India: a strategic visit for innovation and scientific cooperation

AN INITIATIVE ALIGNED WITH FRANCE'S FOREIGN DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

Since the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research identified India as a key country for scientific development, strengthening partnerships with Indian institutions has become part of a national effort to foster bilateral collaboration. The approach focuses on priority areas in science and technology defined by a Franco-Indian strategic joint committee.
 

A JOINT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION DELEGATION FOCUSING ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

In this context, a delegation — including Carole Hénique-Gréciet, Vice President for Research; Laurent Thévenet, Vice President for International Relations; Davy-Louis Versace, Vice Dean for International Relations at the Faculty of Science and Technology; Davy-Louis Versace, Lina Penagos, Project Manager for the LIVE University Research School (EUR LIVE); and Carole Torriero, Director of International Affairs — accompanied UPEC President Jean-Luc Dubois-Randé to India from November 15 to 20 for a prospecting and development visit.

With numerous meetings creating opportunities to explore cutting-edge topics in biology, health and materials science, the initiative paved the way for strong future collaborations in both research and education.

In addition to the support of the French Embassy, the UPEC delegation also benefited from the highly helpful assistance of the teams of Marc Lamy, Consul General of France in Bangalore.
 

STRENGHTENING TIES WITH SIX REASEACH AND EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

The visits were centered on six research and educational institutions located in Bangalore, Chennai, and Pondicherry in the southeastern region of India. This area is referred to as “technology and industrial corridor” by the Indian government due to its economic dynamism and its critical role in the country’s growth.
 

• NCBS - National Centre for Biological Sciences - A world-renowned research center (postgraduate level) specializing in fundamental biological sciences, with an interdisciplinary approach that combines natural sciences, mathematics, and computer science.
• BBC - Bangalore Bioinnovation Center - A leading incubation center in the fields of biology, health, agriculture, industrial biotechnology, and environmental biology.
• IIT Madras – Indian Institute of Technology - A major national institute in the field of higher technological education as well as fundamental and applied research.
• CIT – Chennai Institute of Technology - A private institute offering undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate programs in science and technology, as well as engineering sciences.
• PU - Pondicherry University - A renowned public multidisciplinary university, and UPEC partner since 2018, with numerous collaborations in management (IAE Paris-Est), mathematics and biology (Faculty of Science and Technology), and law (Faculty of Law).
• IFP - Institut Français de Pondichéry - The French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP) is a research institution jointly supervised by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE) and the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is the largest of the 26 research centers under their supervision. It is also part of the CNRS research unit USR 3330 “Knowledge and Indian Worlds”, alongside the Centre de Sciences Humaines (CSH) in New Delhi.