India and the United States are looking to broaden collaboration across high-impact science and technology sectors, with New Delhi opening up nuclear research to private participation for the first time and proposing a structured engagement with US investors to accelerate joint projects.
The push came during talks between Sergio Gor, the US Ambassador to India, and Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology, Biotechnology and Earth Sciences, according to an official statement issued on Wednesday.
At the heart of the discussions was trusted technology cooperation spanning biotechnology, quantum technologies, space, atomic energy and nuclear medicine, alongside skilling, investment and industry-led partnerships.
A key policy signal from India was the opening up of nuclear research and nuclear medicine-related investment to private players, an area historically dominated by the public sector. Singh said the move would create fresh investment opportunities and enable international collaboration in advanced cancer care, diagnostics, oncology research and genetic medicine, while retaining safeguards and security considerations. Final rules could be notified in the coming weeks, he added.
Singh underlined India’s advantage in biotechnology, citing the country’s large and heterogeneous genetic data pool as a valuable asset for global research in precision medicine, AI-enabled diagnostics and future healthcare solutions. Emerging tools such as AI-driven diagnosis, faster sequencing and rapid testing methods could sharply cut healthcare delivery timelines, he said.
On quantum technologies, Singh pointed to tangible progress under the National Quantum Mission, noting that four thematic hubs have been set up across computing, communication, sensing and metrology, and materials and devices. India has already achieved over half of the Mission’s targets in three years, against an eight-year roadmap.
The talks were anchored in the US-India TRUST initiative, which aims to deepen cooperation among governments, academia, industry and startups in areas including artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum, biotechnology, energy, advanced materials, critical minerals and space. Existing platforms such as IUSSTF, USISTEF and collaboration with the US National Science Foundation were identified to support implementation.
Biotechnology and health cooperation featured prominently, with discussions covering vaccines, regulatory harmonisation, oncology trials, CAR-T therapy and AI-enabled diagnostics. Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) was cited as a key interface for industry collaboration, with the possibility of creating a similar facilitation mechanism for nuclear medicine.
To crowd in private capital for research and innovation, Singh highlighted the Research, Development and Innovation Fund, which offers long-term unsecured financing at about 2–3% interest to encourage industry participation in R&D.
He also proposed setting up a regular working group, potentially meeting monthly, to advance investment, skilling, knowledge exchange and institutional collaboration with US investors, companies and research institutions.
Space cooperation, quantum infrastructure, technology transfer for thorium-based nuclear possibilities and upcoming space engagements in Bengaluru also figured in the talks. Singh said India’s decision to open the space sector to private participation over the past five to six years had driven rapid growth and created scope for collaboration with trusted partners, including satellite communications initiatives such as Starlink. |
