New Delhi: In reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha recently, Minister of State for Science and Technology Prithviraj Chavan informed that India and Germany have mutually agreed to set-up an Indo-German Science and Technology Centre (IGSTC) in India.

Both countries have committed to contribute an equivalent amount of two million euro (approximately Rs.13 crores) per year for the initial period of five years.

The IGSTC shall be registered as "Society" under Societies Registration Act (Act XXI of 1860, Punjab Amendment Act 1957) as extended to NCR Delhi. It shall be governed by a Governing Body (GB) which will have an equal number of members from India and Germany.

The members of the GB shall be from the government, academia and industry from both the countries. The IGSTC shall be steered by an Indian Director nominated by the Government of India. The objectives of the IGSTC are to play a pro-active role to:

a) Facilitate participation of industry in joint research and development projects,

b) Provide/assist in mobilizing resources to carry out industrial research and development projects,

c) Facilitate and promote Indo-German bilateral collaborations in basic and applied science, research and technology through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry,

d) Encourage public-private partnerships to foster elements of innovation, application and cultivate a culture of cooperation between science and industry and

e) Develop cooperation through the identification of scientists and scientific institutions of the two countries.