France-India, the Campus mondial de la mer, a bridgehead in marine sciences and technologies

"The CEFIPRA mission led to very interesting discussions on scientific topics of common interest. Above all, it enabled us to make very concrete progress on the modalities of collaboration that could be implemented in the near future. The very constructive spirit of all the participating partners allowed us to make great strides in building the partnership" (Françoise Duprat, Director of Technopôle Brest-Iroise).

Why develop Franco-Indian collaborations in the field of the blue economy? The answer in 7 points

1) Facilities via the GOAT consortium

In 2017, the French Naval Academy identified India as a priority country in developing its international strategy and associated the Campus mondial de la mer community with the project. Pôle Mer Bretagne Atlantique, ENIB, ENSTA Bretagne, France Énergies Marines, UBO, Shom and Naval Group joined the dynamic. In 2018, the French consortium signed a letter of intent with the Indian Institute of Technology in Goa, followed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2020. The GOAT project was born, and the first cooperation themes were defined.

2) GOAT open to new partners

Through GOAT, the Campus mondial de la mer serves as an entry point for Indian collaborations in marine science and technology. Members of the Campus community, join the project!

3) Varied themes

Renewable marine energies; advanced computing techniques, numerical modeling, and mathematics; combustion technologies; chemistry; marine biotechnologies; non-destructive evaluation and control; bio-environment; AUVs (sensors, imaging, data processing and interpretation, autonomy); underwater acoustics; physical oceanography and sensors; marine physics (ocean and climate, geophysics, hydrodynamics, and oceanographic data science). A wide variety of themes that interest Indian partners.

4) Collaboration with IIT Goa: a favorable conjuncture

IIT Goa is recent (2016). It joins the club of IITs, prestigious centers of engineering training and research, qualified by Indian authorities as "institutions of national importance." IIT Goa is one of three IITs located on the Indian Ocean coast (along with Mumbai and Chennai).

The young institution is actively developing international partnerships, with a strong regional theme: marine science and technology. The connection with the defense sector exists, even if it is not explicit.

5) A dynamic in a privileged state context

Relations between France and India are excellent and fall within an extended Indo-Pacific strategic partnership until 2047. It is notably in this context that a large Indian delegation traveled to Brest in 2022 for Sea Tech Week®, an event largely facilitated by the services of the French Embassy in India.

6) Bilateral agreements for higher education

In 2018, France and India signed an agreement for the mutual recognition of academic qualifications. Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees are thus recognized. A first and a real added value for the exchange of students and Ph.D. candidates between the two countries.

7) A connection with IIT Goa, but not only

Since 2017, missions to India and the arrival of delegations in Brest have established links with other Indian institutes, notably research institutions: National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), National Institute of Technology (NIT), National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCPOR), etc.

What are the upcoming actions?

The local members of the April mission debriefed and a report was presented at the Campus mondial de la mer Governance Council meeting.

credit : Technopôle Brest-Iroise

The programme for the coming months includes:

• Increasing the number of student exchanges (master’s projects) in the field of marine science and technology.

• The travel of visiting professors to France and India.

• The development of joint research projects.

An also:

• Hosting an Indian delegation during the next Sea Tech Week® (October 15-17, 2024, Brest, France).

• Participation of Goa in the next Ocean Hackathon® in 2025.

The French consortium of GOAT is also organizing a meeting with Philippe Maurin, Attaché for Scientific and Academic Cooperation at the French Embassy in Goa. He will come to Brest specifically to present the various Franco-Indian collaboration mechanisms. More information to come.

(1) CEFIPRA : Franco-Indian Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research