Clinton, Indian Minister Deshmukh in Delhi on Innovation Partnership
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesperson
May 8, 2012
REMARKS
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
And Indian Minister of Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh
At Innovation Partnerships Event
May 8, 2012
Taj Palace Hotel
Delhi, India
MINISTER DESHMUKH: Good morning. Honorable Secretary of State and ladies
and gentlemen, let me exchange a warm welcome to Secretary Clinton, for I have
the first public engagement here in Delhi. I'm glad that this engagement is in
the areas of science and innovation, which is our common priority. In fact,
Madam Secretary, I was planning to visit U.S.A. today. (Laughter.) In view of
our common interest in a joint innovation program and your visit to Delhi, I
also rescheduled my plans and created this time space. Together - (applause) -
we have witnessed just now a wonderful display of technology innovation. We have
interacted with the powerful minds of some innovators. I'm fully convinced that
our bilateral cooperation in the innovation space enjoys a bright future.
Strategic partnership between the two countries is - high technology areas
has been flagged of by Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Obama.
This has opened a new chapter in our cooperation. The visit of President Clinton
in 2000 to India was a defining moment in our science and technology cooperation
agenda. Secretary Clinton, we recall with fondness that the bi-national
Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum was founded during the visit of your
husband as President. You might like to convey that the forum he seeded has
grown into a full fruit-yielding tree. It is the forum which has catalyzed
several of the major joint initiatives we are witnessing today.
Over the last few years, science and technology engagements between our two
countries have been both substantial and exhaustive. I acknowledge the
contribution of our Ministry of External Affairs and the U.S. State Department.
Now, we have started to address together a grand challenge through the tools of
science. We are working in the areas of health, biomedical science, food
security, clean energy, water cycle, and climate research. Our cooperation in
knowledge-based industry sector has assured in full spirit of innovation and
entrepreneurship among our entities. In the past, we were focused on attracting
people for science. Now, our cooperation includes also science, but people of
both countries. Our cooperation agenda represents a new measure of mutual trust
and confidence.
Today, we wish to highlight the five-point program. But first of all, I
wish to recognize the ongoing outcome of our Stanford-India Biodesign program
supported by the Department of Biotechnology and the Indo-U.S. Science and
Technology Forum involving Stanford University, AIIMS, IIT-Delhi. Under this
program, about 25 high-quality minds have been trained to identify major
healthcare needs and develop cost effective solutions. I'm convinced that this
program will provide deployable healthcare solution covering a wide
socioeconomic spectrum. I believe that we should try to replicate and establish
several such innovative programs that will not only provide affordable
healthcare solutions to our people, but also nurture the young minds to become
job creators and job seekers - and not job seekers.
Second program about interest today is the India Innovation Growth Program
supported by Department of Science and Technology and Lockheed Martin
Corporation. It is under the successful BPP model of collaboration between our
countries. Our 200 business engagements agreements have already been entered
involving both India and U.S. enterprises. Products of some technologies have
entered global marketplace as well as impact analysis report prepared by FICCI
reveals that committed revenue generated by the innovators there in 2007 and '10
amount to more than 70 U.S. million dollars.
The third major program of value showcased today is U.S.-India Endowment
Fund established by two governments in 2009. The creation of this fund is
another landmark in our belief to work together in the space of technology
commercialization. I'm certain that our joint effort through this fund would
foster commercialization of technology leading to societal impact. The program
funded by DST and U.S. State Department have started to roll out project grants.
We have witnessed today the first batch of such investment in the broad priority
areas covering health issues and empowering citizens.
The fourth flagship is the Indo-U.S. Joint Clean Energy Research and
Development Center. This is a bilateral initiative of my Ministry of Science and
Technology with the U.S. Department of Energy. We have committed 25 million U.S.
dollar from such - from each side. The joint center will support
multi-institutional network project using consortia, partnerships based on
public-private model of funding. We are focused on the areas of mutual interests
covering solar energy, second generation bio-fuel, and energy efficient
buildings. We assure you, Madam Secretary, that we are working to announce the
exciting set of first awards in this - in the near future.
Finally, among the focus of innovation initiative, our USAID Millennium
Alliance offering a new platform. Under this platform we expect to leverage
creativity of the both nations an ability of U.S. to maximize quality Indian
strength in optimizing resources. Together, we could develop competitive,
affordable innovation. USAID has already contributed $7.7 million U.S. to this
initiative. Today I'm happy to announce other contribution of U.S. $5 million to
this fund. (Applause.)
FICCI hopes to scale up this fund to 50 million U.S. dollar over the next
12 months. This Millennium Alliance is a newer expression of our mutual
commitment to engage another gainful partnership. Undoubtedly, our bilateral
relationship today is a true partnership that uses a soft progress of science
and technology and innovation for the benefit of people, the priority in both
our countries. When the most powerful, large economies of the world join and
develop their innovation agenda, it is bound to deliver values of global good.
The world would want us to work together.
Let me end with assurance of my government's fullest commitment and support
to this bilateral endeavor and invite you, Madam Secretary, for your valuable
thoughts and impressions. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
SECRETARY CLINTON: Minister, that was wonderful. Thank you so much. Well,
good morning, and let me begin by thanking Minister Deshmukh for rearranging his
schedule and being here today so that together we could highlight the excellent
work that is taking place in the area of science and technology. And I thank
you, Minister, for your warm welcome and for your personal work to strengthen
trade and partnership between India and the United States. Our two great
democracies share an enduring commitment to innovation. For decades, scientists,
engineers, and social innovators from India and the United States have worked
side-by-side. The most famous example, perhaps, are the agricultural
improvements that led to the Green Revolution.
Today, I met entrepreneurs from an organization called Digital Green who
are carrying on that work using technology to share agricultural best practices
with farmers themselves. It is now possible, thanks to communications
technology, for farmers to be in their villages looking at videos about
agricultural techniques that they then can apply in their own work. Innovations
like this - the one from Digital Green - has a ripple effect, generating
economic growth, strengthening communities, supporting rural livelihoods, and
improving health outcomes. We want to make it possible for more Indian and
American entrepreneurs to collaborate on new ventures, more scientists and
scholars to share data and build upon each other's research, more students to
live and learn together at each of our universities. Ultimately, we hope to
foster generations of innovative thinkers and leaders who will continue to
improve the lives of the Indian and American people and contribute to improving
the lives of people everywhere.
We also want our governments to embrace the spirit of innovation to improve
our own work and strengthen our partnership. And let me give you a few examples
as to how we're doing this: First, I am proud to announce the winner of the
first U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment Board grant. That is an
initiative that I was privileged to launch with Minister Krishna on my first
visit in early 2009 as Secretary here. The grant goes to a partnership between
an American startup, Promethean Power, and India-based Icelings. They have
developed a solar-powered system for refrigerated storage to keep fresh fruits
and vegetables from spoiling. And this is a huge advance for India because lack
of storage causes Indian farmers to lose approximately $10 billion in crops each
year. This innovation promises farmers more income while also improving
consumer's access to fresh produce throughout the year. This partnership united
different experiences and areas of expertise, and now with a little help from the endowment fund, Promethean Power and Icelings are
helping solve a practical challenge that will make a real difference to people's
lives and incomes.
Second, I want to highlight a new Millennium Alliance initiated last year
by USAID, our development agency, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry that is supported by the Government of India. This
public-private partnership will help fund development solutions that deliver
sustainable results for people and can be shared across the world. And at our
Higher Education Dialogue this June, representatives of both governments, along
with leaders from our higher education institutions, will examine additional
ways in which new technologies can advance collaborations in education.
Third, one of the displays I had a chance to see earlier - and if the press
and the people in attendance haven't seen the displays, I hope that you will
have a chance to do so - but one of them was the Stanford-India Biodesign
project, which has developed an infant resuscitator, and the Lockheed Martin
Innovation Growth program has awarded a grant to 3nethra for an eye scanner that
can detect treatable diseases before they cause blindness. Both these
cutting-age innovations cost a fraction of other medical devices that address
these same problems, make lifesaving healthcare available to people who may not
otherwise be able to afford treatment.
And finally, I want to recognize a young woman with us today. Bharati
Chaturvedi is the leader of a group called Chintan India, which was one of the
first ever winners of our Secretary of State's Innovation Award for the
Empowerment of Women and Girls. This award is a partnership between the State
Department and the Rockefeller Foundation to support women's equal participation
in science, technology, entrepreneurship, and in all aspects of society,
because, of course, you would expect me to believe, as I do, that women add a
valuable perspective to problem solving, and supporting women in science is one
of our priority areas of engagement between our countries. We will discuss this
in more depth in June when we host the 2nd U.S.-India Joint Commission Meeting
on Science and Technology Cooperation in Washington.
Now there are many more examples. The minister and I could literally keep
you here all day, but we will not do that, I promise. But we are already
developing, from the first commitment to cooperation back in 2000 when my
husband paid a state visit, through the work that we're doing today in the Obama
Administration - we know we can make an enormous amount of progress. Some of the
brightest minds of our two societies are already working together. They are
seeking solutions for shared problems, and they are building the industries and
creating the jobs for tomorrow.
So we can and do - we can and must do more on the government level to spur
institutional partnerships. These public-private partnerships are really an
incredible way to bring the best of government and the best of industries,
academia, and non-for-profit organizations together. And I hope that we will see
even more sprouting forth. We look to you, the innovators, the inventors, the
researchers, the dreamers, in this audience today for your leadership. The
minister and I are happy to be in receive mode. We want to hear from you about
what you think will work. We are working hard to set up the institutions that
will then be responsive, but it's really up to each of you who has that idea and
is willing to work hard in order to see it come into reality.
So Minister, again, thank you. And thanks to all of the innovators; thanks
to all the public-private partners. We are really excited by the progress we're
making together. Thank you all very much. (Applause.)
Thank you minister. Thank you so much. Thank you.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State.)
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