India, Japan to set up lab to promote research.

India and Japan recently signed an agreement for setting up a laboratory to focus on research in health sciences, medicine and agriculture.

While the two countries established a joint research laboratory - DBT-AIST International Laboratory for Advanced Biomedicine ( DAILAB) - in Japan in 2003, the new lab will come up in India to give a further boost to scientific collaboration, said chairman of the Indian Scientists Association in Japan Sunil Kaul.

'Now, we are trying to make a parallel kind of sister laboratory in India to have easy exchange of personnel from India to Japan and Japan to India and do the same thing together or complement each other. We would like to encourage more students, researchers to come to India and vice versa,' he said.

Secretary in the Department of Biotechnology Vijay Raghavan said the engagement today reflects a very deep understanding and friendship in the scientific sphere between India and Japan.

The lab to be set up would focus on bio-imaging research through advanced microscope, a key component in health science and biology research.

The partners in the initiative include the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology of Japan and Regional Centre for Biotechnology under the Department of Biotechnology.


ET