International research cooperation and scientific diplomacy. These are fundamental tools for pursuing our interests and developing cooperation between Italy and the rest of the world.
Without investment in innovation and scientific research, there can be no economic development. Based on this shared conviction, Italy and India have long placed scientific research at the heart of their bilateral relations, also as a tool to address the many common global challenges.
The recent signing of the Joint Strategic Action Plan for the period 2025-2029 by the two Prime Ministers confirms this direction. Italy and India are committed to maintaining close cooperation in the field of scientific research in specific areas of common interest: STEM disciplines, start-ups and innovation, new technologies, green and sustainable energy, biotechnology and health, and space.
The core of the scientific cooperation between Italy and India is the 2009 Scientific and Technological Cooperation Agreement and the related three-year Executive Programmes. Activities under the 2025-2027 Protocol include co-financing mobility projects and supporting centres of excellence in the fields of physics and new materials, artificial intelligence, blue economy, hydrogen and renewable energy, among others.
Italy has a strong tradition in life sciences, biotechnology and health. India, for its part, has a fast-growing biotechnology industry. Collaborations could lead to breakthroughs in medical research and the development of new therapies and treatments for diseases, as well as more effective management of health emergencies, such as those experienced during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Similarly, in the field of space research, Italy has reached a globally competitive level, while India has a rapidly expanding space programme. Our two countries collaborate in satellite technology, remote sensing and space exploration.
Cooperation on materials and physics have been active for many years now. Prominent among these fields is the joint initiative with the Department of Science and Technology at the Italian science facility ELETTRA Sincrotrone. The collaboration, which started some 25 years ago, has been consolidated over time thanks to joint investments and access to the prestigious research infrastructure by over a thousand researchers.
Also of great importance are the various forms of cooperation in the field of higher education between the respective scientific communities. Universities, research institutes, organisations and government agencies of both countries continue to work together to identify areas of common interest and develop joint research projects.
The development of the various forms of bilateral cooperation between Italy and India in the field of science and technology has led to the definition of numerous collaboration agreements. Over the years, more than 400 bilateral agreements have been signed between universities and research institutes, and in the last three years alone, 131 fully operational scientific cooperation activities have been recorded.
Research projects represent the most relevant form of scientific cooperation and, among these, the initiatives promoted by the European Union (EU) within the Horizon 2020 framework programme and those of MAECI’s Executive Protocol for Scientific Cooperation.
Bilateral research cooperation initiatives involve the main Italian and Indian research players, including, for Italy, the National Research Council (CNR), the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN) and the National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF), and for India the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), the Indian Institute of Science (IIS) and the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
India is therefore a strategic partner for Italy. Not only because of the consolidated collaboration in fundamental research and technology. But also because of the importance that both countries attach to technology transfer as a key lever to promote innovation and growth.
