Key Details
At the 8th UK–India Science and Innovation Council in New Delhi on 12 October 2026, the two governments set out actions intended to connect their established research partnership more closely with businesses and technology development.
Launched: The UK–India Technology Translation Partnership will connect UK Catapults with India’s Science and Technology Clusters for technology development, validation, industry collaboration and pilots.
Announced: InnoXchange will connect start-ups, incubators and accelerators across the two countries.
Research access: India’s Department of Science and Technology will invest a further £3 million over five yearsunder the Phase 2 agreement for the UK’s ISIS Neutron and Muon Source.
Sector partnerships: The Council welcomed collaborations in genomics and biomanufacturing and agreed to partner on carbon capture, grid resilience, energy storage and advanced batteries.
Proposed links: Partnerships involving Russell Group universities and India’s Technology Innovation Hubs, and involving the Anusandhan National Research Foundation, remain to be explored.
A New Link Between Research Centres and Industry
The Technology Translation Partnership is the clearest new institutional step. UK Catapults—which help develop and test technologies for industry—will be connected with India’s Science and Technology Clusters. The intention is to move joint research through validation and pilot use towards products and commercial applications.
That builds on a substantial research base. Since 2008, UK Research and Innovation and the Government of India have jointly invested more than £450 million in over 290 projects. The Council’s emphasis now is on what happens aftercollaborative research produces a promising result.
Start-Ups and Research Facilities Gain Separate Routes to Collaborate
The Council announced the InnoXchange Programme as a route for start-ups, incubators and accelerators to work across both countries. It also welcomed analysis identifying seven shared themes and five priority opportunities for a broader UK–India Research and Innovation Corridor. These are distinct from the university and research-funding partnerships that the two sides have only agreed to explore.
For researchers, the Phase 2 ISIS Neutron and Muon Source agreement provides a more specific commitment. India’s additional £3 million investment is intended to expand access to the UK facility, support early-career researchers and strengthen work in advanced materials and physical sciences.
Strategic Technology Work Extends Beyond Research Exchanges
The Council welcomed a Genomic Centre of Excellence involving Oxford Nanopore Technologies and India’s Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, and a biomanufacturing partnership linking the UK’s Centre for Process Innovation with India’s Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council.
The two governments also agreed to partner on carbon capture, electricity-grid resilience, energy storage and advanced batteries. These areas sit alongside existing cooperation under the Technology Security Initiative; the minutes do not present every named centre or technology area as a newly launched project.
Policy Relevance
Commercial use of research: The Technology Translation Partnership gives Indian research clusters a defined route to work with industry-facing UK centres on testing and pilots.
Researcher capability: Expanded access to a specialised facility can support Indian work in materials and physical sciences, particularly for early-career researchers.
Delivery responsibility: The minutes task officials and partner institutions with taking the initiatives forward. The useful measure of progress will be which partnerships produce working pilots, adopted technologies or sustained research access, rather than the number of areas named for cooperation.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: Which joint technologies will move from validation to industrial use through the new partnership, and how will the two countries track that progress?
Follow the Full Council Statement Here: 8th UK–India Science and Innovation Council Statement