This report looks at why India and the UK should collaborate in a recession-hit world, and how to ensure continued co-operation and innovation.

Key findings:

• Recently, innovation has moved up the policy agenda in both the UK and India, leading to increased collaboration for innovation between the two countries.
• Collaboration will become increasingly important to countries’ abilities to innovate. 
• However the economic crisis might make collaboration for innovation between the UK and India even more difficult.

This report recommends measures including: DIUS adopting a strategic approach to collaboration for innovation, the UK and India creating a social innovation and applied research collaboration fund, and focusing on education as providing a solid basis for long-term collaboration.

Innovation is becoming increasingly open and multidirectional, with developing countries’ cities and regions quickly imposing themselves as global innovation hotspots. 

However the UK and India have let misperceptions of each other take ground, and these are likely to create additional obstacles to collaboration in these difficult times.

If India and the UK are to exploit the opportunities for innovation partnerships, policymakers in both countries should help to establish the conditions conducive to cross-border collaborations. This means that the UK will need a clear and targeted international innovation strategy that will offer India the guarantee that it is committing resources over the long term.

Author:

Brune Poirson