Syllabus:
GS2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
Context:
The European Union (EU) and India have collaborated to find innovative research solutions to marine pollution and waste-to-renewable hydrogen solutions.
More on the news
India and the European Union (EU) have launched two major research and innovation initiatives under the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC).
The initiatives involves a total investment of €41 million (Rs 394 crore).
The program is being coordinated under the EU’s Horizon Europe programme and co-funded by Indian ministries:
- Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES)
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE)
The initiatives aim to bring together researchers, startups, and industries from both the EU and India.
Objective of the initiative is to develop sustainable and scalable solutions with global impact.
First Call: Focus on combating marine pollution, particularly marine plastic litter.
Second Call: Focus on the development of waste-to-renewable hydrogen technologies.
The resulting research will contribute to global efforts, including the support of international commitments such as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, and contribute to the objectives of the EU’s Zero Pollution Action Plan and India’s National Marine Litter Policy.
| Feature | Call on Marine Pollution | Call on Hydrogen from Biogenic Wastes |
| Total Budget | · India/MoES: INR 90 Crore· EU: €12 Million | · India/MNRE: INR 90 Crore· EU: €10 Million |
| Scope | · Tackling marine pollution, its cumulative effects, and links to climate change | · Joint innovation for sustainable renewable hydrogen production from biogenic wastes (agriculture, forestry, municipal, sewage sludge, industrial). |
| Focus Areas / Key Technologies | · Tools to detect marine micro/nano plastics and pollutants· Risk and ecotoxicological assessment· Bioaccumulation and human health risk· Waste management and recycling· Mitigation tech at source | · Advanced catalysts· Process intensification· Feedstock treatment· Electrochemical, biological, catalytic methods |
| Goals | · Assessment tools· Scientific input for policy· Mitigation and reduction of marine plastics· Strengthened EU-India cooperation | · High carbon-to-hydrogen yield· Lower/negative GHG emissions· Cost reduction· Environmental impact minimization |
| Expected Outcomes | · New analytical tools· Scientific insights for policy· Strengthened EU-India cooperation | · Sustainable and affordable hydrogen· Expanded technology base· Knowledge sharing and cooperation |
India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC)
The TTC was established in 2022, by Indian Prime Minister and European Commission President, to strengthen the bilateral partnership on trade and technology.
The TTC is the first such forum established by India with any partner and the second for the EU, following the EU-US TTC.
- The TTC promotes collaboration in areas like AI, 6G, and quantum computing.
The EU-India Research and Innovation (R&I) Cooperation is a longstanding and strategic partnership, anchored in the 2001 Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and renewed recently in 2020.