievements and each partner took part in the event organisation.
In addition to these info days, INDIA GATE partners actively contribute to the organisation of other events of interest for sharing the opportunities offered by INDIA GATE to EU researchers. In details: 1. EU India coop days 2011 Vienna, 1-2 December 2011; 2. 'World mobility tour' Rome, 17 February 2012-13. The new India-Europe partnership for R&I Brussels, 31 May - 1 June 2012 - Brokerage event .
Dissemination of INDIA GATE and opportunities for the European researchers in India during 74 events both in Europe and India
The deliverable 4.5 collects the events attended by INDIA GATE partners in order to disseminate the information about the project and the funding opportunities for EU researchers in India. Several events were selected and attended by EU partners during the three years of the project. The activities performed during the conferences, workshops and information day were the distribution of the INDIA GATE brochures or giving a presentation about the INDIA GATE project and the opportunities offered to the European researchers. The events attended were equally distributed along the lifecycle of the project, also to share the different information among the target audience. Almost 80 events where attended by INDIA GATE Partners both in Europe and India.
Dissemination of Indian calls and other opportunities through project newsletters, direct e-mails, publications on websites
INDIA GATE has decided at the beginning of the project to join forces with the other ACCESS4EU projects in order to maximise the efforts for dissemination and visibility for the project. Therefore, the logo was developed in line with the common ACCESS4EU logo. In addition to the work as described in the Description of Work, it is worth highlighting the involvement of INDIA GATE in both the Common dissemination strategy (CDS) for Access4EU and the common web portal on support activities promoting EU India S&T Cooperation.
- INDIA GATE is working closely with the other ACCESS4EU projects for a coherent and more efficient dissemination of funding opportunities available in India and other third countries. This approach was very much encouraged by the EC, and INDIA GATE is contributing with input and information. Two of the INDIAGATE partners in INDIA GATE (FORTH and APRE) are members in the core group which developed the strategy.
- INDIA GATE is an active project in the www.EUIndiaCoop.org initiative, a single entry point for support activities aiming at strengthen and reinforcing EU India S&T cooperation. The initiative gathers currently 13 projects and initiatives. The dissemination tools for the initiative are business cards, info sheet, logo and banner. This portal is developed and maintained by Europa Media. The cooperation between projects has been much appreciated and encouraged by the EC.
The dissemination plan has been drafted by APRE during the first reporting period. It presents an overview of the dissemination strategy of the INDIA GATE project. In addition, it summarises the CDS of all ACCESS4EU projects that is based on a joined initiative of Project coordinators from APRE, Help Forward, DLR. The main promotional material developed are logo, leaflets, brochures, 11 newsletters and the publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings', described in the paragraph below.
In addition to activities described, the INDIA GATE project developed e-package tools (D3.5). The e- package tools provide a comprehensive information directory where interested stakeholders can access and obtain information in a user friendly way, benefiting from the latest IT developments. The e-tools are mostly based on the results and information collected in WP2. Information is structured to provide direct access to relevant information according to the interest of the users. Remote access is also provided by download options available for most of the information presented. The INDIA GATE e-package has two key elements: (1) S&T Landscape information database, and (2) Services. The EU-India S&T landscape database has different segments (e.g. platform, agreements, downloads section). The e-package services support European researchers in S&T cooperation with India.
Drafting of the publication 'Cooperate with India: A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'
APRE was responsible for the drafting of the Publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'. 10 reports drafted by the INDIA GATE partners have been gathered and elaborated into the final publication. APRE drafted the structure which guided the implementation of the entire publication taking into consideration the information available in the INDIA GATE reports.
The findings of ten INDIA GATE reports have been reported in the publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings'. The publication is a useful tool for those wishing to approach the Indian R&I system by offering information on the research centres, figures on performances, industry trends.
A comprehensive analysis of the Indian Science & technology system has been done including the description of the patents system, the educational structure and the workforce enrolled in the Research & development sector.
Then the Indian Innovation system has been analysed with a particular focus on the Frugal innovation - which is a feature of the Indian system - and real cases. Also a look on the future of Innovation is part of the analysis. A deepen presentation of the National Innovation Council and the opportunities it offers to European players is part of chapter 2 which concludes with a mapping of the clusters existing in India. To complete the industrial picture on India, a study of the most 6 industrial sectors has been presented with their trends and opportunities: automotive, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, energy, transport, water and waste water management.
The list of 23 R&I programmes in India at the governmental level that are accessible for European researchers (bilateral programmes, activities with EU, fellowship programme, visiting scientists from abroad programme, New Indigo programme, specific programme). The Bilateral agreements between India and the 27 Member States have been mapped.
The relationship existing between the EU and India has also been explored. The policy initiatives have been presented and the participation of Indian organisations in the FP7 thoroughly analysed together with the picture of the European presence in India. The EU- India relationship has been studied also from an individual point of view through the analysis of the obstacles for cooperation between European and Indian researchers and organisations and a view of the differences in business culture in the R&I environment.
The achievements of EU-INDIA S&T coop initiative have been well described as a best practice, which can be transferred also to other region / countries.
All the reports drafted by the INDIA GATE project are available on the INDIA GATE website at the link: http://www.access4.eu/india/514.php
Objective 3: Identifying cooperation opportunities in innovation
(i) Mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes;
(ii) analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation.
Mapping Indian innovation strategies and programmes
The mapping of Indian Innovation Landscape is part of the WP5 'Innovation'. This WP is aimed at identifying the innovation scenery and capacity in India, with special emphasis on the mechanisms that support cooperation with the EU. More specifically, it is concerned with the EU industry presence in India and cluster formations that could support cooperation with Europe counterparts. The reports developed under these activities try to understand the impact of existing activities, measures, establishments with regards to further boosting innovation in the future. The first report (Del 5.1) was devoted to describe the Innovation landscape and motives for establishing operations in India. It focused on the policies, measures, actors, planned initiatives, and facilities that enhance innovation in India. Chapters on Frugal Innovation and Indicators for innovation were included in the study, as a deep analysis on the Indian Innovation Strategy. In addition the report looked into the funding opportunities (grants) and overall support (tax reductions or exemptions) available in India for European organisations willing to establish operations in India. The report focuses also on opportunities for both public and private EU organisations for establishing innovation/R&D centres, participate in the National Innovation Council initiatives and in selected industry sectors. It offers a broad outline of each sector's current status including market trends, major developments and investments, government initiatives pertaining to each sector and innovation. The industry sectors selected are automotive, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, transportation, energy, water and wastewater management. The second report (Deliverable 5.2) was devoted to analyse the European Industry in India. This activity aimed at investigating the presence and R&I activities of European industry based in India. The emphasis was given to European industries with R&I activities in India. The partners developed a questionnaire, which was disseminated to the main research officers of European industries in India. The questionnaire served first hand information collection, which was then analysed through statistical analysis.
Analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation
The analysis about the cluster existence and cooperation is the results of the analysis of the European and Indian clusters and their cooperation within the INDIA GATE project carried out under the deliverable 5.3. It comes from the need to understand how clusters on the international level building on complementarities in order to improve their global reach and competitiveness, and thus their overall impact. The report is based on the results of a desk research and the conclusions of the 'EU-India dialogue on global outreach of European and Indian Innovation Clusters' even held in December 2010; the second and third 'EU-India STI cooperation days' held in Vienna in December 2011 and in Hyderabad on 8-9 November 2012; and the European cluster conference 2012 organised on 18-20 April in Vienna. It looked into the activities or initiatives that are aimed at enhancing cooperation between them with the view to create synergies, focused on both a general overview on the concept of Cluster and a detail description of policies at support of cluster in India and Europe. INDIA GATE project also highlights how research cooperation between European and Indian clusters is promoted and how Europe and India can learn from each other.
Potential impact:
Fulfilling its main objective, INDIA GATE increased the S&T cooperation between India and the EU by improving access to information on funding opportunities available in India for European organisations.
Several reports were drafted by the INDIA GATE partners
- The R&I programmes in India at the governmental level that are accessible for European researchers (bilateral programmes, activities with EU, fellowship programme, visiting scientists from abroad programme, New Indigo Programme, Specific programme) were collected and published.
- Calls for proposals have been published in the RTDI database.
- The bilateral agreements between India and the 27 Member States have been mapped.
- A comprehensive analysis of the Indian S&T system has been done including the description of the patents system, the educational structure and the workforce enrolled in the Research & development sector.
- The obstacles hindering the effective cooperation in the field of S&T between India and the EU have been analysed to be able to build the most effective solutions to combat them. The list of conclusions and recommendations has been developed and disseminated via several online and offline channels.
- Then the Indian Innovation system has been analysed with a particular focus on the Frugal innovation - which is a feature of the Indian system - and real cases.
- A mapping of the clusters existing in India has been done.
- A study of the most 6 industrial sectors has been presented with their trends and opportunities: Automotive, pharmaceuticals, aerospace, energy, transport, water and waste water management.
- A cultural differences section was developed in the publication 'COOPERATE WITH INDIA - A guide for European players on Indian R&I fundings' for European organisations and stakeholders to help them learn more about their Indian counterparts and how to work more efficiently and effectively with them.
INDIA GATE was be able to reveal all potential in bilateral and multilateral cooperation between India and the Member States of the EU in the field of research and S&T, promoted widely through the previously listed tools and channels.
The e-package has been developed for stakeholders and end-users. The information is transformed into the electronic, user-friendly format and includes funding opportunities, rules of participation, business conduct in India and other useful information to enhance knowledge in Europe on India's cooperation opportunities.
Mobilisation of researchers, policy makers
INDIA GATE reached the maximum number of stakeholders and used effective means informing all potential beneficiaries.
In order to cover the EU-27, the partners made use of their extensive networks to spread information about the project. The project was presented at a series of events and informed relevant stakeholders of the services being offered and communicated the objectives of the project. Additionally, information and results of the project were distributed to NCPs in the EU to further advertise the results of the project and to increase the awareness of the project's efforts to respective actors within the EU. Within India, the partners worked to increase awareness by informing their extensive networks and by informing various governmental agencies and actors about the progress and results of the project.
The list of dissemination activities is included in this report. The consortium reached out to stakeholders on major events addressing several thousands of people, but mostly focused on events of smaller size (around 50 people) where real networking, serious discussions and exchange of experience, information took place.
INDIA GATE's web statistics are very good, the project's official website reached around 25 thousand views, around a few thousand unique visits. It was one of the most visited sites in Access4EU. The EUIndiaCoop.eu website also generated several thousands of unique visitors.
INDIA GATE stimulated the dialogue between European and Indian researchers and provided networking opportunities for thousands of people on the two sides to identify areas of collaboration and to allow better access to information and encourage policy makers to develop more conducive policies for cooperation.
The concrete results of INDIA GATE can be summarised as following:
- formulation of policy recommendations and feedback to policy makers;
- comprehensive collection of information on funding opportunities in India open for European organisations;
- increased mutual understanding, interest and benefits in S&T cooperation between EU and India;
- enhanced information flow between the two regions;
- improved know how in both regions on cooperation opportunities;
- enhanced capacity in both regions related to project development and implementation;
- database of funding programmes;
- statistics on participation of Indian organisation in European funded projects.
INDIA GATE website: http://access4.eu/india/