New Delhi, November 12: Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has begun an official visit to Italy aimed at taking forward the Special Strategic Partnership agreed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country in May 2026, with a focus on science, technology and innovation.
Dr Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, is leading an Indian delegation on the visit, which runs from 11 to 15 November, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.
Meetings with Italian ministers
The visit opened with a meeting with members of the scientific community and officials of the Embassy of India, which reaffirmed the importance of closer scientific and technological cooperation between the two countries.
Under the India–Italy Science and Technology Dialogue 2026, Dr Singh is scheduled to meet Italy’s Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini, and take part with her in the Second Science and Innovation Dialogue.
Visit to Trieste research centres
On 13 November, the delegation will visit the Elettra Synchrotron facility, the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) and the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste to explore opportunities for institutional cooperation.
On 14 November, the minister will attend a World Diabetes Day event at the Embassy of India in Rome, followed by an interaction with the Indian community in Italy.
Research institutions and incubators represented
The delegation includes the heads of several Indian research institutions: Dr R. Vijay, Director of ARCI, Hyderabad; Prof. Sanjay Behari, Director of SCTIMST, Thiruvananthapuram; Prof. Venu Gopal Achanta, Director of the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi; and Prof. Vibha Tandon, Director of IICB, Kolkata.
Representatives of technology incubators are also part of the group, including Prof. Kasturi Saha of the Qmet Tech Foundation at IIT Bombay, Dr Ashutosh Agnihotri of the Incubator and Technopark at IIT Kanpur, and Dr Satya Dash of IKP Knowledge Park, Hyderabad. Ambassador Vani Rao and officials of the Department of Science and Technology are accompanying the minister.
The ministry said the make-up of the delegation reflects representation from government, research, academia and technology incubators.
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