India and France enjoy a number of scientific partnerships in areas ranging from climate change to mathematics and geophysics. Some of the joint Indo French programs are given below.
The Indo French Centre for Water Sciences (IFCWS) based at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore is a scientific collaboration between the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the IRD. The centre hosts a number of scientists, doctorants, post doctorants and students from both countries. The centre is currently working on two main projects: a study of the impact of mining activities on the environment and water sources and an integrated study of the bio-geo-hydro-chemical aspects of watersheds in climatic hotspots. The second project seeks to expand our understanding of water and biogeochemical cycles, of erosion and alteration, and of the effects of human activity on our habitats.
The Indo French Centre for Ground Water Research (IFCGR) is a partnership between the National Geophysical Research Institute and the BRGM in France. The centre hosts a number of scientists, doctorants, post doctorants and students from both countries and assists in the production of doctoral theses and scientific papers on the subject. The Centre is based at NGRI in Hyderabad and is codirected by Dr Shakeel Ahmed and Dr Jerome Perrin.
The Indo French Joint Laboratory for Sustainable Chemistry (Sustainable Chemistry at Interfaces) is a joint laboratory (Laboratoire International Associé ) between the CNRS, and the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR). The joint Indo French Laboratory consists of a team of over 40 scientists - there are currently 7 permanent scientists from France, 13 Indian scientists, 5 French doctoral level and 2 Masters level students and 16 Indian doctoral students working within the LIA. Three principal themes of study at the laboratory are Theme 1: Development of new reactions, new processes and novel technologies for Sustainable Chemistry Sustainable manufacturing is the main market driver for immobilization in catalysis, which enables catalysts and reagents to be recovered and reused while facilitating their separation from the product. This Green approach besides development of new solvent media will be the thrust area of research at this Joint Laboratory. Theme 2: Bioactive Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry This is an area where the expertise of synthetic chemists, both in India and in France, will be directly connected to the novel data obtained by screening of the molecules obtained through the Molbank facility of IICT which can store over 100,000 new chemical entities including natural products. This research area will also strongly benefit from the interactions with the two other themes (Chemical Biology and Molecular Photonics). The major disease themes are the cancer and CNS disorders. Theme 3 A: Chemical Biology; Protein interactions Another topic that we are currently developing deals with new methods in chemical biology for detecting protein-protein and protein-small molecules interactions. Dysfunctions of this recognition phenomenon are often responsible for many diseases including cancer and biologists are in cruel need for efficient reliable methods to understand and identify these malfunctions. Theme 3B: Chemical biology; Bio and Nanomultiphotonics The molecular photonics team in Rennes develops a multidisciplinary approach where molecular chemistry coupled to fundamental physics successfully reached cellular biology. The validation of both biological properties (including toxicity) and multiphotonics properties of the novel bio-inspired multiphotonics nanotools will be tested both in Hyderabad (biology laboratory) and Rennes (multiphotonics imaging by TPEF or SHG). This should lead to novel leaders for bioimaging, early diagnosis and PDT. The laboratory is coordinated by Dr René Grée (Université de Rennes I) and Professor Yadav, the director of the IICT. It is based at the IICT in Hyderabad.
The Indo French Centre on Waste Water Treatment is a partnership between INSA Lyon and IIT Delhi. The joint cell is located at IIT Delhi.
The Indo French Centre for Bioprocesses and the Environment (CEFIBE – Centre Franco Indien sur les Bioprocédés pour l’Environnement) is a joint mixed cell between the INRA and Anna University in Chennai.
An International Associate Laboratory or Laboratoire International Associé, the Indo French laboratory in neurosciences ‘PROTECT’ is a partnership between the National Brain Research Centre, the Department of Biotechnology and the INSERM (UMR 676 de l’Hôpital Robert Debré).
The Indo French Institute for Mathematics (IFIM) promotes the participation of French professors in seminars and meetings held in India. The virtual institute is a joint partnership between the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the CNRS.
An International Associate Laboratory or Laboratoire International Associé has recently been created between the National Chemical Laboratory in Pune and the Unité de Catalyse et de Chimie du Solide (CNRS UMR 8181), Université de Sciences et Technologies de Lille I. The NCL and the UCCS have been collaborating together for over ten years and a number of joint CEFIPRA projects, publications and symposiums have been produced by this collaboration. A Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) was signed between USTL and NCL in 2004 for collaboration in the area of mutual interests. The creation of the LIA will support the build up of research and teaching programs focused on various topics such as High Field Solid State NMR Catalysis, Biochemistry, Polymers and Materials Sciences, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and assist in the mobility of scientists. The LIA will facilitate student or PhD exchanges and various partnerships within international research programs as well as the dissemination of scientific information, intellectual properties with, eventually, commercial applications. The objectives of the LIA mainly concern homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis focussing mainly on environmental problems and developing alternative energy sources able to integrate lower energy consumptions and lower atmospheric pollutant emissions. Three focus areas of study are Methodolical developments for solid synthesis and physicochemical characterisation will also be studied. The main coordinators of this LIA are Professor Pascal GRANGER from the UCCS, Lille I and Dr Mohan DONGARE (NCL).
