India has a rich network of public funded research laboratories and universities, which have developed and accumulated a large number of useful products and processes in typical laboratory conditions. However, there has been very little linkage between industry and academia and development of new product/ process has been limited to the laboratory. Investments in R&D by the private sector is very poor in India. This has affected our technology competitiveness and high technology trade. Industrial R&D programmes in international cooperation were absent, due to which the benefits of technology partnerships was not translating into economic growth. Globally, efforts are being made to reduce product development time and make the product more competitive through cost sharing as well as partnerships in innovation and industrial R&D.A requirement of a professional arms length organisation for executing collaborative industrial R&D programmes as practiced in other innovative countries was felt by both the government and CII. A presentation to Mr. Kapil Sibal, the then Minster of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences was made for establishment of Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA) – a not for profit organisation for promotion and management of international industrial R&D programmes on behalf of Government of India. Consequently, a proposal to DST was submitted for GITA’s establishment as a long term project of CII and Ministry of Science & Technology. In the year 2006, during the Technology Summit, the need of an institutional mechanism to bridge the gap was formally recognized and fructified into an MoU between the DST and CII.
Activity Overview: September 2007 – September 2009
The general activities of GITA started from September 2007 where the implementation of Industrial R&D Programmes with Canada and Israel were assigned to GITA. Since then, CII has designated manpower to work in close consultation with the International Division of DST to implement these two programmes.
As a follow up of the S&T agreement signed with Canada in May 2005, funding mechanisms were created to support bilateral industrial R&D projects with mandatory industrial participation. Funding support to industry would be soft loan and grants to public institutions with a ceiling support of $600,000 Cdn or 50% of project cost, whichever is lower, would be extended by respective governments to each side. Programme execution is being done by GITA and by ISTP Canada Inc. The first Call for Proposal was announced in October 2007. Starting with 67 EoI received in response to the first Call, 8 proposals were announced for support through a parallel but independent evaluation process carried out on both sides. Support has been extended to 3 projects and 2 more projects are under advanced stage of approval & funding. The programme also supports partnership development activities (PDA) like workshops, seminar and scientific conferences to promote applications.
The Indo Israel Initiative for Industrial R&D (i4RD) agreement between the two governments was signed in May 2005 programme, with a primary aim to support joint industrial R&D projects aimed at development of products or processes leading to commercialization in the global market. The programme offers support of a ceiling of $500,000 shared between Indian and Israeli industries limited to 50% of the project cost in the form of soft loan. An open call for proposal stands and two projects are under final stages of agreement signing and sanction under the i4RD umbrella. An Israeli delegation on Renewable Energy Technologies visited in April 2008. Interactive sessions and B2B meetings were organised in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to promote technology tie ups. GITA is also working actively with MATIMOP, the Israeli Industry Centre for R&D for industry match making.
In addition, GITA has also been assigned to manage Indo-ASEAN S&T Development fund and Indo-Taiwan Cooperation programme for scientist exchange.