A Fortnightly newsletter on S&T, Science Policy and Diplomacy
G20 Rio Declaration: Navigating Global Challenges Together
The G20 Rio Declaration emphasises upon harnessing the potential emerging technologies to reduce inequalities and facilitate digital inclusion. The Declara- tion has also highlighted expansion of Digital Public Infrastructure to enhance digital access, reduce inequalities and support innovation. Sneha Sinha writes.
The MoU lays down the terms for establishing a Canada-Vietnam Innova tion Centre which shall facilitate bilateral cooperation in innovation and entrepreneurship.
The Initiative on International Cooperation in Open Science shall work to ward creating “an open, fair, impartial and nondiscriminatory environ ment for global S&T development”.
The study led by Brazil’s National Telecommunications Agency and the Saudi Communications, Space and Technology Commission would focus on sustainable use of orbital resources and integration of advanced data analytics for space data analysis.
The shipment consists of forty eight blanket shield block modules which are employed in neutron shielding and heat conduction management within the tokamak fusion reactor.
The funds will be invested in semiconductor packaging facilities in the states of Georgia, California and Arizona to work on advanced substrates. In semiconduc- tor manufacturing these allow for a seamless assembly of multiple chips.
The declaration issued by India, Brazil and South Africa, underlined the im- portance of inclusive digital transformation in achieving SDGs, com mon design principles for technology systems and equitable data govern ance.
Aspects including open innovation, international cooperation in bioeconomy and ethical and responsible use of AI find mention within the 22-page declaration.
The government reportedly has allocated 1.5 trillion yen for R&D and an additional 471.4 billion yen for support-
ing domestic advanced chip production.
The event held on 14 November 2024 brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss “Safety and Ethics in AI. The event was organised under the AI Readi- ness Methodology Initiative through which both entities aim to arrive at “crafting an India-specific AI policy report”.
Held during 19-20 November, 2024 in Wuzhen, the WIC was organised around the theme "Embracing a People-centered and AI-for-good Digital Fu-
ture – Building a Community with a Shared Future in Cyberspace."
The seminar held during 19-21 November 2024 in Rome, Italy, was organised under NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Program. The discussions focused on climate change impacts in the Euro-Mediterranean Re- gion.
Held during 11-22 November, over 200 state-parties to the UNFCCC arrived at an agreement to annually prove 300 billion dollars to developing countries by 2035.
Launched by the IIT Madras Pravartak Technology Foundation, the centre would focus on activities including “technology development, aiding entrepreneurship development, human resource development, and interna- tional collaborations”.
The communication satellite launched from Florida “is expected to play a pivotal role in meeting the growing de-
mand for broadband services and in-flight connectivity across India”.
Discussions held during India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri’s Tokyo visit reportedly discussed tech partner- ship models that can help improve Japanese firms’ access to Indian markets.
Under the project, the government has allocated 6000 crore rupees to help scholars in public-funded institutions access expensive journals by obliging them to provide a single fee.
The Implementation Agreement signed between ISRO and the Austrialian Space Agency enables cooperation for crew and crew module recovery for India’s upcoming Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
The work plan adopted for implementation during the third phase of the India-EU Clean Energy and Climate Partnership 2025-2028 has identified priority areas including green hydrogen, offshore wind energy, energy effi- ciency and climate diplomacy.
The drug developed by Wockhardt Ltd. has been called Nafithromycin (trade name Miqnaf). It would help fight
drug-resistant community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP) in adults.
The problem:Printed Circuit Boards used in electronics are made from glass fiber-reinforced epoxy resin, a material which is neither recyclable, nor biodegradable. Use of such materials have resulted in over 60 million tons of electronic waste being generated annually.
Leaftronics:The innovative approach looks to design electronics based on the natural structure of leaves. This results in "biodegradable electronic substrates with enhanced properties and offers a sustainable, efficient, and scalable solution to the global- waste problem".
Possibilities:The realisation of leaftronics would allow high- performance electronic devices to be sustainable and could mark a major step towards achieving a circular electronics economy.
DNA Gyrase: The researchers from Durham University, Jagiellonian Uni versity (Poland) and the John Innes Center used a cryo-electron micro scope to study the DNA gyrase, a vital bacterial enzyme and key antibiotic target. Only present in bacteria, it plays a crucial role in supercoil ing DNA a key process in ensuring bacterial survival.
Details Discovered: The DNA gyrase operates akin to a winding elastic band which twists or “supercoils” to stabilise bacterial DNA. The enzyme protects the DNA in a figure of eight loop, proceeding to reseals the DNA after breaking and passing DNA strands through them.
Possibilities: The deeper understanding can allow researchers to design new antibiotics that can precisely target and block gyrase. This could lead to next generation antibiotics which can efficiently stop bacterial infections
A new study published by the IIT Madras in collaboration with the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy and Research and the Centre for Responsible AI (CeRAI) under the Wadhwani School of Data Science has highlighted the Participa- tory approach to AI governance (PAI). Key insights drawn from the first and second part of the study have been summarised below:
The paper understands PAI as “centred around users, non-user affected persons, and other stakeholders work- ing with technical designers and developers in the design process”. It essentially makes room for the public to become an important stakeholder in AI governance.
As an approach, participatory design originates in Scandinavian countries which sought to improve worker’s involvement in the digitisation and computerisation processes implemented during the 1970s and the 1980s.
Adoption of PAI holds several benefits including citizen empowerment and improves trust. It further allows for issues such as bias to be addressed at the root and facilitates feedback mechanisms that can help with course correction.
The UN Commission on Trade and Development has published a new paper on Global Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation for Development. The paper explores ways to improve STI cooperation at the global and regional levels. Key highlights have been summarised below:
The paper utilises the National Innovation Systems (NIS) approach which consists of four parameters: Stra- tegic Planning, STI enablers, R&D and Innovation for assessing global S&T collaboration. It presents NIS as the ideal approach l for conceptualising complex factors that shape trends in innovation.
The paper alludes to successful models of science diplomacy as references for facilitating inclusive interna- tional innovation while helping countries address their unique needs. It underlines the potential for S&T collaboration under a regional framework such as the ASEAN for addressing regional level challenges.
Insights drawn from successful examples of collaborative research such as ,the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) which works on a partnership-oriented approach have also been highlighted.
The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has been termed “a useful reference on how to work with the Global South to co-identify, co-create and co-deliver solutions to global food secu- rity priority challenges”.
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