The National Science Foundation is an independent US federal agency

The US National Science Foundation has expressed a keen interest in extending its partnerships with India in the fields of education and skill development as well as in science & technology.

US NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanatha had detailed discussions with Union Minister of Education Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on Tuesday on mutual areas of interest and India’s plans for STEM studies under the National Education Policy 2020.

A press release issued by the Ministry of Education quoted Pradhan as saying that India's advantages are its youthful population and substantial body of knowledge. There is a lot of potential ready to be developed at several institutions located in various parts of the nation, he added.

"NSF should therefore look at increasing its engagement with lesser known and hitherto unrepresented institutions such as NITs, Central Universities and State Universities in addition to the premier institutions in the country," he pointed out.

During the meeting, Pradhan stressed the need to include the skill sector in this type of partnership while referring to the education-skill continuum that is being developed in accordance with NEP 2020. He asserted that this may be accomplished by connecting with organisations like polytechnics, ITIs, and community colleges.

The Union Minister added that it was the government's top priority and duty to guarantee that all young people, whether they are enrolled in regular education programmes or work in the formal or informal skill sectors, have equal access to high-quality education and skill development so they are prepared to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Panchanathan said that like India, inclusivity and accessibility of quality education are a priority with the US Government too. He assured that NSA would reach out for collaboration with unrepresented institutions including those involved in skilling, so that talent in these places can also be nurtured.

Pradhan has asked the Ministry of Education, led by AICTE, to prepare a framework for further engagement with the NSF, also consulting other relevant Ministries in this regard.

A US NSF delegation also met Union Minister of State for Science and Technoly Jitendra Singh on Tuesday and discussed bilateral collaboration between the two nations as well as ways to take this collaboration to the next level.

According to information provided in an official release, both parties defined the sectors they would like to collaborate in, and projects are now underway in the fields of energy, emerging technologies, healthcare, technology, and science and technology education.

Singh emphasised that there has been a long-standing relationship between India and the United States as well as a common interest in scientific research and technological advancements. Now is the perfect moment to expand and capitalise on these ties for the benefit of the whole world.

NSF Director Panchanathan, who led the delegation, assured that the topics raised during the two-day brainstorming session would be explored to their logical conclusion.

Additionally, he pledged to create new opportunities for collaboration in fields including astrophysics, geosciences, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence.

In order to advance research and development in fields like quantum, the metaverse, clean energy technologies, cyber-physical systems, advanced materials, and communications technologies, Singh advised the NSF delegation that both parties must concentrate on partnerships that are significant, focused, and driven by deliverables.

The Minister made the point that the Indian Scientific Diaspora is one of the most influential diaspora communities in the world, especially in the realm of technological innovation. He asserted that both nations must look at ways to jointly find, support, and develop deep-tech start-ups in fields of shared interest.

Additionally, Singh asked NSF to support the planned Integrated Data System. According to the Minister, knowledge cooperation with NSF's National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics would greatly enhance efforts to build long-term capabilities in this field.

Singh also advocated for expanding collaboration in the space industry, particularly in new fields like the control of space debris. He also remembered the anticipated 2023 launch of the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite.

The Minister stated that establishing connections between Indian and American educational institutions and students has been accomplished via partnerships in science and technology education. A number of colleges with an emphasis on STEM participated in the Education Roundtable that was held the previous year.

NSF is an independent federal agency with the responsibility of promoting scientific discovery, technological innovation and STEM education. With a budget of US$8.8 billion, NSF is the major source of federal funding in fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences.

India’s engagements with the NSF include six Technology Innovation Hubs under which 8 institutions like IITs, IISc Bangalore and others are collaborating in 30 projects and some projects on Cyber Security.