New Delhi [India], May 16 (ANI): The European Union (EU) and India launched two research and innovation initiatives under the EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC), with a total investment of 41 million Euros (Rs 394 crore), a statement by the European Union said.

These initiatives will drive collaborative solutions to pressing environmental challenges and foster cutting-edge technological advancements, the statement said.

Coordinated under the EU's Horizon Europe programme and co-funded by Indian ministries (MoES and MNRE), the two research calls will bring together researchers, startups, and industries from the EU and India to develop sustainable, scalable solutions with global impact.

By strengthening the EU-India partnership, these initiatives operationalize the TTC's goals and reinforce the commitment to joint innovation.

As per the statement, the first call focuses on combating marine pollution, particularly the pervasive issue of marine plastic litter.

Co-funded by the EU (12 million Euro, which is approximately Rs 110 crore) and Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (Rs 90 crore, or 9.3 million Euro), this call seeks innovative solutions to monitor, assess, and mitigate the cumulative impacts of various pollutants, including microplastics, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants, the statement said.

The resulting research will contribute to global efforts, including the support international commitments such as the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and contribute to the objectives of the EU's Zero Pollution Action Plan and India's National Marine Litter Policy.

By driving collaborative research and innovation, this initiative aims to protect marine ecosystems and promote sustainable development, as per the statement.

This call builds on earlier momentum, including a workshop on e-vehicle charging standards held in February and a successful matchmaking initiative that connected Indian and EU start-ups with potential partners and investors.

The second call focuses the development of waste-to-renewable hydrogen technologies.

Hydrogen has emerged as a key area of collaboration between the EU and India, given its strategic role in driving the clean energy transition, enhancing energy security, and meeting long-term climate objectives.

This call, co-funded by the EU (10 million Euros, or Rs 97 Crore) and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (Rs 90 crore, or 9.3 million Euros), aims to develop efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly methods for hydrogen production, as per the statement.

Both calls are open to European and Indian organisations, including companies, SMEs, startups, research institutions, universities, non-governmental organisations (NGO), and individual researchers.

The submission deadlines are September 2 for the hydrogen call and September 17 for the marine pollution call, the statement said.

Additional joint research calls are envisaged for 2026, including on recycling of batteries for electric vehicles and potential cooperation on wastewater treatment. Together, all these initiatives represent a joint investment of around 60 million Euros under the TTC framework.

EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) The EU-India Trade and Technology Council (TTC) is a high-level strategic coordination platform aimed at strengthening the bilateral partnership on trade, technology, and innovation.

The decision to establish the TTC was jointly announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2022. The Council was formally launched in February 2023, and its first ministerial meeting took place in May 2023.

As the EU's second TTC (after the EU-US TTC), this mechanism reflects the growing geopolitical and economic alignment between the EU and India. It aims to promote secure, sustainable, and inclusive economic development while safeguarding shared democratic values.

The EU-India Research and Innovation (R&I) Cooperation is a longstanding and strategic partnership, anchored in the 2001 Agreement on Scientific and Technological Cooperation and renewed recently in 2020. An EU India Joint Steering Committee oversees the partnership which supports joint research in key areas such as health, energy, digital and green technologies, water, and climate.

It also promotes researcher mobility, startup networking, and innovation. With over 200 joint projects to date, this growing cooperation is evolving toward mission-driven, co-funded initiatives delivering tangible global impact. (ANI)