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India, MIT sign pact for Media Lab Asia

India has signed an agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for setting up the much-touted Media Laboratory Asia.

The agreement provides for establishment of one-year exploration project that will facilitate invention, refinement and innovations to take sophisticated technology to people.

The Indian government has committed $12 million towards the one-year programme out which $1.7 million are earmarked for MIT's participation.

The Indian government will provide the seed funding while the remaining funds would be raised by Media Laboratory Asia from private sector and other non-governmental sources.

The assessment at the end of one-year programme will form the framework for making decisions concerning 10-year Media Laboratory Asia project and will determine the role that MIT would play in its development.

Under the agreement, signed during Union Information and Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan's visit to MIT last week, MIT will not establish such a project in any other country in Asia without the concurrence of India.

However, India could share the knowledge and expertise with other states.

Mahajan expects the government to be out of the programme at the end of one year and funding to be provided by private sector sponsors who stand benefit from the project.

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