Indo-US Science and Technology Forum Indo-US Science and Technology Forum Annual Report 2014-2015 INDO-US SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FORUM An autonomous organization jointly established by the Department of Science & Technology, Govt of India and US Department of State. Catalyzing Indo-US Science, Technology and Innovation Collaborations for 15 years! Annual Report 2014-2015 Contents From the Executive Director’s desk 06 History of Indo-US S&T Cooperation 10 Objectives of IUSSTF 11 The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) established Structure of IUSSTF 12 under an agreement between the Governments of India and Composition of the Governing Body 13 the United States of America in March 2000, is an autonomous, bilateral organization jointly funded by both the Governments 15th Governing Board Meeting 14 that promotes science, technology, engineering and biomedical Programmatic Activities research and innovation through substantive interaction among Flagship Programs 17 government, academia and industry. The Department of Science & Technology, Government of India and the U.S. Department of Strategic Programs State are the respective nodal departments. y Indo-US Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center 41 y United States - India Science and Technology Endowment Fund 53 Indo-U.S. S&T Partnerships 75 Innovation Programs 87 Visitation Programs 93 Bilateral Workshops 115 Indo-U.S. Virtual Networked Centers 131 Indo-US Science and Technology Forum From the ED’s Desk From the ED’s Desk and technologists by convening the flagship opportunities for scientific as well as cultural Frontiers of Science and Frontiers of exposure to each others countries and help in Engineering Symposium in partnership developing long term linkages between young and with the U.S. National Academies. budding scientists. During the reporting year over Lately IUSSTF has also been focusing on sectors 150 Indian and US student exchanges took place in line with national priorities such as Renewable through various internships namely S N Bose Energy, Women Scientists and Entrepreneurs, Scholar Program, Khorana Scholar High School Student innovators, etc. This report Program, Viterbi-India Program, includes these and many other programmatic Research Internship in Science and activities carried out during the Indian fiscal year Engineering, Bhaskara Advance Solar 2014-15. The following are the Salient Outcome Energy Research Fellowships and and Achievements during the report period. Graduate Research Opportunities World Wide (GROW). The Indian Science and Recognizing the importance of networking of Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department scientists and professions for exchange of ideas, of Science and Technology (DST) and Department 16 Workshops/ Symposia were supported of Biotechnology (DBT) and the National Science in the areas of Nano Engineering and Science, Foundation (NSF) of US supported these Healthcare, Cancer Prevention, Proteomics, fellowships/ internships. Algorithms, Big Data, Forest & Land Conservation. Participation of over 300 Indian scientists and 150 IUSSTF also has arrangements with the US scientists was directly supported by IUSSTF. American Physical Society (APS) and American Society for Microbiology In an effort to promote long-term interactions (ASM) to support exchange visits of scientists between scientific groups/ institutions on common and students. During the reporting period IUSSTF areas of interest, IUSSTF supports Virtual R&D supported visits of 13 Indian and US faculty and Network Centers for a duration of 2-3 years. students under these programs. Under this mechanism 4 new joint centers were initiated and activities continued under 15 on-going To foster linkages between the outstanding next IUSSTF has a dynamic program portfolio that has Joint centers. Altogether, more than 70 Indian generation of scientists and technologists from India and the US, the 5th Programmatic activities been developed keeping in mind the requirements and US scientific groups/ institutions and similar Indo-American of Indian and US scientific and technological number of young scientists/ students are at present Frontiers of Engineering Symposium such as workshop/ communities as well as the common priorities of jointly working in the areas of nano technology, was organized in Mysore. Over 80 young symposia and network both the countries. The IUSSTF program portfolio energy, materials science, health sciences, researchers from India and US participated and center have led to the covers activities catering to a large section of physical sciences, chemical sciences, atmospheric shared the research trends in various emerging scientific communities. These include support areas of engineering. interaction of over 800 sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, etc under for bilateral symposia and workshops this mechanism of collaboration. 24 joint research Women in Science and Innovation- US and Indian scientists on thematic and applied areas including areas of publications in international journals emanated IUSSTF in partnership with the Department of and technologists strategic interest; visitation and fellowship from these collaborations and about 150 reciprocal Science and Technology, Govt. of India, the programs for researchers; student exchanges student and faculty exchanges took place. Embassy of the United States of America and creating several new through internships; advanced training IUSSTF’s programmatic activities such as COACh USA convened two workshops and training opportunities and schools for human resource development and programs in September 2014 at New Delhi and collaborative R&D through joint networked workshops/symposia and network centers have paving the way to led to the interaction of over 800 US and Indian Bangalore respectively, on topics such as effective sustained collaborations centers. As a part of academia-industry negotiation skills, successful leadership methods, connect programs, IUSSTF actively reaches scientists and technologists creating several new opportunities and paving the way to sustained science communication, best practices, publishing in diverse areas of out to industries to generate events on technology in respected journals, grant writing, etc. A workshop science, technology opportunities for business development that collaborations in diverse areas of science, technology and innovation. on Women in STEM was jointly organized with NSF and innovation. fosters innovation and enterprise. IUSSTF and DST as partners. nurtures inter-disciplinary contacts between Fellowships for young scientists and internships leaders of the next generation of scientists for undergraduate/ postgraduate students provide In addition to promotion of collaborative activities in basic science and engineering areas of mutual 6 7 Indo-US Science & Technology Forum Annual Report | 2014 - 2015 From the ED’s Desk From the ED’s Desk interest, IUSSTF has been actively promoting technologies and their rapid deployment with sector; and, bring together leaders from all sectors the greatest impact. For this program, both – government, industry, research, and academia – culture of innovation and entrepreneurs through The year 2014-15 thus has two programmatic activities. Under the DST- governments have pledged $5 million (about Rs. for high level policy discussions. been a very successful Lockheed Martin India Innovation 26 crore) per year for five years, with matching The IUSSTF showcased its various programmatic Growth Program (IIGP) funded by DST year for the IUSSTF in private sector funding. This first-of-its-kind initiative forging new linkages activities in the Tech Summit with its pavilion and Lockheed Martin Inc, 50 Indian innovators has brought together more than 100 Indian and US receiving a large number of dignitaries and other were trained through a boot camp by the faculty between individuals, institutional and industrial partners to work jointly visitors including Indian and US policy makers, of Stanford Graduate School of Business. Of institutions and funding in the space of clean energy research in the three students, researchers, industry etc. In addition, these 30 innovators were shortlisted through agencies. Its activities priority areas: Solar Energy, Second Generation the IUSSTF also organized three events under a competition and were provided hand holding touched a large section Biofuels and Energy Efficiency of Buildings. the aegis of the Technology Summit with wide by our program partners - Federation of Indian of students, scientists and Under JCERDC, more than 70 high quality joint participation of Indian and US experts - Indo- U.S. Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) publications in eminent peer reviewed journals Tech Women & Women Entrepreneurs Workshop; and IC2 Institute of University of Texas Austin. professionals, ranging from high school students to have emanated and a large number of conference IUSSTF Round table on Collaborative R&D in Further, IUSSTF also organised an experiential proceedings have been brought out. Clean Energy and IUSSTF Round table on Water visit of a team of 20 innovators, incubator young scientists to senior Challenges. managers and innovation/ entrepreneurship scientists in India and the India-U.S. Grand Challenge: Affordable promotion agency officials to the Silicon Valley US. It has programs ranging Blood Pressure Measurement The year 2014-15 thus has been a very successful year for the IUSSTF in forging new linkages and Washington DC with support of The Indigo from promotion