India and South Korea on Monday signed five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the field of new tech. Union Minister for Science and Technology, Dr Harsh Vardhan and his South Korean counterpart, You Young Min signed three MoUs for:
- Programme of Cooperation 2018-21
- Establishment of Future Strategy Group
- Cooperation in biotechnology and bio-economy
According to a statement released by the Press Information Bureau, Government of India and the Ministry of Science and Technology, the top bureaucrats also decided to establish an Indo-Korean Center for Research and Innovation (IKCRI) in India. It will act as the hub for systematic operation and management of all cooperative programmes in research and innovation between the two countries including innovation, entrepreneurship and technology transfer.
The PIB also announced the plan to establish additional India-Korea Joint Network Centres in areas for
- Artificial intelligence
- Internet of Things focused on agriculture, energy, water and transportation
- Semiconductor electronics
India & Korea have agreed to establish a #FutureStrategicGroup to build collaborative platform to utilise the potential of the two countries to foster innovation and create impact for social & economic good. @PMOIndia, @PIB_India, @IndiaDST, @DBTIndia, CSIR_IND pic.twitter.com/18ljiuIGfv
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) July 9, 2018
These centres will leverage existing infrastructure and funding available from the partners on both sides in focused applied research areas, which have potential towards technology development. According to a news report, the two countries will collaborate in AI and build partnerships between Indian IT companies and Korean engineering and hardware companies.
Two other MoUs signed between Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), and South Korean National Research Council for Science and Technology and IIT Mumbai and Korea Institute of Science &Technology, to further accelerate future-oriented cooperation in their respective sectors. The MoUs were signed at the conclusion of the fourth India-Korea Science and Technology Ministers Steering Committee Meeting.
These talks were held on the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of Republic of Korea Moon Jae-In inaugurating the world’s largest mobile phone factory in Noida. South Korean mobile phone giant Samsung has launched the factory which has brought in an investment of about ₹5,000 crore.
The importance of digital technology is increasing all over India. At the programme in Noida spoke about how technology is bringing convenience and enhancing transparency. Also talked about the efforts to popularise digital payments across India.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 9, 2018
The facility, located in the Uttar Pradesh city near Delhi will have a capacity of fabricating 120 million phones a year. The factory will build 10 million phones a month, 70 percent of which will be set aside for usage and sales in India.
