National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met with his American counterpart Jake Suvillian and launched the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) .
Key points
- The US President Biden and Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi had announced the U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in May 2022 to elevate and expand strategic technology partnership and defense industrial cooperation between the governments, businesses, and academic institutions of two countries.
- Innovation Bridge will connect both countries’ defence startups. It said, both countries affirm that the ways in which technology is designed, developed, governed, and used should be shaped by our shared democratic values and respect for universal human rights.
- The two sides discussed opportunities for greater cooperation in critical and emerging technologies, co-development and coproduction, and ways to deepen connectivity across our innovation ecosystems.
- They noted the value of establishing “innovation bridges” in key sectors, including through expos, hackathons, and pitch sessions. They also identified the fields of biotechnology, advanced materials, and rare earth processing technology as areas for future cooperation.
- The United States and India underlined their commitment to working to resolve issues related to regulatory barriers and business and talent mobility in both countries through a standing mechanism under iCET.
iCET components
- Establishing a joint Indo-U.S. Quantum Coordination Mechanism with participation from industry, academia, and government to facilitate research and industry collaboration.
- Promoting collaboration on High Performance Computing (HPC).
- Developing a new bilateral Defense Industrial Cooperation Roadmap.
- Jointly produce jet engines that could power jet aircraft operated and produced indigenously by India.
- Launching a new “Innovation Bridge” that will connect U.S. and Indian defense startups.
- Resilient Semiconductor Supply Chains.
- Strengthening cooperation on human spaceflight, including establishing exchanges that will include advanced training for an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)/Department of Space astronaut at NASA Johnson Space Center.
- Launching a public-private dialogue on telecommunications and regulations.
