$1.9m to support Australia-India research fund

The Australia-India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) - Australia’s largest fund dedicated to bilateral research - will receive $1.9 million in government funding to support 10 collaborative projects. The program helps Australian researchers participate in leading-edge scientific projects and workshops with Indian scientists, thus supporting the development of strategic alliances between Australian and Indian researchers.

The funding was announced yesterday by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry and Science, Karen Andrews, who said the grants will “build on the solid foundations of our bilateral science relationship and shared commitment to building scientific knowledge that is of direct benefit to innovative industry and the community”. The Indian Government is also supporting each Indian team’s participation in the joint projects.

The successful research projects from the eighth round of the scheme include:

• Sustainable water management for agricultural irrigation, through joint research by RMIT University and Savitribai Phule Pune University.
• Pre-clinical trials of a hepatitis C vaccine, through joint research by the University of Adelaide and Indian Institute of Science.
• Improved drought tolerance and wheat productivity, through joint research by the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics and Punjab Agricultural University.
• Development of eco-friendly approaches to control cotton pests, through joint research by The University of Queensland and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
• Monitoring and management of effluent discharges into rivers, to maintain water quality, through joint research by CSIRO and the Indian Institute of Toxicological Research.
• Development of a liquid fuel produced from agricultural waste biomass, through joint research by The University of Queensland and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology.

In September 2014, Prime Minister Tony Abbott committed an additional $20 million to the AISRF over four years from the 2015-16 financial year. The next round is expected to open in July 2015.

For more information about the fund, click here.