• Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Middle East, South Asia, United Nations and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for the Prevention of Sexual Violence in Conflict is visiting India from 27 to 31 May, with a focus on strengthening science, research and innovation linkages.
• He will visit historical cultural sites and high-tech research facilities in Jodhpur, New Delhi and Hyderabad while meeting with senior Indian government officials.
• Lord Ahmad will announce the winners of the UK-India Medical Technology Training Program, welcoming the partnership between the medical and startup communities in both countries.

Lord Ahmad is in India on a visit that will promote UK-India cooperation in science, technology and health, after a landmark agreement on science, research and innovation signed by the two countries in April.

Building on the UK-India relationship ambitions laid out in the Roadmap to 2030, Lord Ahmad will meet with Indian Ministers and senior officials, including Foreign Minister Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Home Affairs Minister Ajay Kumar Bhalla and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.

The visit’s focus on science, technology and innovation underscores the UK’s commitment to strengthening partnerships in these areas globally – as evidenced by the recent announcement of a Special Envoy new technology park in the Indo-Pacific. Strengthening the UK-India relationship is a key pillar of the UK’s long-term foreign policy, as part of the country’s long-term commitment to the Indo-Pacific outlined in the Refresh Integrated Review.

UK Minister for South Asia Lord Ahmad said:

The UK and India are trusted partners united by a unique living bridge that closely connects our countries and people.

Building on the 2030 Roadmap for the future relationship between India and the UK, we are strengthening our cooperation in science and technology, bringing new innovations to both countries.

The visit comes as the UK and India continue to make progress towards a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA). An ambitious and balanced FTA will boost our existing trading relationship, worth £36 billion by 2022.

A trade deal with India supports the government’s growth strategy to capitalize on the UK’s status as an independent trading nation, create new trade and investment opportunities and protect free trade.

Lord Ahmad’s visit to Rajasthan will be his first to the birthplace of his mother Jodphur as Minister for South Asia and will highlight the rich cultural history of the region. He will visit the iconic Mehrangarh Fort and discuss education, sustainability and gender equality with emerging female leaders.

In New Delhi, Lord Ahmad will launch the ‘Youth English Skills’ program co-developed by the British Council and Microsoft India, which will enhance global employment opportunities for young Indians, especially young women. The Minister will announce the winners of the UK-India Health Technology Boot Camp which promotes medical technology innovations from India.

Concluding his visit in Hyderabad, Lord Ahmad will highlight science and technology innovations with trips to T-Hub and T-Works, the tech startup incubation and prototyping facility that is part of the company. world’s largest innovation campus and space launch vehicle company Skyroot. He will also visit the National Institute of Animal Biotechnology and further discuss the potential for science and technology collaboration with Indian alumni of Chevening, the Kingdom’s premier international scholarship program. Older brother.

Christina Scott, Acting High Commissioner to India, said:

The UK and India enjoy an invaluable partnership. As we launch the UK-India 2030 Roadmap, we are strengthening and deepening our cooperation on health, climate, trade, education, science and technology and defence.

As India’s G20 Chair, we also have the opportunity for the UK and India to work together to shape and deliver solutions to global problems.”

NOTES TO EDUCators

• Lord Ahmad’s visit to India will include skirmishes in Delhi, Telangana and Rajasthan.
• The 2030 roadmap for the future relationship between India and the UK has been launched by 2021. Since then, significant progress has been made, including health cooperation, accelerating the transition. to clean energy, cybersecurity cooperation, and expanding our defense and security partnership.

• The April Research Agreement will enable faster, deeper scientific collaboration between the UK and India that will drive economic growth, create skilled jobs and improve lives in the UK, India Degrees and worldwide. It will launch a new set of joint research plans to bring progress on some of the biggest issues facing the world, from climate change and pandemic preparedness to artificial intelligence. and machine learning.

• High-resolution images of the Minister’s visit to be published upload here.
• Lord Ahmad’s mother was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and his father in Gurdaspur, Punjab.