UK-India AI Collaboration Initiative announced
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a wave of new UK-India collaboration on artificial intelligence. The initiative aims to grow innovation and prosperity in both countries, and harness the power of emerging technology to confront global challenges.
The new commitments, that will be realised this year include:
- A Chevening-Adani Scholarship programme that will see 15 Indian students take AI masters courses in the UK,
- "The launch of the "Artificial Intelligence for Agriculture Technology and Climate Change" course by the University of Oxford with the Agricultural Development Trust Baramati and the AIC-ADT Baramati Foundation (Innovation and Incubation centre)",
- A £6m investment by Qure.ai in the UK, including a new Centre of Excellence and up to 15 high value jobs,
- Tech Mahindra, a leading provider of digital transformation, consulting, and business re-engineering services and solutions, will create new revenue streams and add 1000 jobs in UK. The tech giant intends also to collaborate with a leading academic and research institute in UK to co-innovate at Tech Mahindra’s Makers Lab in Milton Keynes.
The launch of an expert report and recommendation by IIT Madras and the University of Southampton that will inform further collaboration across key domains and cross cutting issues such as data, skills and governance.
Both countries have committed to supporting further collaboration between business and academia, and also to holding the first round of a bi-lateral Strategic Tech Dialogue this year.
Alex Ellis, British High Commissioner to India, said: "Prime Minister Johnson and Prime Minister Modi have announced a shared vision to advance collaboration on Artificial Intelligence (AI). As tech superpowers, closer collaboration between the UK and India on this cutting-edge area offers immense potential to deliver economic and social benefits to both countries, and to the world.”
Karen McLuskie, Deputy Director for Technology at the British High Commission, said: "If we are going to win against climate change, there needs to be drastic changes across industry, economy and borders. Perhaps more than any other technology, AI has the power to drive this. This initiative will bring the best minds on AI together to make life better for millions, and more sustainable too."
Notes for editors
Notes for editors
1. The joint fund for start-ups builds on the previously announced ‘Fast Track Start-up fund’, and will hold capital investment of several million each from FCDO and MEITY.
2. Chevening is the UK’s prestigious global scholarship programme. There will be 15 scholarships over three years, jointly funded by The Adani Group and FCDO, with a target of 70% being won by women and other unrepresented groups. The Prime Minister announced the partnership after a meeting with Mr Adani in Ahmedabad
3. The Agricultural Development Trust (ADT) Baramati has a fifty-year history in working with agriculture and climate change challenges. The collaboration of the ADT trust with the University of Oxford will see the two institutions addressing large scale systemic challenges for agritech and climate change using the latest AI technologies.
4. Qure.ai is a leading health tech firm using deep learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to make quality healthcare more accessible and affordable to patients around the world. In the UK, the company work with the NHS on lung cancer and neurocritical care. Qure.ai was selected as a winner of the Artificial Intelligence in Health and Care Award by the UK Department of Health and Social Care (NHSX) and is also the recipient of the SBRI Healthcare grant in partnership with the NHS Cancer Programme and the Accelerated Access Collaborative.
5. IIT Madras and the University of Southampton have collaborated on an expert report and delivered their recommendations for UK and Indian collaboration on AI. The report will be published in the coming months. The FCDO hosted a conference at the policy retreat venue known as Wilton Park in March 2022, with sponsorship by Infosys and the Alan Turing Institute. Over 40 representatives on AI from government, business and academia in the Uk and India attended. Their findings were incorporated in to the report.