Bangalore’s science connect with France, which dates back to 1950s, has seen the City emerging as major hub, so much so, research projects with French centres of learning has crossed 100 and 20 more projects are in the pipeline, according to French Science and Technology attachee Jenifer Clark.
Clark said: “Bangalore is strongly involved in Indo-French collaboration, particularly in the field of space with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and varied fields of science with Indian Institute of Science (IISc), and life sciences with National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS).
The Indo-French Centre for Promotion of Advanced Research (CEFIPRA) has the highest number of Indo-French research projects involving institutes in Bangalore, more than 100 since its creation. Twenty more Indo-French projects are currently underway.”
The focus are cities, energy and climate, biotechnology, agri-food and health, aerospace and aeronautics and chemicals and materials, and information and communication technologies, personal medicine, and big data, laser, biomass-transformed fuel, water technologies, and more.
France, Clark said, had very specific ties with IISc. “France is the second international partner of IISc (after US). France also has four active joint laboratories with IISc. In particular I want to highlight the Indo French Cell for Water Sciences between French Institute for Development, IRD, and IISc, which has successful for 12 years with many joint high-impact publications. ”
The Bangalore-France connection is strong in space. The joint Indo-French satellite Megha Tropiques was fabricated here and launched in 2011 from Sriharikota.
The satellite monitors climate and weather in tropical regions. Another satellite, SARAL, also an Indo-French collaboration, was launched in February 2013. SARAL stands for Satellite for Argos-3 and Altika. While these two payloads are from French space agency CNES, a third payload is from ISRO. All three payloads were integrated into the satellite at Bangalore’s ISRO Satellite Centre.
Height of sea surface
SARAL will aid oceanographic studies, examining ocean currents and sea surface heights. While ARGOS-2 will collect data, the Altikameter will measure height of the sea surface.
It will also help in continental ice studies, monitoring coastal erosion, protection of biodiversity and study of marine animals’ migration. SARAL’s mission life is five years.
The history of Indo-French collaboration was formalised in 1955 with the creation of French Insitute of Pondichery, and then in 1966 with signing of an agreement between India’s Ministry of External Affairs and French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“To institutionalise this, both governments signed an agreement in 1985 for creation of an autonomous bilateral funding agency. Created by the political will of Valery Giscard d’Estaing and Indira Gandhi, the Indo-French Centre for Promotion of Advanced Research, CEFIPRA, evaluated its first research projects in 1987.
The decision of the two governments to create the first autonomous bilateral structure for science, technology and innovation in India was visionary. It is an independent and financially autonomous institution which has built a long-standing relationship of mutual trust between France and India.”
CEFIPRA is exemplary as it was the first joint international funding agency to be created in India. Now USA, and more recently Germany and Russia, have created similar tool to foster and strengthen bilateral collaborations in science and technology, Clark said.
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