India and Russia have strengthened their longstanding partnership with the signing of a comprehensive agreement covering cooperation in healthcare, medical education, space, science and environmental sectors.

Emphasising the importance of joint research in science, technology and innovation, the two sides called for deeper collaboration under the “Roadmap for Science, Technology & Innovation Cooperation”.

“They agreed to facilitate collaboration between government and private sectors to harness opportunities for startups and SMEs (small and medium enterprises) in both countries to address societal challenges through innovative technologies, including joint R&D and co-development of technologies. They confirmed their interest in further developing cooperation in digital technologies, including those related to information protection, security of critical infrastructure and law enforcement. Both sides agreed to design and implement soft support programmes for startups to enable knowledge exchange, capacity-building and greater engagement of innovators and entrepreneurs,” a joint statement released after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin concluded their annual leaders’ summit here said.

Recognising the extensive experience of collaboration between India and Russia in science and higher education, both sides expressed interest in deepening partnerships between educational and research institutions, including academic mobility, joint educational programmes, research projects and specialised international exhibitions, conferences and seminars.

The countries welcomed the expanded partnership between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russia’s Roscosmos in the peaceful use of outer space, including human spaceflight programmes, satellite navigation and planetary exploration.