The UK Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation Jo Johnson and Indian Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Shri Y S Chowdary together announced new UK-India joint research projects and saw high-impact current Research Councils-India collaborations succeed at the first ever Newton Prize award ceremony at the National Science Centre, New Delhi.

Both Ministers applauded the flourishing UK-India research and innovation partnership and congratulated the UK Research Councils and Indian funding bodies for working as true partners and delivering swiftly on the commitments made by their Prime Ministers in New Delhi a year ago.

They welcomed the RCUK and India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) partnership addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), an increasingly serious threat to public and animal health, and released a Joint Mapping Report on AMR Research in India commissioned by RCUK and DBT. The report identifies gaps in our understanding, and highlights that we can use multi-disciplinary research to fill key areas of potential action including the environment, industrial waste, farming practise, and how people use and understand valuable antibiotic drugs.

The Ministers announced new awards from joint programmes delivered by the UK Research Councils and Indian partners under the Newton-Bhabha Fund:

• Eight new joint research projects funded under the India-UK Water Quality programme (Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) in partnership with India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST)

• Four new research projects on Energy Demand Reduction in the Built Environment programme (EPSRC and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in partnership with DST)

• £7 million joint programme on UK-India Agricultural Data: Enhancement by Integration, Interpretation and Reusability (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and NERC in partnership with DBT)

• Extension of funding for the India-UK Water Centre (IUKWC) (Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in partnership with NERC)

These projects will bring together the best minds and facilities from the UK and India to address shared social and economic challenges such as public health, clean water, and demand for energy, where excellent research can contribute to national missions.

Minister Jo Johnson also visited the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where he was impressed by the fast advances in technology made by the EPSRC-DST project – Advancing the Efficiency and Production Potential of Excitonic Solar Cells (APEX)-II that could eventually revolutionise the affordability of cheaper electricity. He announced:

• A new project focussed on innovation and skills enhancement between STFC’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) and India’s Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) under which Indian engineers will be trained on cutting-edge technology as they jointly develop control systems for next-generation high power lasers to be built in the UK.

Shri Y S Chowdary, Minister of State for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, said:

I am delighted at the announcement of the partnership between India and the UK on the problem of anti-microbial resistance. I am also delighted to see the announcements of new awards under the Newton-Bhabha programme. India is exponentially growing its science capability and using science and technology to transform society. Our collaboration with the UK shows how partnerships of the highest quality can help both countries advance, as well as have a global positive impact for sustainable development.

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

The UK and India are working together to deliver world-class research. These new collaborative projects will strengthen bonds between our research communities and deepen our collective understanding across a range of fields: from energy and water to medicine and physics. Creating opportunities for the UK to collaborate with the best scientists from around the world is a core focus of UK Research and Innovation.

Professor K. VijayRaghavan, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, said:

The Department of Biotechnology is very pleased to see how well our collaborations with RCUK have gone and how many new ones at the next level are being started. India sees science and technology as the fulcrum to attain its sustainable development goals. Our partnership with the UK benefits both countries immensely but also has an impact for global good. Amongst the many exciting collaborations, a new one on agriculture is particularly ambitious and aims to cater to farmers with small- and marginal- holdings by delivering decision-making tools based on the latest technologies from biotech to artificial intelligence. The new partnership and report on antimicrobial resistance is another major milestone. It follows directly from the meetings of our Prime Minister with the UK PM and their joint-statement.

Daniel Shah, Director RCUK India, said:

India is the fastest growing major research power and the UK is the highest quality major research power. We have a true partnership delivering excellent, high impact research across disciplines and innovation connecting academics and businesses. Together our collaboration helps us both better understand, and make better, the world in which we live.

Research Councils UK (RCUK) India, launched in 2008, brings together the best researchers in the UK and India through high-quality, high-impact research partnerships. RCUK India, based at the British High Commission in New Delhi, has facilitated co-funded initiatives between the UK, India and third parties exceeding £230 million. The research collaborations are often closely linked with UK and Indian industry partners, with more than 100 partners involved in the research. RCUK India is actively involved in co-funded research activities with seven major Indian research funders on a wide array of research themes addressing global challenges.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), operating across the whole of the UK with a combined budget of more than £6 billion, UK Research and Innovation will bring together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and a new organisation, Research England. Research England will work closely with its partner organisations in the devolved administrations.UK Research and Innovation intends to be an outstanding organisation that ensures the UK maintains its world leading position in research and innovation. We will ensure that the UK maintains our world-leading research and innovation position by creating a system that maximises the contribution of each of the component parts and creates the best environment for research and innovation to flourish.

Newton Fund in India is known as the Newton-Bhabha Fund. The Newton Fund builds research and innovation partnerships with 18 partner countries to support economic development and social welfare, and to develop research and innovation capacity for long-term sustainable growth. It has a total UK Government investment across all countries of £735 million up until 2021, with matched resources from the partner countries. The Newton Fund is managed by the UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and delivered through 15 UK delivery partners, which include the UK Research Councils, the UK Academies, the British Council, Innovate UK and the Met Office & Newton Prize.

UK-India joint research programmes announced by the Ministers:

• Release of the joint mapping report on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Research in India by RCUK and Department for Biotechnology (DBT)

AMR is a major global challenge and determining, prioritising and understanding the drivers of resistance within the relevant setting are crucial to developing appropriate and effective responses. There are gaps in our understanding of AMR, especially in countries with high disease burdens, high levels of poverty and low income. Reliable microbial and resistance data are absent where they are most needed and consequently, there is inadequate knowledge of the spread and transmission of drug-resistant infections, the factors driving such resistance, as well as how these factors are influenced by, and interact with, different environments.

DBT-RCUK jointly commissioned this mapping report to identify the major issues and challenges for AMR research in India. This report will be used to help determine future research priorities in the area. Last year the UK-India Prime Ministers announced £13 million joint funding for research projects on AMR and a workshop will be held in November 2017 to build projects around this global challenge.

• Eight new joint research projects funded under the India-UK Water Quality Programme, led by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST)

The first NERC-DST-EPSRC collaboration, the India-UK Water Quality programme has awarded eight joint research projects that will support policymakers, water managers, business and local communities to improve India’s water quality by undertaking novel research on a range of water quality issues, such as reducing outbreaks of Cholera in Lake Vembanad, remediating arsenic pollution in the Ganga Basin, and the development on novel sensors to monitor water quality. The eight projects are:

• Innovative low-cost optical sensor platform for water quality monitoring – City, University of London and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore – Principle Investigators Prof. Azizur Rahman (UK) and Prof. S. Asokan (India)
• Fate and Management of Emerging Contaminants – University of Exeter and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras. Principle Investigators Dr Fayyaz Memon (UK) and Prof. Ligy Philip (India)
• Impact of rainwater harvesting in India on groundwater quality with specific reference to fluoride and micropollutants – Cranfield University and National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee. Principle Investigators – Dr Alison Parker (UK) and Dr Anupma Sharma (India)
• Rehabilitation of Vibrio Infested waters of Vembanad Lake: pollution and solution – Plymouth Marine Laboratory and CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography. Principle Investigators – Dr Shubha Sathyendranath (UK) and Dr Anas Abdulaziz (India)
• Future Secular Changes & Remediation of Groundwater Arsenic in the Ganga River Basin – University of Manchester and National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee. Principle Investigator – Prof. David Polya (UK) and Dr Narayan C. Ghosh (India)
• The development and implementation of sensors and treatment technologies for freshwater systems in India – University of the West of England and Bose Institute. Principle Investigators – Prof. Darren Reynolds (UK) and Prof. Tapan K. Dutta (India)
• Pathwaysand evolution of pollutants: Interactions between physical controlling effects, microbial community composition and pollutant biodegradation – University of Warwick and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay. Principle Investigators – Dr Jonathan Pearson (UK) and Prof. Professor Kapil Gupta (India)

• Antimicrobial resistance and pollutants: interactive studies and novel sensor technologies – Heriot-Watt University and Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. Principle Investigators – Dr Helen Bridle (UK) and Dr T Renganathan (India)

• Four new research projects on Energy Demand Reduction in the Built Environment programme in partnership with Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Indian Department of Science and Technology (DST).

The four UK-India research projects on Energy Demand Reduction in the Built Environment will help monitor energy use and demand, explore better building efficiency and incorporation of solar generation, use data to improve urban planning and reduce energy use and demand, and aim to achieve reductions in carbon emissions. The four projects are:

• Residential building energy demand reduction in India (RESIDE) – Oxford Brookes University and International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad – Principal Investigators Prof Rajat Gupta (UK), Dr Vishal Garg (India).
• iNtelligent Urban Model for Built environment Energy Research (iNumber) – University College London and Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, Allahabad – Principal Investigators Prof Paul Ruyssevelt (UK), Prof Vidyadhar Phatak. (India).
• Zero Peak Energy Building Design for India (ZED-i) – University of Bath and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee – Principal investigators Dr Sukumar Natarajan (UK), Dr Rajasekar Elangovan (India).

• Community-scale Energy Demand Reduction in India (CEDRI) – Heriot-Watt University and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi – Principal investigators Dr David Jenkins (UK), Dr Abhijit R. Abhyankar (India).

• Extension of the India-UK Water Centre (IUKWC) funded by the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and NERC

Funding to the NERC-MoES joint India-UK Water Centre is extended for a further two years. The Centre, managed by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the UK’s Centre for Ecology and Hydrology facilitates collaboration and cooperation between researchers in the UK and India, and will also launch a new initiative develop stronger links between the research community and policymakers and water managers in India.

• £7 million joint programme on UK-India Agricultural Data: Enhancement by Integration, Interpretation and Reusability (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and NERC in partnership with DBT)

This joint programme is funded by Newton-Bhabha and aims to enhance the value of existing agricultural data focussing on animal and plant health to generate new knowledge that will inform effective pest and disease management. The call is one part of ambitious joint work to use research and technology to deliver solutions in the farming ecosystem, especially for small and marginal farmers, as a public good that can be of global benefit and contribute to the dream of doubling the income of Indian farmers by 2022.

The UK is DBT’s biggest international research partner and this new initiative complements this growing collaboration. Updates on the call will be available shortly on the DBT and BBSRC websites.

• A new project focussed on innovation and skills enhancement between STFC’s Central Laser Facility (CLF) and India’s Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) under which Indian engineers will be trained on cutting-edge technology as they jointly develop control systems for next-generation high power lasers to be built in the UK.

Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, is India’s nodal organisation for promoting bioscience research and development in the country. It is mandated to promote large scale use of biotechnology, support R&D and manufacturing in biology, support autonomous institutions, promote University and industry interaction, identify and set up Centres of Excellence for R&D, integrated programme for human resource development, serve as nodal point for specific international collaborations, establishment of Infrastructure Facilities to support R&D and production, evolve Bio Safety Guidelines, manufacture and application of cell-based vaccines, serve as nodal point for the collection and dissemination of information relating to biotechnology.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) over the last forty-three years has developed several streams that later established themselves as departments or even ministries with focused goals. Some of these include the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Ministry of New & Renewable Energy (MNRE), Department of Electronics (DoE) and Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES). The DST serves as a nodal agency connecting the science sector to the Government verticals. The roles played by DST are varied and these evolved with time. DST develops S&T policies; strengthens human resources and institutional capacities; enables development & deployment of technologies; creates opportunities for societal interventions through S & T and establishes and engages in mechanisms of cooperation, partnerships & alliances. These approaches that reflect its mission ensure a holistic systemic influence, immediate, medium and long term relevance/ gains. It enables cross-cutting impacts across sectors to sustain growth/ development and synergies to optimize on time, human, institutional and financial resources.

DST establishes strategically important systems/mechanisms to stimulate and foster excellence and leadership in scientific research and development. These are aligned with India’s developmental aspirations and will further help consolidate the niche it has established in several frontiers at the national, regional and global levels.

The Ministry of Earth Science aims to conduct scientific and technical activities related to Earth System Science for improving forecasting of weather, monsoon, climate and hazards, exploration of polar regions, seas around India and develop technology for exploration and exploitation of ocean resources (living and non-living), ensuring their sustainable utilization. It augments and sustains long term observations of atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and solid earth to record the vital signs of Earth System and changes; develop forecasting capability of atmosphere and oceanic phenomena through dynamical models and assimilation techniques and to build prediction system for weather climate and hazards. MoES helps understand interaction between components of Earth Systems and human systems at various spatial and temporal scales; conducts exploration of polar and high seas regions for discovery of new phenomenon and resources and translate knowledge and insight themes gained into services for societal, environmental and economic.

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research is a National Centre of the Government of India, under the umbrella of the Department of Atomic Energy, as well as a deemed University awarding degrees for master’s and doctoral programs. The Institute was founded in 1945 with support from the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust under the vision of Dr Homi Bhabha. At TIFR, we carry out basic research in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, computer science and science education. Our main campus is located in Mumbai, with centres at Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

For further information contact:

Mail to: Geeny George Shaju

A report on our Welsh Language Scheme is now available which highlights our progress in the year from April 2016 to March 2017.

The report is available on GOV.UK. Among the items covered are:

• Welsh language telephone line
• Welsh speaking duty solicitors and digital services in Welsh
• Welsh language specialist advice through Civil Legal Advice
• bilingual publications and staff resources
• commitment to Welsh language training and awareness for staff

Further information

Welsh Language Scheme annual report 2016 to 2017

Welsh language telephone line: 0845 609 9989

London is one of my favourite cities to travel through. I love the architecture, the history and the throng of the crowd. But today’s route really made me stop and think. My journey started near Parliament, and from there I drove over Westminster Bridge, past Borough Market and through London Bridge, and this year, these places of course have taken on a new significance.

We’ve witnessed terrorist attacks at these sites and Manchester Arena, Finsbury Park and Parsons Green. On each occasion police officers responded with exemplary skill and bravery – working long hours and putting themselves in harm’s way to keep others safe. We will never forget the heroism of PC Keith Palmer who was fatally stabbed while defending our Parliament.

So today I want to start by saying thank you to all of you who have played your part and I know it’s been utterly exhausting.

I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to the victims and families who have lost loved ones in New York in such a vile and cowardly act of terrorism. Our thoughts are with you at this most difficult time.

The day after the Parsons Green attack, I met officers who had been part of the response team. I could see what a strain events like this put on emergency services. And in Manchester, I met the team of detectives who are working tirelessly to investigate the Manchester Arena bombing. It’s true that in all jobs there are bad days at work, but there’s few which involve confronting terrorists.

But I’m not here today to talk about terrorism – horrific as it is. What I want to talk about is local policing and how best to fight the day to day crime which blights people’s lives.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales, acknowledged by the ONS as our best measure of long term crime trends, shows there’s been a substantial 9% fall in crime over the last year – and a 38% drop since 2010. This has led to more confidence in the police with latest figures showing that 78% of people now have confidence in their local force.

But we also know that police-recorded crime had gone up by 13% this past year. This reflects continued improvements in crime recording and an increased willingness of victims to report crime. However, it also reflects a genuine increase in some specific crime types including homicides, knife crime and firearms offences.

Types of crime which ruin lives and cause irrevocable damage to families and communities.

We all need to account for, and find solutions to, these worrying rises.

But behind these national rises are huge local variations.

Take the example of police recorded knife crime for instance. While in the year to June 2017 it was up by 36% in the Metropolitan Police area, it was down 16% in the Greater Manchester Police Force area. During this same period, the East of England has seen a 19% drop in homicides, whereas the East Midlands has seen a 35% rise.

Local policing can make a difference. You’re probably tired of Conservative Home Secretaries standing here and saying the Home Office doesn’t run policing.

But it’s crucial. You are the ones who are responsible for cutting crime and delivering an effective and efficient police service for your local area.

Of course, part of being a Police and Crime Commissioner is about speaking to the government about resourcing. But it mustn’t just be about lobbying the government for money.

It needs to be about cutting crime, delivering on the priorities you were elected on and being held to account by local people in your area when you don’t.

So when crime statistics go up, I don’t just want to see you reaching for a pen to write a press release asking for more money from the government. I want you to tell your local communities and the victims in your area what your plan is to make them safer.

Because policing can make a difference.

Just as we at the Home Office will set out what we are doing to make the country safer.

Because we do still have a role to play. Giving you the powers you need. Supporting you when you need to be supported. Challenging you when you need to be challenged. And yes, in making sure you have the right resources.

When it comes to powers, I hope you, as police leaders, feel we are responding to the recent changes in crime. Because as crime changes, the powers you need are changing too.

Following the worrying recent rise in violent crimes, we’re taking action. We’ve recently published our consultation outlining how we’re intending to crack down on violent crime and offensive weapons. This will be complemented next year by the publication of a new strategy to combat serious violence.

We’re going to prevent children purchasing knives online and we’re going to stop people carrying acid in public if they don’t have a good reason. And as I outlined at the Conservative Party Conference, the sale of acids to under 18s will be banned and the public sale of sulphuric acid dramatically limited.

Attacks with knives and acid ruin lives. Confidence and happiness can be lost forever.

We need to make sure that the thugs who think of attempting these horrible acts are stopped before they are able to realise their hateful ambitions – and that they face the full force of the law.

And on stop and search.

I know there are those who think it’s a controversial tactic, and I know it has been badly used in the past.

But figures show that stop and search reforms are working. The stop-to-arrest rate has risen and once again is the highest on record. The new data published as part of the ‘best use of stop and search’ scheme shows that around two-thirds of searches result in some kind of police action.

It is my belief that stop and search is a useful tool for the police, especially to target rising levels of knife crime and acid attacks, and that you should have the confidence to use it where necessary. My message to you today is that officers who use stop and search appropriately will always have my full support.

However, let me be quite clear. No-one should be stopped because of their race or ethnicity. Locally, where there are racial disparities in the use of stop and search, chief constables will still need to explain these.

Because if stop and search is misused, then it is counter-productive and, more importantly, it damages confidence in policing.

And when you tell me you need additional powers, it’s my job to listen carefully.

You said that officers have concerns about pursuing and apprehending moped-riding criminals. You explained that some officers worry about their legal position when pursuing suspected offenders when they’re on mopeds or scooters.

So we’ve listened and we’re taking action. We’re reviewing the law and practice regarding police pursuits. We want to make sure officers feel they have the legal protection they need to go after moped and scooter gangs. And I can announce today that we will finish the review early next year.

My officials at the Home Office are working with the police, including the Police Federation as well as the IPCC and other criminal justice agencies, to do this. But I can say today that there will be change. Officers have said they don’t feel confident they will be supported if they pursue a criminal on a moped. These criminals terrorise our streets, intimidating people into giving over their phones or wallets and leaving many too scared to walk outside their front doors. I don’t want any officer to feel that they cannot pursue someone like this because they have taken their helmet off. We will always support the police and officers, not the criminals who commit these awful crimes on our streets.

But the job of the Home Office isn’t just to give new powers; it’s also about providing support, constructive challenge and ideas.

Because police reform is not an objective which left the Home Office when Theresa May did. And whilst policing is in a much better state now than it was in 2010, there’s still work to be done and that work is easier to do when we collaborate.

I’m really pleased that in the policing vision 2025, you’ve set out a transformative programme for yourselves. My department is committed – and stands ready – to do whatever it takes to support you with these plans. This includes making our expertise and resources available to the Police Reform and Transformation Board where helpful, for example to help them address commercial, procurement or programme management issues.

We also want to help you further professionalise the sector. That’s why we continue to work alongside the College of Policing. We are putting in place multiple reforms in this area, such as the Policing Education Qualifications Framework, to ensure that policing continues to develop its existing workforce and attract the best recruits. We are also establishing the Licence to Practise Scheme to give those who operate in the most high risk and high harm areas the correct skills and training to do so.

We’re also supporting those of you in the audience who want to deliver greater efficiency and effectiveness through closer collaboration between emergency services, to benefit your local communities. We’ve legislated to enable PCCs to take on responsibility for fire and rescue services locally, where a local case is made, and to place a statutory duty on all three emergency services to collaborate. But you are in charge and you can decide where the opportunities lie for your area and your communities.

I am delighted that on the 1st October, Roger Hirst in Essex formally became the country’s first Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner, and I know PCCs elsewhere have, or are considering, submitting their own proposals.

And look, as I’ve said, I know that policing can be a stressful business. You work long hours, you deal with people at their worst and no doubt this has an impact on physical and mental health. That’s why in July I announced £7.5 million of funding to pilot and – if it is successful – fund a dedicated national police welfare service to help those who need it.

But I’ll tell you something that we won’t stand for. Officers being attacked, abused and spat at while they do their jobs. This sort of behaviour is unacceptable. That’s why we are supporting new legislation which will send a clear message that we will not tolerate attacks on emergency workers and we will ensure that those who are violent are punished.

You protect us and it’s right that we protect you.

So the Home Office’s job, and my job, is to give you the powers you need to keep us safe.

We will use our coordinating role to support and, where necessary, challenge you.

And, yes, it’s our job to provide you with the right level of funding and resources.

We’re investing £1.9 billion in cyber security which will contribute to relieving pressures on individual forces tackling online and cyber enabled crime.

We’re providing funding to bolster counter-terrorism policing in the wake of this year’s terror attacks. For example, we’re putting an extra £24 million into counter-terrorism policing in addition to the £707 million already announced.

And since 2015 we’ve protected the total amount of spending that goes to policing in line with inflation. That means that overall police spending is increasing from £11.4 billion in 2015 to 2016 to around £12.3 billion in 2019 to 2020.

Within that we’re spending hundreds of millions of pounds to ensure you continue to reform and become more productive.

And today I am pleased to announce the award of £27.45 million police transformation funding to a further ten projects which includes:

• £1.9 million for the Metropolitan Police to design a single call handling system and centralised control rooms for London’s emergency services
• £6.87 million to South Wales Police to help them join up with health professionals and other local partners to better support the vulnerable people they come into contact with, many of whom have had traumatic childhoods
• £2.87 million to MOPAC’s drive project which involves working with serial perpetrators, offering one-to-one support to break the cycle of domestic abuse

All the remaining successful bids will be listed on the Home Office website.

I know a number of you have been calling for more money on top of this. We’ve always been clear that decisions about funding need to be based on evidence and not assertion.

That’s why the policing minister will have visited or spoken to every force in the country ahead of this year’s spending settlement.

We appreciate that the increase in complex, investigatory work has put pressure on forces, as well as the efforts to deal with the unprecedented wave of terrorist attacks we’ve sadly seen this year.

But police financial reserves now amount to more than £1.6 billion and the independent inspectorate remains clear that there is more forces can do to transform, with greater efficiencies still available.

So these are the considerations we will balance as we take decisions on future funding. Listening to your concerns, but also critically evaluating them. So we get the decisions right for the people we serve.

But I don’t want to finish by talking about resourcing. Because I don’t believe the people we serve want to hear disagreements between us on whether a hundred million pounds should be given straight to forces as part of the core grant, or instead bid for as part of the transformation fund.

They want to hear about what we are doing, together, to cut crime.

Because being a PCC, or chief constable for that matter, should be about agreeing and then delivering on a plan to cut crime in your area.

Remind yourselves that millions of people voted for you in the PCC elections in 2016. They voted for your plans to keep them safe.

Because, they like me, believe policing can make a difference.

And we’re already seeing some great examples of your initiative:

Like Marc Jones, the PCC in Lincolnshire who has funded an initiative to deploy a team of nurses to the police control room to help officers deal with incidents involving mental health issues. Or like Martin Surl, the PCC for Gloucestershire who backed a 12 month trial to reintroduce horseback patrols to help serve the public and reduce crime.

And if you look back over the cumulative effect of your work since PCCs were first elected in 2012, then you should be really proud.

You’ve presided over a fall in traditional crime, you’ve made efficiencies which have saved hundreds of millions of pounds for the taxpayer, and you have increased the proportion of officers on the frontline. You’ve brought real democratic accountability to British policing and you’ve shown true leadership.

But now it’s time for you to rise to the challenge of leading the next chapter of reform so you deliver for your local communities.

Because policing can make a difference. And together we can improve people’s lives.

Thank you.

• First 2 winners of the Newton Prize are an affordable portable device to monitor maternal health, and a pioneering solar energy project, with each being awarded £200k to address global challenges
• During the visit, Jo Johnson also announces further research agreements securing further collaboration between the two countries

Science Minister Jo Johnson has today (Wednesday 1 November) announced the first 2 winners of the Newton Prize 2017, during a two-day India visit where he outlined the strength of collaboration with Indian partners and the UK’s ambitions to develop the relationship further.

The winning projects, which will each receive a £200,000 grant, include the development of a portable device to measure blood pressure and pulse of expectant mothers to try and prevent deaths from the biggest causes of maternal deaths worldwide, and a solar energy programme that will look at providing cheaper and more efficient solar power. Both projects are partnerships between UK and Indian researchers.

The Newton Prize has been developed to celebrate and further encourage the partnerships that UK researchers have forged with their colleagues in Newton Fund partner countries. Further prize awards will also be made in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam in the coming weeks.

The collaborations developed under the Newton Fund address some of the world’s most pressing challenges, by utilising the skillsets of UK researchers and researchers globally to improve the quality of life for many around the world.

Jo Johnson said:

These Newton Prize winners not only embody international collaboration on crucial issues, but also illustrate our ambition to work with our global partners on a wide variety of mutually-beneficial research.

The Newton Prize demonstrates how the UK is working with partners to address important international issues. This complements the work we are undertaking as part of our upcoming Industrial Strategy to support our world-class research and innovation sector, helping them work collaboratively to address the great challenges of our time.

The UK-India Newton Fund, known as the Newton-Bhabha Fund, is an instrumental part of the UK-India research and innovation relationship, with a joint commitment of more than £200 million joint investment up until 2021. This collaboration enables the UK to produce higher quality research and innovation and to maintain its scientific excellence.

In addition to announcing the winners of the Newton Prize, Jo Johnson announced India-specific Rutherford Fellowships that will be delivered by the British Museum, British Library and Natural History Museum, as well as global Rutherford fellowships through the British Academy.

Jo Johnson also made a number of further research announcements, funded by Newton-Bhabha Fund:

• The publication of a Research Councils UK and Department of Biotechnology commissioned report on AMR mapping that provides a deeper understanding of antimicrobial resistance and outlines recommendations to address this growing global challenge
• A joint pilot innovation project between the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Central Laser Facility at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories and India’s Tata Institute of Fundamental Research to upskill Indian engineers on cutting edge technology as they jointly develop control systems for high power lasers
• 4 new projects funded within the ‘Energy Demand Reduction in the Built Environment’ programme that will seek to monitor energy use and demand with the overall aim to achieve reductions in carbon emissions
• 8 new projects funded within the India-UK Water Quality Programme, supporting policymakers, water managers, business and local communities to improve India’s water quality
• Extension in funding for the India-UK Water Centre for a further 2 years, which facilitates collaboration and cooperation between researchers, policy makers and water managers in the UK and India
• £7 million of joint investment on the Agricultural-Data Enhancement for Animal and Plant Health programme which will seek to enhance existing animal and plant health data growing on each country’s expertise in this area

Notes for Editors

1. The first of the 2 successful projects seeks to overcome the challenge of obstetric haemorrhage, pre-eclampsia and sepsis which accounts for more than 50% of maternal deaths worldwide. The winning scientists from St Thomas’ Hospital in London and the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College in Belgaum, India, tested the introduction of a device that measures blood pressure and pulse, and is affordable, easy-to-use, and portable with low power requirements. The device has already been introduced in 10 countries across Asia and Africa, and initial results show that the system strongly predicts the risks of complications and its introduction into maternity care will help save lives. The UK and Indian partners for this project are the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Department for Biotechnology, India.

2. The second Newton Prize winner is the APEX-II programme, which is developing a new product that uses solar cells to supply clean, sustainable and affordable energy, and is led by Brunel University of London and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. Low-cost, high-efficiency energy is a key global development challenge, and by advancing the technology around perovskite solar cells, this project is addressing this challenge and aims to help improve the quality of life of people around the world by developing cheaper and more efficient solar cells. This delivers benefit to both the UK and India, by enabling UK researchers to draw on the expertise of the very best scientists to develop new technologies in solar energy. The UK and Indian partners for this project are the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department for Science and Technology, India.

The Queen has approved the nomination of the Very Reverend Christopher Charles Dalliston, MA, Dean of Newcastle in the Diocese of Newcastle, to be appointed to the Deanery of the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and Saint Andrew, Peterborough, on the resignation of the Very Reverend Charles William Taylor, MA, on 6 October 2016.

Further information

The Very Reverend Christopher Dalliston, (aged 61) studied modern History at Peterhouse Cambridge and Theology at Oxford where he trained for the ministry at St Stephen’s House.

He served his title at Halstead in Chelmsford Diocese from 1984 to 1987, before becoming the Bishop of Chelmsford’s Domestic Chaplain from 1987 to 1991. From 1991 to 1995 he was Vicar of St Edmund Forest Gate in Chelmsford Diocese.

From 1995 to 1997 he moved to be Priest-in-Charge of Boston in Lincoln Diocese and then Vicar from 1997 to 2003 and was also Rural Dean of Holland East during that time. Since 2003 he has been Dean of Newcastle.

Christopher is married to Michelle who is also ordained. He has four adult children: Alex, Tom, Georgie and Bella.
His interests include poetry, music and all things Italian. He is a life-long supporter of Norwich City Football Club.