EU-India to jointly find solutions to marine pollution, waste to green hydrogen
New Delhi: The European Union (EU) and India launched two research and innovation initiatives under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC), with a total investment of 41 million Euros (Rs 394 crore), a statement by the European Union said.
These initiatives will drive collaborative solutions to pressing environmental challenges and foster cutting-edge technological advancements, the statement said.
Coordinated under the EU's Horizon Europe programme and co-funded by Indian ministries (MoES and MNRE), the two research calls will bring together researchers, startups, and industries from the EU and India to develop sustainable, scalable solutions with global impact.
By strengthening the EU-India partnership, these initiatives operationalize the TTC's goals and reinforce the commitment to joint innovation.
As per the statement, the first call focuses on combating marine pollution, particularly the pervasive issue of marine plastic litter.
Co-funded by the EU (12 million Euro, which is approximately Rs 110 crore) and Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (Rs 90 crore, or 9.3 million Euro), this call seeks innovative solutions to monitor, assess, and mitigate the cumulative impacts of various pollutants, including microplastics, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants, the statement said.
The resulting research will contribute to global efforts, including the support 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.
By driving collaborative research and innovation, this initiative aims to protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable development, as per the statement.
This call builds on earlier momentum, including a workshop on e-vehicle charging standards held in February and a successful matchmaking initiative that connected Indian and EU start-ups with potential partners and investors.
The second call focuses the development of waste-to-renewable hydrogen technologies.
Hydrogen has emerged as a key area of collaboration between the EU and India, given its strategic role in driving the clean energy transition, enhancing energy security, and meeting long-term climate objectives.
This call, co-funded by the EU (10 million Euros, or Rs 97 Crore) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (Rs 90 crore, or 9.3 million Euros), aims to develop efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly methods for hydrogen production, as per the statement.
Both calls are open to European and Indian organisations, including companies, SMEs, startups, research institutions, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGO), and individual researchers.
The submission deadlines are September 2 for the hydrogen call and September 17 for the marine pollution call, the statement said.
Additional joint research calls are envisaged for 2026, including on recycling of batteries for electric vehicles and potential cooperation on wastewater treatment. Together, all these initiatives represent a joint investment of around 60 million Euros under the TTC framework.
EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) The EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) is a high-level strategic coordination platform aimed at strengthening the bilateral partnership on trade, technology, and innovation.
The decision to establish the TTC was jointly announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2022. The Council was formally launched in February 2023, and its first ministerial meeting took place in May 2023.
As the EU's second TTC (after the EU-US TTC), this mechanism reflects the growing geopolitical and economic alignment between the EU and India. It aims to promote secure, sustainable, and inclusive economic development while safeguarding shared democratic values.
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. An EU India Joint Steering Committee oversees the partnership which supports joint research in key areas such as health, energy, digital and green technologies, water, and climate.
It also promotes researcher mobility, startup networking, and innovation. With over 200 joint projects to date, this growing cooperation is evolving toward mission-driven, co-funded initiatives delivering tangible global impact.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times of Oman
11 hours ago
- Times of Oman
11 dead, 33 injured in Bengaluru stampede, Indian PM tweets condolences
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India]: The Karnataka government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased killed in the stampede near the Chinnaswamy stadium during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's celebrations on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the government will also provide free treatment to the injured. "A major tragedy occurred during the victory celebrations. It happened near the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the deceased. The government will provide free treatment to the injured," the CM said. Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, CM Siddaramaiah said, "11 died and 33 were injured in the stampede. This tragedy should not have happened. The government expresses deep sorrow over this incident." The Karnataka CM further asserted that he has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the matter. "I don't want to defend this incident. Our government will not do politics on this. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry and given 15 days' time. People even broke the gates of the stadium. There was a stampede. No one expected such a huge crowd. The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 2-3 lakh people came," CM Siddaramaiah said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, describing it as "absolutely heartrending". In a statement by the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister extended his thoughts to the families of the deceased while praying for the speedy recovery of those injured. "The mishap in Bengaluru is absolutely heartrending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray that those who are injured have a speedy recovery: PM Narendra Modi," PMO stated on X.
Times of Oman
15 hours ago
- Times of Oman
India demands WTO action on trade barriers, dispute resolution reform
Paris: India has pushed for comprehensive World Trade Organization (WTO) reforms, calling for decisive action against non-tariff barriers and restoration of the paralysed dispute settlement mechanism during high-level ministerial discussions in Paris. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal outlined India's reform agenda at a mini-ministerial gathering of 25 WTO member countries, emphasising the need to address trade distortions and strengthen multilateral governance ahead of next year's crucial ministerial conference. Speaking to reporters after the Australia-convened meeting, Minister Goyal articulated India's three-pronged approach to WTO modernisation. "India made a strong pitch for addressing non-tariff barriers that certain countries use to deprive others of market access, taking necessary action against non-market economies, and ensuring we have a strong dispute settlement mechanism," he said. The minister emphasised preserving the WTO's consensus-based decision-making process while maintaining special treatment for developing nations - principles India views as fundamental to the trading system's legitimacy. India's concerns are central to the WTO's crippled dispute settlement system, which has been effectively non-functional since 2009 due to US opposition to appellate body appointments. The paralysis has left countries without recourse when trade disputes arise, undermining the organisation's enforcement capacity. While some members have promoted the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement (MPIA) as an alternative, Minister Goyal expressed scepticism about its effectiveness. "Only one or two members spoke about that, but there doesn't seem to be much consensus or traction to that idea. I haven't heard of any cases resolved through MPIA," he noted. India firmly rejected attempts to expand the WTO's mandate beyond traditional trade issues, particularly opposing the China-led Investment Facilitation for Development proposal backed by 128 countries. Minister Goyal argued that such initiatives would fragment the multilateral system and create new divisions among members. "Issues that have been mandated at the WTO should get priority and should be the first issues to be resolved," he said. "Issues going beyond trade should not be brought into it as it would create further differences between member countries." The discussions addressed several longstanding challenges, including agricultural trade reforms and environmental concerns. Key agenda items included finding permanent solutions for public food grain stockholding programs and addressing overfishing practices that threaten marine ecosystems. Minister Goyal highlighted the need to resolve existing mandated issues before introducing new frameworks, reflecting India's preference for completing unfinished business rather than expanding the organisation's scope. Despite growing tensions within the 166-member organisation, Minister Goyal rejected suggestions that the WTO faces an existential crisis. "One should not jump to the conclusion that an existential crisis has been created," he said, calling for pragmatic problem-solving within existing frameworks. The minister emphasised collective commitment among participating countries to revitalise the organisation. "We have all resolved to collectively work to strengthen the working of the WTO, to ensure core principles are respected and work towards global good and global growth in trade," he stated.
Times of Oman
15 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Trade deal hopes with US lent support to Indian stocks; Sensex rises after 3-day slump
New Delhi: Snapping three-day losses, Indian stock benchmarks settled in the green on Wednesday, on hopes that the India-US trade deal is on the anvil as was indicated by Trump's commerce secretary. Firm US stock indices also lent support to Indian stock benchmarks. The Sensex is now some 5,000 points below its all-time high of 85,978 points. At one time, it had fallen about 13,000 points from its high. FPI buying has supported the indices of late. Most of the sectoral indices were in the green today, with Nifty metal and Nifty oil and gas rising the most. Global gold prices were also in the green today. At the time of filing this report, per ounce gold was quoted at USD 3,384, up 0.2 per cent. Going ahead, investors now await further updates on India-US trade deal negotiations and the RBI monetary policy outcome on Friday. "The strong fundamental factors that will support the market are India's robust and improving macros and sustained flows into mutual funds, particularly the SIP inflows which are steady and growing. This reflects the coming of age of the Indian retail investor," said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited. "An important takeaway from the Q4 results is the outperformance of the midcaps relative to largecaps and smallcaps," Vijayakumar added. "Since CPI inflation in India is benign the rate cutting cycle has more room to go with minimum two more rate cuts in 2025." Another good news for the financial markets is that foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) have turned net sellers in Indian stock markets for the second straight month in May. FPIs had fuelled the latest bull run in the stock market, after a sharp slump. Indian stock markets outperformed global markets over the past few weeks, as volatility continued to reign in global markets over possible forthcoming US reciprocal tariffs. A comfortable inflation number in India also somewhat supported the domestic equity indices. In 2024, Sensex and Nifty accumulated a growth of about 9-10 per cent each. In 2023, Sensex and Nifty gained 16-17 per cent, on a cumulative basis. In 2022, they gained a mere 3 per cent each.
