In a bid to give a boost to bilateral cooperation in the field of science and technology, India and Germany have decided to set up a joint research center, which will also have private participation.
The Indo-German science and technology research center would have private participation from both the countries, Minister of Science and Technology Kapil Sibal who is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Germany said.
The centre will have 20 per cent government equity, both Indian and German, and 30 per cent equity each of German and Indian enterprises.
The centre would be run by private entrepreneurs and the government would be funding on the basis of projects.
Giving details of the talks held with the German government, Sibal said that they discussed possibilities of tapping alternate sources of energy like solar energy, which is available in unlimited quantity and is cleanest.
As a follow up to the prime minister's visit, German science and technology minister would visit India in October-November this year, Sibal said as the PM wrapped up his three-day visit to Germany.
The minister described the PM's visit as "exceptionally successful" and said the two countries had agreed that their strategic partnership should be of global level.
The two countries discussed wide range of issues and at the heart of these was the energy issue.
He said the PM and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed how the international community should get together to ensure energy security in the world.
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