European Commission, ICSSR sign new implementing arrangement to enhance scientific cooperation
Oct 28, 2020
Geneva [Switzerland], October 28 : The European Commission and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) on Wednesday signed a new implementing arrangement to enhance scientific cooperation.
According to an official statement issued by the European Union, Ambassador of the European Union to India, Ugo Astuto, and the Member Secretary of the ICSSR, Professor Virendra Kumar Malhotra, signed the Implementing Arrangement in a virtual mode.
This initiative will "provide opportunities to Indian researchers (Principal Investigators of Research Projects, Senior Fellowship Awardees and Post-Doctoral Fellows) who are supported by the ICSSR and want to pursue research collaborations with European researchers, supported by the ERC (European Research Council)".
The role of the ERC and the ICSSR is to facilitate contacts between their respective scholars who are interested in international cooperation.
On the signing, Ugo Astuto said: "Science has no borders. Global research collaboration is essential for developing sustainable solutions to global and societal challenges. This arrangement will help foster collaboration in the field of social sciences between the EU and India."
Virendra Kumar Malhotra also welcomed the new initiative with Europe and said "it will allow ICSSR scholars to deepen and widen their knowledge by engaging with ERC grantees across Europe".
Since the start of the ERC in 2007, as many as 62 Indian nationals have been awarded an ERC Grant.
Compared with other non-European grant holders, Indians are ranked third after nationals of the US and Canada, which shows India's scientific excellence, as per the statement.
