Germany to help India reverse brain drain

8216;Strategic alliance with a difference8217; is the catch-phrase which is expected to add new meaning to Indo-German relations. The 8216;8216;difference8217;8217; is because it is not just meant to boost trade and investment, but also to help India reverse the brain drain to 8216;8216;brain gain8217;.

As part of German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder8217;s two-day visit, the Department of Science and Technology signed an MoU with the Max Planck Institute in the 8216;8216;brain gain project8217;8217;. The agreement entails German help through 8216;8216;strategic8217;8217; joint research projects. Under the plan, the Institute will offer scholarships to six young Indian scientists. Each scholarship will be worth Euros 20,000 per year and will be over five years.

The institute has also identified the institutes which would host the six Max Planck Fellows for five years 8212; IIT, Delhi; NCBS, Bangalore; IISc, Bangalore and the Institute of Material Science, Hyderabad. Besides these fellowships, German Nobel laureates will visit India for annual lecture tours. 8216;8216;While the first six are being shortlisted, we hope to fund as many as 60 fellows by 2007. It will help India gain the brains it has lost over the years,8217;8217; an institute director said.