New Delhi, Nov 4 — The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and DAKSHIN, the Global South Centre of Excellence at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), have partnered to strengthen capacity building, research collaboration and technology partnerships for the advancement of countries of the Global South, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The institutes signed a Letter of Association (LoA) that aims to promote knowledge sharing, technology transfer and collaborative strategies to address common development challenges and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the statement from the Ministry of Science & Technology.
CSIR brings to the partnership its extensive scientific and technological knowledge base, along with a portfolio of ready-to-deploy, affordable and adaptable technologies with significant relevance to the developmental needs of the Global South.
These technologies offer considerable potential for wider dissemination, industry-led implementation and facilitation of entrepreneurship across partner countries, the statement noted.
Dr. Rama Swami Bansal, Head, International S&T Affairs Directorate, CSIR, underscored the importance of international engagement among countries of the Global South and highlighted the potential for developing innovative models of collaborative partnerships to address shared developmental priorities.
Professor Sachin Kumar Sharma, Director General, RIS highlighted the potential for cooperation in key areas such as healthcare, infrastructure, agriculture, the blue economy and the digital economy.
The partnership will focus on fostering joint policy studies to identify context-specific solutions to development challenges, engaging institutions to scale up development interventions.
Further, it will focus on promoting capacity building and skills development, and documenting development experiences, best practices and success stories to strengthen collective self-reliance among countries of the Global South.
The association is expected to provide a meaningful platform for enhancing South-South cooperation, catalysing international partnerships and facilitating the transfer, adaptation and deployment of appropriate science and technology solutions, the statement noted.