$5.6 million boost for research ties with Australia

BENGALURU: Australian and Indian research projects on agricultural  productivity, food security and developing clean energy technologies are among those that will benefit from a $5.6 million boost to the Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF).

Australia’s Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, and the Minister for Industry, Innovation and Sciences, Christopher Pyne, on Wednesday announced six new grants in the latest tranche of AISRF funding.

In addition to Australian funds, the Indian Government and research and industry partners will contribute approximately $10 million to the six projects. Australia’s acting High Commissioner in India Chris Elstoft said Australia and India were strong partners in science and research collaboration –priority areas for both countries.

“The new grants will help strengthen the existing links between institutions connecting the two countries,” he said.

“Since 2006, when the AISRF was set up, it has supported over 240 projects, workshops and fellowships in key areas of priority to both nations, involving around 100 top universities and research institutions.”

The AISRF helps researchers from public and private sectors in both countries to participate in leading-edge scientific research projects and workshops.

Australian and Indian recipients of grants, and their projects:
Improving chickpea adaptation to environmental challenges (South Australian Research and Development Institute and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics)

Large-scale, high stability, high energy density batteries (Deakin University and the Indian Institute of Science)

Biotechnology-based decision-making tools in post-harvest grain pest management (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland and Tamil Nadu Agricultural University)

Developing salt-tolerant rice (University of Tasmania and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation)