Prime Minister Theresa May, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today agreed to step up the health partnership between the UK and India. The UK-India Statement of Intent on Partnership for Cooperation in Third Countries will be extended, with the aim of improving the health and wealth of both countries.

Health research will be expanded in the areas of:

• anti-microbial resistance
• low cost health products
• high yield crops

The UK government will invest £1 million in an Artificial Intelligence (AI) project that will support India’s national health programmes. UK-based companies with innovative healthcare technologies will be able to participate in this project, which will generate around £50 million of business for the UK’s digital health industry.

There are also plans to develop up to 5,000 diagnostic centres in India using NHS expertise, equipment and suppliers.

Eleven new ‘medicities’ are already being developed in India, with related:

• hospitals
• nursing and medical colleges
• research and innovation centres

The medicities programme is run by the Indo UK Institute of Health (IUIH) in partnership with leading UK hospitals, the first of which is King’s College Hospital.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Jeremy Hunt said:

I am proud that our NHS will be used as an example of gold standard healthcare in India – it is only right that our world-leading knowledge and expertise is shared across the globe.

Global disease, infection and antimicrobial resistance are real threats to us at home and abroad – this partnership will enable us to tackle 21st century threats together.

Health Minister Steve Brine said:

Health expertise and research is a global issue – if we act alone in tackling virulent diseases and long term health threats, we will fail.

This partnership between Britain and India represents a firm trajectory for healthcare into the modern world. Through new research, shared expertise and attention to ground-breaking technologies, both nations can continue to lead the world in health and care.

• UK and India to expand their exceptional research relationship to work together to address global challenges including agriculture, health, environment and climate change.
• Science Minister Sam Gyimah also today confirms the next step towards a UK-India joint advanced manufacturing centre, as part of a new UK-India Technology Partnership.
• Announcement comes as part of the Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK today.

Science Minister, Sam Gyimah, has today (Wednesday 18 April) announced, as part of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the UK, that the UK will continue to grow its already strong research partnership with India with tech-focused investments that focus on issues of global importance including agriculture, clean energy, global health and the environment.

Britain is established as India’s second largest research partner, with joint investment between both countries in science and innovation having grown from almost nothing in 2008 to around £400 million by 2021, including over 200 individual projects, involving 175 different UK and Indian research institutions and more than 100 industry partners, funded in the last decade.

The expanded partnership will help deliver on the UK’s ambition to be the world’s most innovative nation through its Industrial Strategy, while ensuring UK and Indian researchers, innovators and institutions are combining knowledge and expertise to feed the world’s hungry, protect our environment, save lives and drive economic inclusion. For example, the UK and India are working to deliver a second wave of new joint projects under the Global Research Programme on Health, with UK and Indian researchers working trilaterally with partners in low-income countries to look at chronic and infectious diseases facing women and their unborn children.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

By combining our best minds, our brightest innovators and our most forward-thinking institutions we will strengthen the living and learning bridge between our countries and achieve more together than we could alone.

India is the world’s fastest growing major research power and the UK is one of the world’s top performing research nations. Together we will continue to build our unique relationship, ensuring that it is a partnership that brings benefits to countries across the world through world-class research that address shared goals.

Included in the package are research and innovation funding awards made by UKRI under the following Newton-Bhabha Programmes:

• Pulses and Oilseeds – under a £7m joint programme projected to increase the productivity, resilience, sustainability and quality of pulses and oilseeds grown for food or feed

• Urban Transformations – under a £3.5m programme to address issues around rapid urbanisation including issues that are predicted to arise in developing areas like urban planning, governance and management

• Bio-Technology for Industrial Waste – a £16m programme focused on reducing industrial waste and pollution, and improving the recoverable value from waste using biotechnology

• A £10m cross council Anti-Microbial Resistance programme, harnessing every discipline to address this challenge

Sir Mark Walport, Chief Executive UK Research and Innovation said:

The creation of UK Research and Innovation comes at an exciting time for both the UK and India. As the UK aims to raise total research and development investments to address global development challenges and new strategic priorities, so is India boosting investment in research and innovation, presenting a huge opportunity for collaboration in business-led innovation and high-quality research that changes lives.

The Met Office and the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MOES) have signed a statement of intent to establish a Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership for India (WCSSP India), supported by the Newton-Bhabha Fund. WCSSP India will facilitate joint scientific research to improve natural hazard forecasts, particularly for high-impact weather events.

As part of the UK-India Technology Partnership being agreed today by the PM and Indian Prime Minister Modi, the UK and India have also announced a shared ambition to strengthen the two countries manufacturing relationship.

The Technology Partnership will build on existing cooperation with the UK and India set to complete a joint study as part of the Partnership the first step towards the potential establishment of an Advanced Manufacturing Centre. Such a centre would support each nation’s Industrial Strategy and in turn drive growth and jobs in both countries.

India is already the second most populous country in the world and is projected to be the third largest economy by 2030. India’s rapid economic growth is already having a significant impact globally. India’s official development finance, private sector-led trade and investment flows, political influence and thought leadership are all growing.

Notes to Editors

1. The UK ended traditional aid to India in 2015 and replaced it with a new partnership which will deliver clear benefits for both our countries: creating new investment and innovation opportunities and boosting trade links. Much of this is done through development capital investment that will generate a financial return for the British taxpayer.

2. Our global research partnership with India complements this; India is a rising global power with a rapidly growing economy and increasing engagement in countries that are priorities for the UK and on global issues that matter to the UK, such as counter terrorism, climate change and health security. ODA spending to support the global development partnership is not aid to India.

A Newcastle man has been fined for fishing using an illegal set line which can be damaging to fish stocks following an investigation by the Environment Agency.

Lin Zhi Jin, 42, of Belgrave Parade, Newcastle, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court on Friday 13 April where he pleaded guilty to fishing using the illegal equipment. He was ordered to pay a total of £400 in fines and costs.

A set line, which is a fixed line above water with baited hooks attached to it, can result in severe injury to fish and is indiscriminate in nature, making it a damaging method of capture.

It happened in the early hours of 26 July last year when Environment Agency Fisheries Enforcement Officers were carrying out patrols of the River Tyne in the Wylam area when they saw the defendant on the river bank. He was spoken to and produced a valid rod licence, which permits fishing using a rod and line.

While checks were being carried out a search of the immediate area revealed a set line tied to a post on the river bank and leading into the river. It was hauled in and found to have four baited hooks attached to it.

Potential to damage fish populations

Kevin Summerson, Fisheries Technical Specialist at the Environment Agency, said:

The River Tyne is an important river for migratory fish and this spot in Wylam is popular for keen anglers. This type of equipment is illegal to use in rivers in England for a reason – they have the potential to cause significant damage to fish populations.

We take all kinds of illegal fishing very seriously, whether it’s those fishing without a licence or licensed anglers using illegal equipment. It’s not fair on other anglers who make sure they fish within the law, and also endangers the future of the sport by damaging the sustainability of fish stocks.

The Environment Agency’s work is intelligence-led and they work closely with partners to target known hot spots and where illegal fishing is reported.

Important for people to report illegal fishing

During March the Environment Agency prosecuted nine anglers at courts in the North East for unlicensed fishing and associated offences, resulting in fines and costs totalling almost £2,000.

This included three men from Morpeth prosecuted for unlicensed fishing and byelaw offences that took place on 29 September 2017 on the River Wansbeck. Fisheries Enforcement Officers were supported by Northumbria Police when they made the arrests.

Ashley Lawson, 29, of Shields Road, Dwayne Dodds, 33, of Rutherford Place, and Martin Shaun Pringle, 28, of Kitty Brewster Road, all had their cases proved in absence at South East Northumberland Magistrates’ Court and received fines and costs totalling more than £1,100.

Kevin added:

As well as unlicensed fishing some of these offences included obstruction, failing to state correct names or addresses, using illegal baits, close season offences and theft. It’s really important people report information about suspected illegal fishing to us so we can investigate.

The Environment Agency urges anyone to report illegal fishing by calling 0800 80 70 60 and are always looking to gather good intelligence.

With the support of the Angling Trust Voluntary Bailiffs – who keep watch on their local rivers and report suspicious activity to the Environment Agency and when appropriate, the police – this network has increased.

The Environment Agency is currently working with the Angling Trust as part of Operation Clampdown – the annual blitz on illegal coarse fishing during the close season, which started on 15 March and runs until 15 June.

All income from rod licence sales is used to fund Environment Agency work to protect and improve fish stocks and fisheries, including improving habitats for fish and facilities for anglers, tackling illegal fishing and working with partners to encourage people to give fishing a go.

Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, will visit the UK today (Wednesday 18 April) as an official guest of government at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM).

The Indian Prime Minister’s visit comes with a huge boost for the UK economy as a range of new Indian investments worth more than £1 billion will create or safeguard 5,750 British jobs for the economy.

Alongside the investment, the Department for International Trade (DIT) has agreed to forge a new India-UK Trade Partnership which builds on the recommendations that followed the Joint Trade Review (JTR) between the 2 countries earlier this year.

The new partnership will seek to improve the accessibility of trade for businesses in both countries as the UK assumes responsibility for its independent trade policy for the first time in 40 years. Focusing on the 3 key sectors of life sciences, IT and food and drink, the partnership will seek to reduce barriers to trade, making it easier for trade in these sectors to continue to flourish as well as developing an even stronger trading ties.

The UK also intends to recruit a UK cyber security industry expert to be based at the High Commission in New Delhi. Their role would involve sharing British expertise and connecting Indian private and public sector organisations with cutting-edge UK companies who can supply their specific requirements.

Total trade in goods and services between the UK and India was £18 billion in 2017, a 15% increase from 2016. UK exports to India, led by innovative machinery and mechanical appliances, form a large part of this and also increased significantly by 14.9%.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, said:

Removing barriers to trade is a key way in which the UK can capitalise on the predicted growth in world markets and so I’m delighted we have come to this new trade partnership with India.

It is clear that that the opportunities for growth in trade with India are plenty, and as an international economic department we will continue to use tools such as trade missions not only to boost UK exports, but also to help businesses of all sizes forge ties and build cultivate relationships with potential buyers and investors.

The visit of Prime Minister Modi will see the launch of a package of technical assistance to help India climb further up the rankings for ease of doing business, benefitting UK companies and the Indian economy alike. Additionally, the 2 countries have also agreed to strengthen ties between their respective agriculture industries.

Trading relations between the UK and India have received a boost recently after a series of visits and trade missions between the 2 countries. Earlier this year Baroness Fairhead visited Mumbai and Bangalore with a large group of technology businesses to strengthen ties between the industries in the 2 countries. This follows more than 100 UK businesses from different sectors visiting in January and February this year alone.

Contact the DIT Media and Digital Team on 020 7008 3333.

Follow us: @tradegovuk and gov.uk/dit.