Wednesday, May 9, 2012


Indian, American Innovation Partnership Can Benefit All
By Stephen Kaufman
Staff Writer

Washington - Cooperation between the Obama administration and the Indian government is helping entrepreneurs and scientists from both the United States and India collaborate and develop new ventures in areas such as green technology, health and agriculture with benefits that can be shared worldwide, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said.

Speaking May 8 in Delhi at an event focused on innovation partnerships, Clinton said grants and funding from both countries for the private sector are intended 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."

The secretary spotlighted three projects that reflect the creative and productive partnerships between U.S. and Indian researchers and entrepreneurs. She announced that the Indian-based company Icelings and the American startup Prometheus Power are the first winners of a grant from the U.S.-India Science and Technology Endowment, which she and Indian External Affairs Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna launched in 2009.

"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 consumers' access to fresh produce throughout the year," she said.

With further help from the grant, Clinton said, the two corporations are "helping solve a practical challenge that will make a real difference to people's lives and incomes."

In a project using communications technology, entrepreneurs from the Indian nongovernmental organization Digital Green, which has received funding from the U.S.-based Gates and Ford foundations, have been able to share improved agricultural practices with Indian farmers, allowing them to learn new techniques through videos.

"Innovations like this ... [have] a ripple effect, generating economic growth, strengthening communities, supporting rural livelihoods and improving health outcomes," Clinton said.

The secretary also highlighted a U.S. and Indian biodesign project supported by India's Department of Biotechnology and the Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum that created an eye scanner capable of detecting treatable diseases before they cause blindness and an infant resuscitator. She said both innovations "cost a fraction of [the cost of] other medical devices that address these same problems [and] make lifesaving health care available to people who may not otherwise be able to afford treatment."

Indian and American innovators are "seeking solutions for shared problems, and they are building the industries and creating the jobs for tomorrow," Clinton said. She called upon people with new ideas to share them and seek support from their governments.

"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," she said.

Indian Minister of Science and Technology Vilasrao Deshmukh said science and innovation are a common priority for the United States and India and that their cooperation has been "substantial and exhaustive" over the past few years and will enjoy "a bright future."

The minister highlighted the Indo-U.S. Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, funded with $25 million in commitments from both governments, which will support "areas of mutual interests covering solar energy, second-generation biofuel and energy-efficient buildings," with grants to be awarded soon.

The relationship between India and the United States "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," Deshmukh said.

"When the most powerful, large economies of the world join and develop their innovation agenda, it is bound to deliver values of global good," he said. "The world would want us to work together."

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)

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