A relationship in research

The Australian government has annonnced it wil1 fond thirteen cuttingedge collaborative research projects in India in a number of areas including the mapping of salt- affected .land and water resources; the sharing of Australia's experie nce in imp lementing food standa rd s, managing major sporting events and planning for su stainable urban rra ns port links; a nd a new teacher education e.xchange progra m. They will be supported through this year 's Australia- India Council (ATC) grants program totalling over $565,000.

Making the a1mouncemem in early Ocrober, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the program will foster deeper people- co- people and institutio nal links wit h India.

"It will support new partnerships between Ausrralian and Indian universi ties, professiona l bodi es , private sector organisations and arts communi ties in areas of strong murual interes t and where the bilateral relationship has the greatest capacity to grow," s he added

The Council will also be helping to revitali se with Australian conservation expertise, the musewn dedicated to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, social reformer and architect of India's Constitution.

As well, ir will help sup p ort

Opera Australia's Indian tour of Eddie Perfect's Shane 11½-,me Th e j\tfusical and the insta llation in India of "Song for Connrry " , a mul timedia exhibition celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strai t Island cul ture.

The Minister's announcement follows Prime M ini ster Tony Abbott's Tony Abbott's p ledge of $20 mil1ion for the Ausrralia -lnclia Strategic Research Fund which he annonnced o n his recent rrip to India. The Fund, set up in 2006, was extend ed for another four years.

A number o f potentially beneficial projects have since gone nnderway. In the health secto r for ins t ance, a malacia vacc ine is in d evelopment; the Australia-India Trauma Systems Collaboration (AITSC) program brings together gove rnments, indusrry, clinicians and researchers to improve information and resources and to pilot new systems of care, and programs are in p lace for improvement o f water quality PM Abbott noted that Australia intends to work wid1 India not as an aid-giver but as a partner, adding that some collaborations such as those between r ew Delhi's AIThfS instinue and Melbourne's Alfred Hospira] would be significant as both coun t1:ies would be ben efitti.ng from the joint research carried out.

In addition, the PM also announced $3 million for the Australia India lnstin1te at Melbourne U niversity, which

1mder the headship of Prof. Amitabh Mattoo, has helped raise the profile of India in Austral ia The new research -related in i tiatives, says Lowy Institute analysr Ror y Medcalf, show char India r elationship has become "an enduring national priority" for Australia.