India, New Zealand Reset Science Ties with Focused Innovation Pact

Dr Jitendra Singh emphasised that India’s science reforms and mission-driven programmes are designed to deliver both economic value and societal impact.

India and New Zealand have agreed to recalibrate their science and technology partnership through a focused, outcome-driven framework, following high-level bilateral talks between Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh and New Zealand’s Minister for Science, Innovation, Technology and Education, H.E. Dr. Shane Reti, in New Delhi.

The meeting, held at Kartavya Bhavan-3, comes as Dr. Reti visits India for the ongoing AI Summit, providing momentum to align expanding digital and technological discourse with deeper bilateral scientific collaboration.

Political Backing for Science Diplomacy

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the strong and forward-looking relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, noting that political goodwill has created fertile ground for enhanced science diplomacy.

He underscored that science and innovation are increasingly strategic instruments for generating shared economic value and addressing global challenges.

Targeted, Milestone-Based Cooperation

Both Ministers agreed that while the scope of collaboration is broad, the partnership would benefit from identifying one or two priority domains with clearly defined milestones and measurable outcomes.

Rather than dispersing efforts across multiple areas simultaneously, officials from both countries will now develop concrete proposals to create a structured, scalable framework for long-term cooperation.

Bioeconomy and Agri-Tech at the Core

India’s rapid progress in biotechnology and its expanding bioeconomy ecosystem featured prominently in the discussions.

Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the transformative Bio-E3 (Biotechnology for Economy, Environment and Employment) Mission, alongside India’s growing network of bio-incubators supporting nearly 10,000 startups.

Recognising New Zealand’s global leadership in agri-based innovation and bioeconomy, the two sides explored collaboration in:

• Climate-resilient crops

• Livestock and dairy genomics

• Soil microbiome research

• Functional foods and alternative proteins

• Nutraceuticals

The Ministers also discussed carbon capture technologies and biological utilisation of captured carbon into value-added products, reinforcing shared commitments to sustainable growth and net-zero transitions.

Clean Energy and Climate Action

Climate action emerged as a central pillar of dialogue. Dr. Jitendra Singh outlined India’s mission-mode strategy toward net-zero, including:

• Green hydrogen development

• Electric mobility expansion

• Diversified clean energy sources

• Ocean-based energy exploration

He also highlighted India’s advancements in ocean sciences and desalination, including potable water initiatives in island territories such as Lakshadweep.

New Zealand shared expertise in geothermal energy and renewable systems. Both sides agreed that joint work in ocean energy, geothermal research and climate-resilient infrastructure could deliver mutually beneficial outcomes.

Frontier Technologies and Cyber-Physical Systems

Emerging technologies, including quantum computing, quantum sensing, secure communications and quantum photonics, were discussed as future collaboration areas.

Dr. Jitendra Singh noted that India has established 25 Technology Innovation Hubs to advance interdisciplinary cyber-physical systems integrating robotics, AI and advanced materials.

Both countries emphasised translating frontier research into secure, scalable and socially beneficial applications.

Healthcare Innovation and Tele-Robotics

In healthcare, the Ministers reviewed digital and robotic medical technologies.

Dr. Jitendra Singh referenced India’s recent tele-robotic ultrasound demonstration conducted across 12,000 kilometres, describing it as a breakthrough in expanding specialist healthcare access to remote regions.

Discussions also covered diabetes management technologies, including continuous glucose monitoring, and the responsible regulation of emerging weight-loss therapies.

Space Science and Polar Research

Space cooperation and Antarctic research were identified as promising areas for expanded engagement.

Both sides acknowledged the strategic importance of Antarctic research for understanding global climate systems, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

Potential collaboration areas include:

• Satellite observations

• High-altitude scientific experiments

• Glaciology research

Reviving Institutional Science Dialogues

The Ministers agreed to restore momentum to structured science dialogues, following a period of limited high-level engagement.

Commitments include:

• Regular institutional interactions

• Joint research calls

• Researcher mobility programmes

New Zealand shared insights from its participation in major global research platforms and expressed readiness to strengthen collaborative pathways.

Toward a Results-Oriented Partnership

Dr Jitendra Singh emphasised that India’s science reforms and mission-driven programmes are designed to deliver both economic value and societal impact.

He expressed confidence that focusing on clearly defined priority areas will yield tangible outcomes and elevate the India–New Zealand science and innovation partnership to a new level.

Senior officials from India’s Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, CSIR and other agencies, along with members of the New Zealand delegation led by the High Commissioner, participated in the discussions.