Canada to fund four new health science projects with India

Canada's Minister of International Trade and for the Asia-Pacific Gateway Stockwell Day said ''Canadians are leaders in the field of health sciences and these projects will help connect pure research in laboratories with applied research."

"These projects will contribute to improving the lives of Canadians and people around the world," Day said while delivering key note address at a function organised by Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC).

All four of the joint projects are in the health sector. Two are seeking advances in the field of cancer, one in the field of sexually transmitted diseases and one in the treatment of malaria, according to Thirumalachari Ramasami, Secretary of India's Department of Science and Technology.

Ramasami said that Canada and India have a close relationship in science and technology including in biotechnology, health science, nano-science and nano-medicine, energy, aerospace, environmental technologies, information and communications technology and earth sciences.

Ramasami added that Science and technology relations between Canada and India have made good progress at the federal, provincial, academic and private-sector levels over the past years.

Ramasami was in Ottawa to attend a joint meeting of the Canada-India Science and Technology Joint Cooperation Committee.

"The International Science and Technology Partnerships Programme, which supports these outstanding collaborative projects, is an example of the important role played by both governments in promoting leading-edge research," Henri Rothschild, President and Chief Executive Officer of ISTPCanada said.

"At ISTPCanada, we will continue to deliver similar bilateral activities in support of this role, one that can only grow in significance in the coming years."

Much of this progress is due to the work of the Canada-India Science and Technology Joint Cooperation Committee, which is co-chaired by Ramasami.

Today's new projects are in addition to eight projects and two joint initiatives announced in June 2008.

International Science and Technology Partnerships Canada (ISTPCanada), an independent organisation that provides networking opportunities and funding to support Canadian participation in collaborative research projects, will deliver the Canadian portion of the funding