- Lord (Tariq) Ahmad, Minister of State for the Middle East,
South Asia, UN and the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on
Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict is visiting India from 27
to 31 May, with a focus on strengthening science, research and
innovation links.
- He will visit historic cultural sites and high-tech research
facilities in Jodhpur, New Delhi and Hyderabad while meeting
senior officials from the Indian government.
- Lord Ahmad will announce the UK-India Health-Tech Bootcamp
winners, welcoming collaboration between the health and start-up
communities in both countries.
Lord Ahmad is in India for a visit that will accelerate UK-India
collaboration on science, technology and health, following
a landmark
agreement on science, research and innovation signed by
the two countries in April.
Building on the ambitions for the UK-India relationship set out
in the 2030 Roadmap, Lord Ahmad will meet senior Indian Ministers
and officials, including Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra,
External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Home Secretary
Ajay Kumar Bhalla, and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.
The visit’s focus on science, technology and innovation
emphasises the UK’s commitment to deepen partnerships in these
areas across the globe – evidenced by the recent announcement of
a new Tech Envoy to the Indo-Pacific. Strengthening the UK-India
relationship is a key pillar of the UK’s long-term foreign
policy, as part of its enduring engagement in the Indo-Pacific
set out in the Integrated Review
Refresh.
UK Minister for South Asia Lord Ahmad said:
The UK and India are trusted partners united by the unique living
bridge that closely connects our countries and people.
Building on the 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations, we
are deepening our collaboration on science and technology,
bringing new innovations to both our nations.
The visit comes as the UK and India continue to make progress
towards a mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement (FTA). An
ambitious, balanced FTA would boost our current trading
relationship, worth £36 billion in 2022.
A trade deal with India supports the government’s growth strategy
to take advantage of the UK’s status as an independent trading
nation, creating new trade and investment opportunities and
championing free trade.
Lord Ahmad’s visit to Rajasthan will be his first trip to
his mother’s birthplace of Jodphur as Minister for South Asia and
will highlight the region’s rich cultural history. He will visit
the iconic Mehrangarh Fort, and discuss education, sustainability
and gender equality with emerging women leaders.
In New Delhi, Lord Ahmad will launch the ‘English Skills for
Youth’ programme, co-developed by the British Council and
Microsoft India, which will enhance global employment
opportunities for Indian young people, especially young
women. The Minister will announce the winners of the UK-India
Health-Tech Boot camp boosting health-tech innovations from
India.
Concluding his visit in Hyderabad, Lord Ahmad will highlight
science and tech innovations with trips to T-Hub and T-Works, the
technology start-up incubator and prototyping facility which are
part of the world’s largest innovation campus, and space launch
vehicle company Skyroot. He will also visit the National
Institute of Animal Biotechnology and discuss further potential
for science and technology collaboration with Indian alumni of
Chevening, the UK’s flagship international scholarship programme.
, Acting British High
Commissioner to India, said:
The UK and India enjoy an invaluable partnership. As we deliver
the UK-India Roadmap 2030, we are deepening and accelerating our
collaboration on health, climate, trade, education, science and
technology, and defence.
With India’s Presidency of the G20, we have an opportunity also
for the UK and India to work together to shape and deliver
solutions to global problems”.
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Lord Ahmad’s visit to India will include engagements in
Delhi, Telangana, and Rajasthan.
- The 2030 Roadmap for India-UK future relations was launched
in 2021. Since then, significant progress has been made,
including on health collaboration, advancing the transition to
clean energy, cyber-security cooperation and the expansion of our
defence and security partnership.
-
The April research
agreement will enable quicker, deeper collaboration on
science between the UK and India will drive economic growth,
create skilled jobs and improve lives in the UK, India, and
worldwide. It will launch a raft of new joint research schemes
aiming to deliver progress on some of the biggest issues facing
the world, from climate change and pandemic preparedness
through to AI and machine learning.
- High-resolution images of the Minister’s visit for
publication will be uploaded here.
- Lord Ahmad’s mother was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan and his
father in Gurdaspur, Punjab.
