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SPARC Program Details

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SPARC: The Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC) aims to strengthen the research ecosystem of India's Higher Educational Institutions by promoting academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and leading institutions from 28 selected countries to jointly address problems of national and / or international significance.

The scheme facilitates productive academic cooperation in the areas such as joint research projects, exchange of faculty and students, and joint degree programs by supporting the following key components that can catalyze impactful research. These include:

  • Visits and long-term stay of leading international faculty and researchers at Indian institutions for teaching and research
  • Visits by Indian students to premier international laboratories for training and experimentation
  • Joint development of niche courses, world-class books and monographs, translatable patents, demonstrable technologies, or action-oriented research outcomes and products
  • Strengthening of bilateral cooperation through academic and research partnerships via workshops held in India
  • Publication, dissemination and visibility through a high profile annual international conference in India, and
  • Training of researchers and students

So far, 800 proposals have been approved under SPARC across two phases.

During India's G20 Presidency, “Strengthening research and promoting innovation through richer collaboration in education and training” was one of the four priority areas by the Education Working Group. The G20 Leaders' Declaration has “reaffirmed our commitment to promote open, equitable and secure scientific collaboration and encourage mobility of students, scholars, researchers, and scientists across research and higher education institutions.” Digital transformation, artificial intelligence (AI) and other critical and emerging technologies, along with sustainability and green transitions, are some of the areas that have been prioritized in G20 deliberations and the outcomes documents, including various reports. These are recognized as sectors that require global cooperation to develop sustainable and inclusive solutions.