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 – signed at the conclusion of the first Italy-India Dialogue on science, research and university in April 2025 – 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/Earth observation, space exploration, and in heliophysics, also thanks to industrial syngergies promoted through Italian business mission in India and vice-versa.
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.
Italy has also recently climbed the global supercomputing rankings and is now the top European country for computing power, with three supercomputers in the world’s top 20. Specifically, HPC7 is Eni’s new supercomputing system, landing in 6th place on the global Top 500 list.
Equally crucial has been the ongoing support for innovative research provided by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) through its sites in Trieste and New Delhi. In this context, notable progress has been made in various areas, including biomedicine, agricultural sciences, environmental protection and restoration, biopharmaceuticals, vaccine production, and bio-pesticides.
In the agricultural sector, bilateral collaboration has led to the development of projects related to food security and sustainable agriculture, such as the one promoted within the framework of the Indo-Italian Joint Committee for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. During Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Rome in May 2026, a specific MoU between the two countries on agricultural cooperation was also signed.
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. Italy continues to stand out in the search for excellence in Europe. After coming in 3rd place in Europe with 37 ERC Advanced Grants 2025 (research and development excellence in Europe) hosted in Italy, a new important milestone has been achieved in the first round of the 2026 ERC Proof of Concept Grants, with our country hosting 18 of the 182 funded projects, confirming itself as one of the European leaders. This shows the extraordinary quality of Italian research and the ability of our researchers to turn scientific excellence into innovation and impact on society.
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, around 131 fully operational scientific cooperation activities have been recorded. Research projects represent the most important form of scientific cooperation and, among these, the initiatives promoted by the European Union (EU) under the Horizon 2020 framework program (Ref. Map in the gallery, taken from a recent document prepared by the European Commission where you can see the number of projects between European countries and India: notable is the presence of projects involving Italy and India – and those of the MAECI’s Executive Protocol of 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 solid collaboration in fundamental and technological research, but also due to the importance both countries place on technology transfer as a key driver for promoting innovation, with the goal of establishing in the near future an Italian Innovation Center in India – based in Delhi with branches in some of the other main centers in the country – to encourage dialogue and cooperation between their respective innovation ecosystems (start-up, innovative business, universities and research centres).
