Indo-US Brain Trust formed to strengthen scientific collaboration
India and the US have formed a Brain Trust aimed at deepening cooperation between the brightest in the scientific community. The partnership between the researchers, academicians, businesses and entrepreneurs is a "win-win" for not only the two countries but also the entire world, according to Indian Ambassador to the US Arun Singh. Dr. Krishna K Banaudha, an Indian-American scientist is the brain behind this.
15 years ago, trade in goods and services between the two countries was less than $20 billion a year. It has now expanded five-fold to more than $100 billion a year. The two are now exploring another five-fold increase to $500 billion primarily through collaboration in digital industries. Defense agreements between the two have gone from zero to $ 13 billion in past decade.
The 950,000 scientists and engineers of Indian origin in 2013, as per latest data, suggest that India's rise far outstrips that of the Philippines and China. Indian-origin scientists and engineers in the U.S. grew 85% between 2003 and 2013.
Eight of the top 10 cities worldwide which by percentage sent the most students to study in the US on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) related programs during 2008-2012, are astonishingly from India. Hyderabad tops the list with 20,840 students.
The Indo-US Brain Trust will create a shared platform for Indo-US scientific communities to exchange, synergize, and deepen collaboration. The Trust will strengthen various scientific breakthroughs across different fields- medicine and health, energy and water, food and agriculture, information technology and cyber security, aerospace and defense. World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz said India has now emerged as a model for other developing countries.
