Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to increase and improve R&D collaborations with Indian (a) companies and (b) universities.

BEIS is planning to host the next biennial UK-India Science and Innovation Council (SIC) in 2023. The SIC will ensure our relationship with India remains ambitious, strategic, outcome-focused and in line with the UK-India 2030 roadmap. It will also provide a platform to formally agree our shared research and innovation priorities and announce new joint programme activities creating links between our research and innovation communities; and celebrate the successes of our existing joint research and innovation programmes delivered through the Newton Bhabha Fund, which has had a transformational effect on our R&I relationship with India.