GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 13th Oct. Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on Saturday presented the Indo-US Endowment Awards to 17 winning teams at the United States – India Science & Technology Endowment Fund (USISTEF) award function. The initiative aims to foster cooperation primarily in the development of AI-enabled technologies and quantum technologies.
During the event, which also featured the participation of U.S. Ambassador Eric Garcetti, Dr. Singh emphasized the importance of AI-enabled collaboration between India and the United States. He noted that the Department of Science & Technology and their U.S. counterparts are actively working to expand the strategic technology partnership, connecting scientists from both nations to work on critical areas such as AI, smart connected cities, and quantum communication.
“I am happy to say that as part of the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET), new implementing agreements have been executed to expand international collaboration in a range of areas,” Dr. Singh stated. He highlighted the recent joint call between the DST and the National Science Foundation, which has resulted in 11 high-pitch proposals in fields such as Computer and Information Science, Cyber-Physical Systems, and Secure and Trustworthy Cyberspace.
Dr. Singh congratulated the winning teams for their innovative projects, which include the development of decision support systems, GPT-powered AI, and robust quantum sensors. He expressed confidence that these initiatives would contribute to building a robust innovation ecosystem in both countries.
The Minister also pointed out that India and the U.S. are at a pivotal moment in shaping future technologies such as artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, blockchain, green energy, and quantum computing. He credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in creating an enabling innovation ecosystem through reforms like design-linked incentives for semiconductors and Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for automobiles and drones.
“Advancing the Research and Innovation Value chain and fostering a culture of innovation among young minds have witnessed phenomenal growth in India,” Dr. Singh remarked. He cited the impressive rise of India’s start-up ecosystem, which has grown from around 350 start-ups in 2014 to over 140,000 today, along with 110 unicorns, including 23 that emerged in the past year.
Established in 2009, the USISTEF aims to support promising joint U.S.-India entrepreneurial initiatives in developing products or technologies that go beyond the ideation stage. Over the years, the program has made a significant impact on product and technology development and has fostered sustainable collaborations between inventors in both countries.
