India-UK R&D partnership fund announced

£3.5 million for projects in renewable energy, healthcare and communications announced at Innovate UK conference

Business secretary Sajid Javid has announced a £3.5 million fund for UK firms to partner with Indian companies to develop renewable energy, affordable healthcare and communications technology.

The announcement was made at the start of Innovate UK's annual conference in London, which showcases UK technology start-ups and capabilities.

Projects must show commercial potential and also demonstrate that they will have a positive impact on both the economic development and social welfare of India to qualify for funding.

Innovate UK said it expects to fund mainly industrial research projects of up to £450,000 which last for up to 24 months.

The money is being made available by the Newton fund, which aims to build research collaborations between UK business and those in lower and middle-income partner countries. Potential participants can look for partners through the Meeting Mojo website.

At the opening of the two day Innovate UK conference, Javid reiterated the Government's support for innovation, but said details on funding for science and technology would not be revealed until the end of this month as part of the spending review.

He said “We will always support innovators, from the tinkerers in the sheds to the workers in laboratories and start-ups. Innovation powers our economy and we want to create the innovation nation.”