CIOInsider India Magazine

A UK-India Technology Security Initiative was jointly launched by the UK and India in light of the need for technology innovation in national security and economic development. The UK-India tech partnership aims to look into telecom security and cooperation in important domains such as semiconductors, health technology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and essential minerals. The TSI will refresh and deepen the UK-India security capacities through cutting-edge information technology inventions by facilitating collaboration among the government, the private sector, academia and research and development institutions.

Both prime ministers of India and the UK agreed to take the two countries to the next level by looking to renew the roadmap to heighten the ambition for bilateral cooperation. The bilateral cooperation will focus on key areas such as trade, investment, defense, security, migration and mobility, information technology, artificial intelligence and technology, science and technology, innovation, and green energy.

The Foreign Secretary, on behalf of the Prime Minister, has signed this historic agreement, which expands on a number of collaborations between the Indian and British governments, businesses, and academic institutions. This agreement will be carried out by the corresponding National Security Advisers to guarantee that the combined potential of crucial UK-Indian technologies is fully used.

The Mail Goals to Score
The main goal of the TSI will be to advance India and the UK's strategic partnership in Roadmap 2030 by bringing more synergies in critical and emerging technologies. There will be new avenues opening up to foster collaboration and to grow the scope of existing procedures.

Both countries already take delight in the number of partnerships between each other’s institutions in this field. While they are at it, the two look to build on this solid base to jointly shape a fourth industrial revolution that enhances the prosperity, health, and well-being of citizens while promoting democracy and peace. In a way, the two view TSI eye to eye as a means and a clear indication of their intention to develop long-lasting, concrete collaborations across important technology industries.

TSI will serve beneficial in heightening the resilience on supply chain and for masking sure that extraction technologies for uprooting vital minerals will be developed to pass the economic feasibility and environmental sustainability check.

As an added bonus to India’s deal with the TSI relation with the UK, the country is also part of the Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) initiative with the US and the Trade and Technology Council with the European Union. Together with all three initiatives, the target is locked on placing new standards in place and evoking collaboration efforts in the latest technology developments.

Under the Technology Security Initiative, India and the UK will expand their "Future Telecoms Partnership," focusing on joint research on open radio access network (open RAN) technologies, testbed linkups, telecom security, spectrum innovation, software, and systems design.

The UK and India will cooperate more on their vital mineral plans and exchange more policies in this area. Together, they will also explore technological and R&D partnerships throughout the whole value chain of important minerals, improve the resilience of the supply chain, and define a roadmap for future collaboration.

Setting Technical Standards in Key Sectors
The UK and India will exchange dialogue on global tech governance, with an emphasis on placing digital technical standards and the advancement of a multi-stakeholder model for internet administration. The two countries will cheer on multilingualism through Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) and by extending discussions to include Internet Governance concerns.

Semiconductor
Using the benefits of both, the two countries will work on pooling in more collaborative efforts in the semiconductor industry. Research and development will be focused with an eye on supply chain resilience, talent exchanges, and hardware security. They will also encourage industry and academics to come together, particularly in the fields of complex semiconductors, advanced packaging, and chip design.

Artificial Intelligence
As for this field, both countries aim to build a safe, responsible, human-centric and trustworthy AI. The objective here is to promote international goodwill and bolster interoperability between their different AI governance frameworks. They will also cooperate in international forums such as the G20, UN, and Global Partnership on AI.

Telecom
Both countries will drive efforts in upcoming telecom research, with key emphasis on spectrum innovation, telecom security, Open RAN systems, and other topics. They are also expected to encourage the deployment of 6G and other next-generation telecommunications technology. There will be a new bilateral framework for standards, equipment use, security, and telecom diversification.

Vital Minerals
Joint efforts will be increased for vital minerals to bolster supply chain resilience and create alliances in technology and research. By doing that, the two countries aim to form a critical minerals community between industry, academia, and innovators among each other. They will also devise cooperation plans for offshore mining and the exploration of rare earth elements (REEs).

Biotechnology and Health Tech
To promote scientific advancements in engineering biology, both countries have established an enhanced collaboration in biotechnology across genomics, precision medicine, biotherapeutics, and other areas. They look forward to sharing experience and best practices on responsible advances and standards in biotechnology and bioinformatics.

Advanced Materials
High-level discussions will be facilitated with a purpose of advancing materials to find potential joint R&D projects. The two countries will push for a fast-tracked development in technology and also ensure sustainable manufacturing and materials/composites. Encourage cooperation in the fields of nanotechnology and innovative 2-D materials.

Quantum
More discussions will be encouraged on national quantum strategies and potential future cooperation. Collaborative hackathons, entrepreneurial education, and industry/academia interactions on quantum technology will also be encouraged.