By Sandhya Sharma

New Delhi, Mar 12 (ANI): India-Germany science and technology cooperation touched all time high with a visiting German delegation proposing to set up the German House of Science and Innovation in India.

A German delegation led by Parliamentary State Secretary to Education and Research Minister Thomas Rachel is on a three-day visit to India, starting from Wednesday.

The delegation held a series of meetings with viable partners from both academicians and industry on collaboration plans.

Speaking to ANI, Rachel said Germany is seeking an exchange of scientist from India.

He said exchange is done with "special importance to India," and informed that Germany has reserved 12 million euros in next four years for this programme.

The fund will be used for the mobility of scientist and students coming from Germany to India, Rachel said.

He further elaborated that Germany is looking aggressively at investment opportunities in India in sectors like automotive, energy programme, and water among other things to boost bilateral trade.

Rachel said that Indo-German Science and Technology Center (IGSTC) in New Delhi would start function from May and elaborated that it will bring the India German bilateral cooperation on science and technology to a new level.

The IGSTC would facilitate and promote India-German bilateral collaborations in basic and applied science, research and technology through substantive interaction among government, academia and industry. (ANI)