GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LAUNCHES THE NANOTECHNOLOGY MISSION IN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 NEW DELHI 000433 SIPDIS PASS TO MAS/DAS/JESTRADA PASS TO MAC/DAS/HVINEYARD PASS TO NSF/MLUECK SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ETRD BEXP EINV PGOV TSPL SENV TBIO TRGY TNGD EIND, IN SUBJECT: GOVERNMENT OF INDIA LAUNCHES THE NANOTECHNOLOGY MISSION IN ITS ELEVENTH FIVE-YEAR PLAN NEW DELHI 00000433 001.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. Motivation for Indian Investment in Nanotechnology -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) India being a favoured destination for knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) [nearly 200 of the Fortune 500 companies have set up R&D facilities in India], Indian industries moving up in the value chain though innovation, utilization of the demographic advantage (high percentage of youth) and India's aspiration to become a developed nation by 2020 and be a knowledge based economy have been the motivation for tripling the S&T budget to USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). Other factors which contributed to this sharp rise include inadequate funding for R&D as a percentage of the GDP in the earlier plan periods, aging S&T infrastructure and relatively poor S&T indicators. Nanotechnology is an important focus area of the S&T plan not only because of its huge market potential but also due its ability to address some of the key issues of health, clean water, agriculture, energy and environment which form the basis of the Eleventh Plan theme of "Inclusive Growth." Further, India's successes in some of its mission-oriented programs in atomic energy and space have given an added impetus for launching the "Nanotechnology Mission." The cumulative allocation of over USD 1 billion in the Eleventh Plan far exceeds the estimated Tenth Plan funding of USD 50 million. Assessment of Nanotechnology Activities in India -------------- --- ¶3. (U) Nanotechnology is a highly multidisciplinary field and encompasses a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines. Hence, assessment of both funding and state-of-the-art becomes difficult. The nanotechnology effort in India can be broadly categorized in three areas: i) passive nanostructures (for example, protective coatings); ii) active nanostructures (simple devices or sensors) and iii) systems based on nanostructures (for example, lab on a chip). The efforts seemed to be predominantly focused on passive and active nanostructures, as expected from the relatively recent (5 years) funding and the trend in publications. Limited efforts are on in the area of nanotechnology enabled systems (lab on chip),through the creation of Centres of Excellence, which are expected to serve as user facilities. ¶4. (U) Earlier assessments by the ESTH office as well as by scientists from United States (US) had given the sense that nanotechnology was just a buzz word here without much substance. However considerable ground work seems to have been done in recent years, culminating in the GOI gaining confidence to substantially increase the allocation and launching the Nanotechnology Mission. To assess the actual status, SciCouns and SciFSN have interacted with various government agencies, R&D laboratories, academic institutions and industry. It looks like the relatively low funding for R&D by GOI in the previous Plan periods had led the labs to be poorly prepared for nanotechnology R&D, as reflected in the earlier NEW DELHI 00000433 002.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. assessments. However, the change seems to have been brought about due to the following reasons: - The information technology revolution and the availability of online literature; - Increase in funding leading to the creation of the necessary infrastructure for R&D and an environment for training of a large scientific talent pool; - The return of many Indian scientists trained abroad from US, Europe and developed Asian countries; - Broadening the Indian R&D efforts to include more institutions and not just Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs),Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and national labs; and - A serious efforts towards forming public-private partnerships. ¶5. (U) However, in spite of the enhanced funding in S&T there are several challenges. During the period 2005- 2006, only 54 percent of the total funds allocated for development projects in the Department of Science and Technology (DST) were utilised. The problem of not finding suitable or sufficient proposals, as well as qualified principal investigators (PIs) was echoed by Dr. Aiyagari Rao, Advisor, Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC),DST and Dr. Uttam of Department of Information Technology (DIT),who head the respective nanotechnology activities in their Departments. But these problems are expected to go away once additional infrastructure for nanotechnology related research is built up and the talent pool is increased. Also, the old bias of not funding private academic institutions and industries is going away and the GOI is moving towards enhanced public-private partnerships, greater accountability and time bound focused projects. ¶6. (U) Similar to the US, the Indian nanotechnology initiative is a multi-agency effort. The key agencies are the DST and Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Ministry of Science & Technology, and DIT under the Ministry of Information & Communication. Other agencies which are also investing include the Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR),the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MHFW),Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) through the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR),Department of Space (Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO),Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Ministry of Defense (MOD) through Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Thus the precise budget estimates or allocation for nanotechnology is difficult to estimate. Some agencies have well defined outlays, while others have allocations for an interdisciplinary area in which nanotechnology has a key role, while there are agencies which have not mentioned it, even though they have ongoing programs. Thus the total budget identified is a conservative estimate and the actual allocation could be much greater. Accomplishments during the Tenth Five-Year Plan NEW DELHI 00000433 003.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. -------------- -- ¶7. (U) During the Tenth Plan, GOI cumulatively invested approximately USD 50 million through agencies such as DST, DBT, CSIR and DIT. The focus was on the creation of infrastructure for nanotechnology R&D. This funding did not include investments by the institutes themselves in buildings, faculty salaries, overhead etc., but just seed grants for equipment and R&D projects. The major initiatives included: - The Nano Science and Technology Initiatives (NSTI) (USD 15 million) for materials growth, characterization and simulation studies; - The National Program for Smart Materials (NPSM) (USD 15 million) for MEMS and NEMS (Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems); and - The National Microelectronic and Nanotechnology Program (NMNP) (USD 10 million) for design & development and possible pilot production capability of complete systems (lab on chip). ¶8. (U) Under the NSTI program, eleven new Centres of Excellence in different areas of nanotechnology were established with seed funding. These Centres are expected to be similar to the nanotechnology centres established by NSF in the US. For example, IIT Mumbai and IISc Bangalore are being set up as Centres for Nanotechnology Fabrication by DIT with an initial grant of USD 2.5 million. This grant does not include the cost of buildings and faculty salaries. Applied Materials, a leading US MNC, has joined IIT Mumbai as one of the research partners and has also donated advanced process equipment worth USD 7.5 million. Inter-university Microelectronic Centre (IMEC),Belgium, Europe's leading nanotechnology research centre is collaborating with IISc Bangalore. DIT plans to set up five more such centres in the Eleventh Plan. Prof. Ramgopal Rao, Head of the Centre at IIT Mumbai, told SciFSN that the facility is open to all researchers in India. Scientists could send proposals for using the Centre facilities and after a quick peer review, if approved, they would be allowed to carry out experiments at the Centre. In effect, they are developing a user facility model, the difference being that the user need not pay for the experiments and will also receive a travel grant. Thus the Centre is expected to facilitate and nurture new ideas and talent in the domain of nanotechnology, with minimal time lag or funding constrains. The NSTI program has led to funding of about 100 projects resulting in over 20 patents and about 250 publications in refereed journals. ¶9. (U) The NPSM and NMNP programs involved industry, academic institutions and R&D labs with the goal of delivering prototypes and products on a fast track. It also led to the creation of facilities for fabrication of complete systems (lab on chip) from proof-of-concept to low volume production. The centres identified and developed to cater to these activities are: Semiconductor Complex Ltd (SCL) Chandigarh, Bharat Electronics Ltd (BEL) NEW DELHI 00000433 004.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. Bangalore, Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI),Pilani and Centre for Materials for Electronics Technology (CMET),Pune. Further, the goal was to develop basic platform technologies, which could easily be adopted for use with different nanomaterials and applications. An example is the development of a LPG gas sensor, which is soon expected to be used in automobiles and homes as a safety device. These facility centres are now open to all users in India and abroad. Indian Industry Investing in Nanotechnology -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Indian industry has also sensed the future and the promise of nanotechnology. Companies like Glenmark, Biocon, Ranbaxy, Reddys, Cipla, and Dabur in pharma domain and others like Tata, Reliance, Mahindra & Mahindra, Samtel, and Moser Baer to mention a few, are working on nanotechnology based applications. These companies are also developing a wide range of indigenous systems for process technologies. They vary from a multiple head spray process assisted nanoparticle formation technology for pharma industry to a customized plasma process and ion assisted nanomaterial deposition systems for flat panel displays. Most of the companies hope to double or triple their scientific staff working in this area and increase R&D funding. Several, like Tata, are funding projects in US and European universities and recruiting Indian PhD students directly from US graduate schools. During SciFSN's interactions with several US MNCs like HP, Intel, GE and Shell, it was learnt that all these companies are engaged in nanotechnology R&D in India. ¶11. (SBU) Recently DST and National Science & Technology Management Information System Division (NSTMIS) of GOI have engaged the National Foundation of Engineers (NAFEN) to undertake a study entitled "Status of Nanotechnology in Indian Industry & Academia/R&D Labs". SciFSN obtained this information on the on-going survey on industry involvement in nanotechnology from DST. A cluster of 65 companies and R&D institutes have invested about USD 375 million (inclusive of all costs). Almost 2000 scientists are working in these organizations in nanotechnology. The work has already led to over 49 national and 18 international patents. Further, 20 processes have been transferred for commercialization. ¶12. (U) New clusters of start ups in the area of nanotechnology are also coming up in Mumbai-Pune corridor, Bangalore, Kolkata and Chandigarh and are expected to launch products in the market soon. For example, Ican-nano, a one year old a start-up in Kolkata already sells about 40 different nanoparticle enabled products. These products are already being used by industries like automobiles, pharma, construction, paints and packaging, in India and abroad. ¶13. (U) A clear sign of the growing nanotechnology interest in India is the hosting of over twenty international conferences just NEW DELHI 00000433 005.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. in the past four months by government agencies, trade & industry organizations like the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI),The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and R&D and academic institutions. Over 1500 papers were presented at these conferences. Just from the US, over 250 scientists participated in these meetings. The ESTH office was involved in enabling some of these conferences along with Indo-US S&T Forum and the Indian industry organizations. Strategy and Framework for Nanotechnology Investments -------------- -------------- ¶14. (U) The broad framework for implementation of the Indian S&T activities in the Eleventh Plan period (2007-12) including the "Nanotechnology Mission" was prepared by a committee headed by Dr. R Chidambaram, Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA) to the Government of India. The committee had experts from diverse scientific disciplines from industry, R&D labs, academia and representatives from the various ministries. As mentioned earlier, this envisages an investment of about USD 18.7 billion. The plan outlay is only a broad guideline for implementation. Budget allocations can change on an annual basis based on the progress or change in the requirements during the execution of the projects. While the office of the PSA has formulated the S&T outlay for the Eleventh Plan including the Nanotechnology Mission, participating ministries are free to vary the allocations in their annual budgets. As an example, Dr. Phadke, Advisor in DIT, said that in the 2006-07 budget, the initial allocation for nanotechnology was USD 4.56 million. But as good progress was made, funding was increased and the actual amount spent was USD 11.4 million. ¶15. (U) Commenting on the initiative, Dr. CNR Rao, an acclaimed chemist, who wears multiple hats as the Chairperson of the GOI Nanotechnology Mission and Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister of India said "Though India may have missed many a technology bus over the decades, we cannot afford to miss the nano bus, as it is the future of the world, dominating science and technology in the 21st century". Dr. T. Ramasami, Secretary DST, told SciOffs that "Research expertise in India is SIPDIS available at one-third the cost of developed countries. Hence global R&D institutes and companies in nanoscience and nanotechnology would outsource their requirements from the young scientists and technologists in India. The present Nanotechnology Mission would further facilitate that." Nanotechnology Mission 2007-2012 -------------- ¶16. (U) Having developed a reasonable level of confidence from the results of the Nanotechnology initiative under the Tenth Plan, the GOI has embarked on the more ambitious "Nanotechnology Misson". As discussed earlier in para 6, the multiple agencies' involvement in the Nanotechnology Mission and the interdisciplinary nature of the technology makes it difficult to estimate the exact amount of the NEW DELHI 00000433 006.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. planned investment. Further, multiple agencies have also some duplication in programs with variations in focus or applications. Some departments have well-defined outlays, while others have broad allocations and in some cases, we have no information. Thus the nanotechnology budget outlay discussed below may be considered as a conservative estimate of the scale of investment but the seriousness of intent is obvious. This is an opportunity for engagement not to be missed. ¶17. (U) DST, as a nodal agency, has a program under the Nanotechnology Mission for USD 255 million in the Eleventh Plan. Under this program the key focus would be on funding basic research including study of risks associated with nanotechnology, carrying out extensive training programs to encourage more scientists to take up activities in this area, and enable collaboration with industries and foreign countries. The other key players like DIT have an outlay of USD 63.3 million towards strengthening the existing Centres of Excellence and creating new ones related to the development of nanoelectronics. DBT has a budget of USD 31.6 million. The focus is towards nanotechnology enabled products in the health domain in collaboration with industries. The CSIR (a consortium of 38 national labs),out of its total outlay of USD 4.5 billion, plans to spend approximately USD 1.03 billion on a Centre of Excellence in Metrology, electronic materials, biotechnology, food processing industry, solar energy, chemical process technologies, and pharma and drugs. Even if 20 percent of this were for nanotechnology, it would amount to approximately USD 200 million. The MNRE has a budget outlay of about USD 755 million for fuel cells, solar cells & LED based lighting development. Nanomaterials are expected to play a significant role in these applications. Other departments like Health, Defence, Space, Atomic Energy, Agriculture and HRD have not delineated specific amounts in nanotechnology. Thus even the most conservative estimate of the funding for nanotechnology related activities is expected to touch USD 1 billion in the Eleventh Plan. ¶18. (U) In addition, the DST has a separate fund of about USD 2 billion for the creation of an autonomous body, The National Science & Engineering Research Foundation, similar to NSF, three National Nanotechnology Institutions, six Indian Institutes for Science Education and Research (IISER) and six National Institutes for Pharmacy Education and Research (NIPER). This fund also has provision for nanotechnology related research fellowships. International Collaborations -------------- ¶19. (U) The GOI is also actively encouraging international collaborations to draw on external expertise. Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) have been signed with Israel, Australia, Germany, UK, China, Japan and European Union (EU). Most of these countries have a 50:50 funding strategy for joint projects. For NEW DELHI 00000433 007.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration among laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. example, EU has funded 80 projects under its Nanotechnology Initiative [2003-2006] with Indian partners. The Indian partners received about USD 16 million of the total project funding of USD 365 million. During the Indo-EU Nanotechnology meeting in March 2007, Dr. Nicholas Deliyanakis, EU Director General of Research, mentioned in his presentation that funding for Indo-EU joint projects in nanotechnology will be doubled during the period 2007-2013. Ongoing Activities between US and India -------------- ¶20. (U) The ESTH office is actively involved in facilitating interactions between visiting US scientists and faculty and their counterparts in India to enhance collaboration activities in nanotechnology. For example, Dr. Shyam Sunder from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the US Department of Commerce recently visited CSIR. He was encouraged by SciCouns to increase NIST involvement in the HTCG, which oversees the nanotechnology interactions between the two countries. In this regard, ESTH office played a role in India's participation (with a three member delegation) at a bilateral meeting with the US nanotechnology delegation on the sidelines of the recent Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) meeting held in November 2007 in Paris. The Indian delegation expressed interest in co-operation in the areas of risk assessment/management related to nanomaterials and metrology related activities. In addition, DST officials have also visited NSF during 2007. A NSF-funded workshop and a review of Indian nanotechnology activities was held in Chennai, India from January 10-13, 2008. The meeting also attempted to look at future areas of cooperation. Dr. CNR Rao, Chairperson of the Nanotechnology Mission, inaugurated the workshop. ESTH office also recently arranged a meeting between the Presidents of the Indian and US Engineering Academies in December 2007. The two academies have agreed to look at joint efforts in nanotechnology and a follow-up meeting is planned in mid-2008 in India. Comment -------------- ¶21. (SBU) With the launch of the Nanotechnology Mission and the commitment of close to USD 1 billion during the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012),GOI has sent a clear message that it is serious about its interest in nanotechnology. The current focus on developing centres of excellence in several specialised areas and the access to these facilities for a large pool of scientists and entrepreneurs could lead to affordable nanotechnology-enabled products in the near future. The investment is expected to start showing tangible results during the next three to five years. This scenario offers a unique opportunity for the US to re-engage and partner with India in this critical technology. Further, the US, as a leader in nanotechnology, by engaging with India at this juncture NEW DELHI 00000433 008.2 OF 008 ¶1. (U) Summary: The Government of India (GOI) in its recent National Development Council (NDC) meeting has approved a Science and Technology (S&T) budget of approximately USD 18.7 billion in the Eleventh Five-Year Plan (2007-2012). This is a three-fold increase over its Tenth Plan allocation of USD 5.9 billion. Nanotechnology finds a prominent place in the Plan with a cumulative allocation expected to touch USD 1.0 billion. The areas of focus in this technology area include biotechnology, pharma, agriculture, energy and manufacturing. The emphasis is on a multi-pronged approach that includes creation of a research & development (R&D) infrastructure for nanotechnology and workforce development, focused time bound networked projects (collaboration amon laboratories, academic institutions and industries) with public-private partnership, and enhanced international collaborations. During the Tenth Plan period, considerable ground work has been done with an investment of approximately USD 50 million by the GOI. Nanotechnology related activities seem to have now gathered momentum in India, unlike the earlier perception of more talk and less focus and action. Indian industries have also started investing in this domain. The enhanced level of activities is obvious from the number of international conferences, collaborations and products in the market. The ESTH office has been actively interacting with various government agencies, laboratories, academic institutions and industries to assess the level of development and investment and to facilitate interaction. The time is ripe for the USG to re-engage with India under the auspices of the High Technology Coordination Group (HTCG) and develop a mutually beneficial partnership in an area which will probably have the greatest technological impact in the 21st century. End Summary. could help and ensure India develop safe and sustainable technologies and practices in this area. This would be especially beneficial in the burgeoning economic partnership between the two countries. MULFORD