Dr. Jitendra Singh Holds Bilateral Meeting with Swiss President Guy Parmelin

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences and MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh today held a bilateral meeting with President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, in New Delhi, with discussions focused on further strengthening the longstanding India-Switzerland partnership in science, technology, research and innovation.

The meeting focused on taking the bilateral S&T partnership into a more structured and long-term phase, with greater institutional engagement and cooperation in emerging areas of mutual interest.

Dr. Jitendra Singh said India is increasingly adopting an interdisciplinary and mission-mode approach to Science and Technology, with national programmes bringing together expertise from different disciplines and ministries. He said Artificial Intelligence is being viewed as an enabling tool rather than a separate discipline, with the potential to contribute across diverse areas of science and technology.

President Guy Parmelin said Switzerland sees India as a rapidly emerging global research and development power and seeks to position itself as a preferred long-term partner in education, research and innovation. Recalling the bilateral Science and Technology Agreement signed in 2003, he said the partnership has grown steadily and that Switzerland is committed to developing a more structured and long-term framework for cooperation.

The two sides also discussed Artificial Intelligence and its wider applications, with President Parmelin stressing the importance of ensuring that AI benefits countries across the Global South. He also invited Indian participation in the forthcoming Geneva AI Summit, reflecting the shared interest in expanding cooperation in emerging technologies and areas of global significance.

The meeting was attended from the Swiss side by Dr. Martina Hirayama, State Secretary for Education, Research & Innovation (SERI); H.E. Maya Tissafi, Ambassador of Switzerland to India and Bhutan; Catherine von Wyl, Scientific Advisor, SERI; Prof. Dr. Torsten Schwede, President, Swiss National Science Foundation; Thomas Gfeller, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation Switzerland Innovation; Prof. Dr. Regula Jöhl, President, Zurich University of Applied Sciences; Joël François Mesot, President, ETH Zurich; and Leena Arora Kukreja, Science & Technology Counsellor, Embassy of Switzerland.

From the Indian side, Dr. Jitendra Singh was accompanied by Prof. Umesh V. Waghmare, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology; Dr. Rajesh Sudhir Gokhale, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology; Dr. Praveenkumar Somasundaram, Head, ICD, DST; and Dr. Ramkrishna Sahoo, Nodal, Swiss Desk, DST, during the meeting.UPDATED ON 6TH OCT 2026)