Brazil keen on space ties with India

Praising India’s march ahead in space technology, Brazil’s science and technology minister on Wednesday voiced his keenness to collaborate with Delhi in the field.

Brazil’s minister of science and technology Marco Antonio Raupp, who is accompanying President Dilma Rouseff for the BRICS summit, met his Indian counterpart Ashwani Kumar to strengthen the Indo-Brazil scientific technological cooperation.

Raupp appreciated India’s capabilities in the space technology field, especially in launching a satellite. “We are very much interested to collaborate,” said Raupp and added that they would be discussing it with the Indian Space Research Organisation.

He said they are keen to launch a dedicated satellite for observation of South Atlantic region for climate forecasts. “It would be on trilateral level with India, Brazil and South Africa collaborating on it,” he added. He also lined up other scientific areas where they would be collaborating. Areas like biotechnology, computers sciences, earth systems sciences including ocean sciences and climate change, engineering, health and biomedical sciences, material sciences and nano-technology are some of the areas identified for cooperation between the two countries.

India and Brazil are expected to sign several MoUs for cooperation and collaboration in science and technology during Dilma Rouseff’s current visit .

Union minister of state for science and technology Ashwani Kumar said New Delhi is committed to a meaningful cooperation wherein both nations benefit from each other’s expertise.