Minister for Science and Technology and Ocean Development Kapil Sibal announced that scientists from institutions in India and Britain will collaborate in several high-end research projects under a new multi-million program. The British Government will donate up to GBP 8 million and India will make a matching grant to this program. Sibal along with Britain's Science Minister Lord Sainsbury and the UK’s Chief Scientific Adviser David King Indo-U.K. Science and Technology Innovation Council had been set up to boost cooperation.

Sibal said that a six member panel—3 scientists from India and 3 from the UK, will create a roadmap for collaboration and are expected to have details by October when Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh will visit London. The three Indian scientists nominated for the positions are PM Scientific Advisory Council Chairman Prof. C.N.R Rao, Director-General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research R.A. Mashelkar, and Department of Science and Technology Secretary T. Ramasami. Britain is yet to nominate individuals to this panel.

Sibal revealed that next-generation communications technology, biotechnology, and nano technology will be the main areas targeted for research under this program. In addition, there will also be bilateral initiatives in the fields of new energy, weather systems and climate change.

Some of the leading institutions likely to be involved in the research are Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College at London, Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur, and the Indian Institute of Science at Bangalore.