Dr Daniel G. Bracewell from UCL’s Department of Biochemical Engineering and Physicist Dhiren Kataria from the Department of Space and Climate Physics, in collaboration with academics in the UK and India, have both received prestigious funding awards from the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).

A joint initiative between the UK and Indian Governments, UKIERI aims to enhance educational links between the two countries, providing opportunities and funding for UK and Indian universities to collaborate on thematic partnerships and collaborations to enhance the innovation and research capacity of the two countries.

Dr Bracewell and his team at UCL, in partnership with the Department of Biosciences at the University of Kent and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Delhi), will explore imaging technologies in order to understand bioseperations, building on existing work between UCL and IIT Delhi.

Dr Bracewell explains, “These funds will be critical to take our collaboration in biochemical engineering with IIT Delhi to the next level.”

Dhiren’s project aims to develop a strategic research and innovation partnership in the area of space science and instrumentation between teams at the Space Physics Laboratory (SPL), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in India, and the Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) at UCL.

“I see the partnership as an exemplar,” commented Dhiren, “with the long term vision of extending such partnerships to other areas of space research between Indian and UK institutions, tapping into India’s already incredibly successful space programme.”

Established in 2006, UKIERI has so far committed £25 million in the first phase of the programme, and has recently been extended by a further five years.

For further information visit the UKIERI website