Gandhinagar to Host G20 Science Advisers’ Roundtable: Bilateral Meetings, Quad Sessions, Forum on Inclusive Tech Lined Up

Gandhinagar to Host G20 Science Advisers’ Roundtable: Bilateral Meetings, Quad Sessions, Forum on Inclusive Tech Lined Up

Ira Singh
26 Aug’23

The three bilateral meetings on Sunday, August 27, will kick start the three-day second G20 Chief Science Advisers’ Roundtable (CSAR) in the picturesque city of Gandhinagar, bringing together prominent scientists, experts, and policymakers from around the world.

The first G20 CSAR was held at Ramnagar in Uttarakhand in March.

Three bilateral meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, Australia and the United Kingdom will launch the second G20 Chief Science Advisers Roundtable.

The event, scheduled from 27th to 29th August, aims to facilitate crucial discussions on global scientific cooperation, bilateral meetings, Quad sessions, and a forum focused on inclusive technology.

According to press conference addressed by G20 nodal officer IAS Mona Khandhar on Thursday in Gandhinagar, three bilateral meetings with officials from Saudi Arabia, Australia and the United Kingdom will be held at the Leela hotel Sunday, following which the fourth intersessional session will take place at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

On August 28, three meetings are scheduled at Mahatma Mandir, preceded by a meeting at the Leela hotel on the topic of ‘One Health’, followed by four sessions with a special focus on inclusive and accessible science and technology.

At Mahatma Mandir, the meetings will commence with the first session titled ‘Opportunities in One Health, for Better Disease Control and Pandemic Preparedness’. Among the Indian delegation presenters will be fellow at the office of the Principal Scientific Adviser Sindura Ganpathi, NITI Aayog member Dr V K Paul, ICMR director-general Rajiv Bahl and microbiologist Dr Gagandeep Kang.

The second session will involve deliberations on ‘Synergizing Global Efforts to Expand the Access to Scholarly Scientific Knowledge’, with Indian delegates/speakers such as IIT-Kharagpur professor Sudeshna Sarkar, developmental biologist L S Shashidhara, and Indian Institute of Science professor T A Abinandanan.

The third session for the day will touch on ‘Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in Science & Technology (S&T)’, with Indian delegation speakers including professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies Anitha Kurup, professor at Indian Statistical Institute Sanghamitra Bandyopadhyay, among others.

The final session will discuss ‘An Institutional Mechanism for Inclusive, Continuous and Action-Oriented Global S&T Policy Dialogue’. Indian delegates addressing the session will include scientific secretary at the office of the principal scientific adviser Parvinder Maini, director of the National Institute of Advanced Studies and Distinguished Scientist in the Ministry of Earth Sciences Shailesh Nayak, geneticist and former secretary at Union government Renu Swarup and Atal Innovation Mission director Chintan Vaishnav.

A Quad AI-Engage meeting is also scheduled to be held the same day. Through AI-ENGAGE, Quad science agencies — from the United States, Australia, India, and Japan — are identifying joint funding opportunities to encourage collaborative research between Quad partners to leverage the latest science and technology advances.

Interspersing serious talks with leisure, on August 27, delegates will be taken for an excursion to Modhera Sun Temple and the Sujanpura solar power project in the vicinity. On August 28, the delegates will be taken to Dandi Kutir and on August 29, they will be treated to a heritage walk.