India, US kick off Obama-Singh knowledge initiative
13 Jun 2012
India and the United States today announced eight jointly-sponsored institutional partnership projects in research and educational activities covering various disciplines in a bid to boost bilateral cooperation in science and technology.
The award of institutional partnerships in eight selected areas, announced today, is the first under the Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative.
Union minister for human resource development Kapil Sibal and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton jointly announced the awards in Washington, today.
Each project will receive an award of approximately $250,000 that can be utilised over the three-year grant period.
The projects aim at encouraging mutual understanding, educational reform, and economic growth, as well as the development of junior faculty at Indian and American institutions of higher learning.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama had announced the Obama-Singh Initiative in November 2009 as an affirmation of their commitment to building an enhanced India-US partnership in education. Each government pledged $5 million for this endeavor, for a total of $10 million.