1. Introduction

The technology Summit is an ongoing, innovative platform, promoted by CII to showcase India's premier technology knowledge and reflect stellar examples of overseas technologies. The summit provides a window to new ideas and symbiotic partnerships in the technology arena.

The CII approach mainly has the following components. The national technology Committee of CII has been advising and guiding CII in its initiatives and activities.

• Awareness creation & sensitization
• Building Partnerships
• Developing Technology Services
• Special projects to strengthen/ develop institutional base
• Policy Initiatives.

2. Technology Summit And Technology Platform

A major initiative taken by CII for promoting technology in Industry and facilitating technology up-gradation and development has been to organize an annual flagship event, Technology Summit along with a concurrent exposition, Technology platform.

Objective

To Provide

• An interface between Research & Development (R&D) Bodies, Academic institutions, industry and Government
• An opportunity to discuss technology related issues with experts and leaders from Industry, R&D, Academic Institutions and Government
• A meeting place for technology developers, innovators, scientists, academicians, SMEs and large companies including MNCs
• A forum for networking and making new business contacts and market openings.

Partner Countries of Previous Summits:

ASEAN	Technology Summit 2006
Canada	Technology Summit 2005
Russia	Technology Summit 2004
Thiland & Taiwan	Technology Summit 2002
France	Technology Summit 2000
Germany	Technology Summit 1999
Israel	Technology Summit 1998

Top

12th Technology Summit & technology Platform: 6 - 7 November 2006, New Delhi

Highlights

12th technology Summit & Technology platform was organized jointly by CII & DST, Government of India with ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations) as event partner. A large delegation of 130 participants from 10 ASEAN countries & South Korea, and over 500 participants from India, representing Industry, the Government, academic & R&D Institutions. Their respective ministers headed two country delegations, while the heads of apex research organizations led the teams from the other countries. An exhibition was held concurrently with the summit, where Singapore had the largest pavilion.

Summing Up the Summit: Focus area covered in the summit was:

• Biotechnology
• Information & Communication Technology
• Advanced Materials & Welding Technology
• Space Science & Technology
• Food & Marine technology

India and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have to put in place a five-point programme to connect innovation with science and technology to make it locally relevant, said Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Kapil Sibal, at the 12th Technology Summit and Technology Platform organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt of India. One highlight of this year's Technology Summit was the ASEAN is the partner.

The programme included building effective linkages between market & non-market forces and between science & business; stable markets without barriers; fostering collaboration between the private & public sectors; encouraging diffusion of technology to business and; facilitating the movement of people between institutions and across borders, said Minister Kapil Sibal.

The challenges facing the India plus ASEAN region are common, but too large to be faced singly, said Mr. Sibal. Governments need to be partners in this collaboration and have to be convinced that S&T has the potential to bring about change that is for the greater common good. "We need to collaborate, not compete, in science and technology."

The national innovation systems of India and ASEAN countries have to gear up to push R&D within the respective countries, society and industry, the Minister said. Each country has its own strengths in R&D and science that makes collaboration between them critical. "We need an ASEAN Innovation Fund to foster such collaboration in the region that will help address the problems common to the region."

Poverty and unemployment are two problems endemic to the south and south-east Asian region. "We have to innovate and create intellectual property for generating wealth and resolving local issues. We need local technical solutions that are affordable, accessible, indigenous and collaborative. These have to be ideal solutions for real life problems," Mr. Sibal said.

India has emerged as a global R&D hub, with more than 300 research centres owned by multinational corporations. However, these generate intellectual property for their home countries using Indian technical expertise. Mr. Sibal said, "This indicates there is a huge revolution taking place in generating wealth for somebody else using Indian brainpower." The national innovation system has to respond to this challenge in collaboration with the corporate sector.

The Minister stressed the importance of partnerships, that cover innovation, technology, IT, telecom and computing. They have changed the way companies manufacture and distribute products, manage their finances, business alliances and orders.

Underlining the importance of innovation in the knowledge economy, the Malaysian Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Dato Sri Dr. Jamaluddin Mohammad Jarjis, said the knowledge economy is the driver of new initiatives, creativity, diffusion of technology, modernization and technology for the people.

However, India and ASEAN need to give more thought for integrated action focused on job creation and poverty reduction. "The Biotechnology Initiative between India and ASEAN would help forge alliances in healthcare, environment, agriculture and energy," he said. It can provide solutions but needs widespread public support.

ASEAN and India have common issues and are at different levels of economic development. While some have switched to a knowledge-based economy, others are still in the more traditional mould, Dato Jarjis said.

ASEAN is taking big strides in economic integration, and the countries expect to be integrated into a single market by 2020. This will enable the free flow of goods, services and investment capital, the Minister said. It considers free trade agreements with India as integral to this process. "A knowledge-based ASEAN economy will be able to achieve this much faster and more smoothly."

Signing a Memorandum of Understanding between CII and DST called Global Innovation and Technology Alliance (GITA), Secretary, DST, Dr. T. Ramasami said this will be an agent of connectivity through CII to the world outside. "We hope to build partnerships with CII and deepen our collaboration. What we are looking at is ideal solutions to common problems through technology."

Stressing the need for collaboration between India and ASEAN, Secretary General of ASEAN, Ong Keng Yong said innovation is a priority and this is where India can find advantage, by helping ASEAN’s newly developing countries with its technology. "We have 10 countries in ASEAN and in order to improve the lives of our people we need good proposals and a programme of action for the next five years."

The deliberations during the 12th Technology Summit focused on space, ICT, biotechnology, new materials & welding, food and marine processing Technologies. The Summit attracted 130 participants from 10 ASEAN countries and South Korea. There are over 500 participants from India from industry, the government, academic and R&D institutions. Their respective ministers head two country delegations, while the heads of the apex research organizations head the teams from the other countries. An exhibition is being held concurrently with the summit, at which Singapore has the largest pavilion.

Under the MoU named GITA (Global Innovation & Technology Alliance), the technology partnerships can take place through various modes under the framework of national/international laws viz : Joint Development; Technology Transfer/ licensing, Joint Venture/Collaboration or any other mode.

These partnerships shall be facilitated by providing exposure to the industry/ other organizations through organizing summits/ seminars/ workshops/ missions etc. and through Direct facilitation services by interacting with organization on either side.

Signed by Secretary, DST, Dr. T. Ramasami and CII President Shri R. Seshasayee in the presence of Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal; GITA is an example of Public Private Partnership.

Welcoming the development, Minister Kapil Sibal said that there is a greater global exploitation of technology as exemplified by export flows of high tech products across nations and technological collaboration for generic technologies. Therefore, we can no longer afford to go ahead on our own and have to develop technology in partnership with entities, nationally or internationally.

Under the MoU, it shall be the effort of CII and DST that Indian industry and other organizations get benefited by generation of new technology opportunities :

• Various promotional and networking forums created by CII and DST.
• Additional programmes as shall be decided from time to time.
• Other tools like Information Technology shall also be fully utilized to promote GITA.
• Creation of independent entities within /outside CII and under parnership between CII, DST and overseas partner/ partners, from joint technology development/ commercialization projects. The scope and form of these entities shall be decided mutually on case to case basis.
• Creation of an International Technology Promotion and Facilitation Park for showcasing and commercializing the most promising technologies available through overseas networking.
• Any other mechanisms as may be required and deemed appropriate jointly by CII and DST.

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India will shortly design a regulatory framework in relation to biotechnology products. The Science & Technology Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal, announced this at a press conference organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) on Tuesday.

"If India and the ASEAN collaborate, then the benefits from two industries - Biotechnology and Agricultural and Processing industry - will accrue to all of them," said Mr Sibal. "In order to realize the shared goal of using knowledge for creation of wealth, it is imperative to undertake collaborative R&D and technology development in areas of common interest." He said this could be done through the creation of a common India - ASEAN Science & Technology Development Fund.

The minister stated that plans are afoot to establish an India-ASEAN Institute for Intellectual Property for building human resource capacities and training to serve the ASEAN region. The partnership will further encourage linkages between academic institutions, research laboratories, professional bodies and the industry to create a knowledge grid, and to support mobility of members of the scientific community.

"We intend to popularize science through interactions with youths, including school children within the ASEAN region, and to promote mechanisms to ensure participation on a large scale," said Mr Sibal.

The European Union is in a process of setting up 15 percent of the entire S&T fund in which all the European countries will also be involved, he said. Other areas of collaboration are space, ICT, construction, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture for food security. There would also be opportunities for business with companies in Malaysia.

India, with a population of 1.1 billion, China with another billion and ASEAN with half a billion, can provide a huge market access, said the Malaysian Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation.

Mr Jamaludin Mohd Jarjis. Dato Jarjis was also leading the 100 plus ASEAN delegation that participated at CII's TechSummit 2006, 6-7 November. The ASEAN region partnered CII at this year's TechSummit.

"Initiative for knowledge is a precursor for development," said the Malaysian Minister. The quality of education in India provides greater potential for the ASEAN region in the country.

He said Malaysia has a strong Indian community, around 10 percent, which will help in building up a strong synergy between the two. "India is like a big bus moving forward in ICT and Biotechnology and it can hence provide a global platform for people in ASEAN."

"We are looking at alternative mechanisms that are cheaper, effective and useful to the ASEAN market in which India has pinnacle capacity," said Dato Jarjis.

The Indian ministry of Science & Technology has proposed an allocation of $40 billion for the next Five Year Plan, declared Chairman of Ballarpur Industries, Mr Gautam Thapar, at a luncheon with the Malaysian Minister. "We are looking for foreign collaborators in order to develop our pipelines in the areas of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals," he said. Mr Thapar was speaking at a luncheon hosted today by the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation during the Technology Summit.