Important for India and U.S. to work together in science and technology: NSF Director

Both India and the United States have “a natural synergy” and similar aspirations, said Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan

India and the U.S. have “a natural synergy” and similar aspirations and it is important for them to work together in the field of science and technology not only for the welfare of their own people but also to solve global problems, a top American scientist has said.

“(Through) global collaborations, we can then devise solutions that can be global, but also applicable for local situations,” National Science Foundation (NSF) Director Dr Sethuraman Panchanathan said.

Over the past few months, the India-U.S. collaborations in the field of science and technology have gained momentum and is reflected in the fact that India’s two top Cabinet ministers – External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman – having meetings with Mr. Panchanathan at the NSF headquarters here.

In addition, Mr. Panchanathan has had meetings with Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh both here and in India and with Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in India in the last few months.

The discussions with Sitharaman ranged around some of the key existing and futuristic areas of collaboration like AI (Artificial intelligence) for agriculture and COVID-19.

“Two large democracies wanting their citizens to be prosperous, why should we not work together?” he asked.

Mr. Panchanathan, both India and the United States have “a natural synergy” and similar aspirations.