Science Vision For The Next Decade Discussed in Indo-French Astronomy-Focused Meeting

ATES POST: Indo-French Astronomy at the recent Indo-French focus meeting on ‘Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO)/Monakia Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) and Multi-Wavelength Synergy’ with the aim of establishing a long-term partnership in the field of astronomy Science vision and mega-projects on multiwavelength synergy science were discussed.

The chief guest of the conference, Dr. Chandrasekhar, DST Secretary, highlighted the importance of the astronomy vision for the progress of both countries in the meeting, which was organized by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST). Shri Chandrasekhar said that CEFIPRA is a model organization to support bilateral programs in advanced areas of science and technology in France and India.

The meeting was organized from January 9-13 at the IIA campus in Bengaluru through the Indo-French Center for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA), a joint venture between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and Europe and abroad. The Ministry of Affairs, CNRS, is an organization supported by the Government of France. The meeting was organized to discuss collaborative projects in astronomy such as the Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO), an upcoming international radio observatory located in South Africa and Australia, in which both India and France are major partners. It also discussed the collaborative Monakia spectroscopic explorer, which will be operational in the United States.

Addressing the meeting, Dr. Francois-Xavier Mortreuil, Attaché for Science and Higher Education, French Embassy in Bangalore, said that higher education and research are inextricably linked and French President Emmanuel Macron during his recent visit to Delhi It was emphasized during the visit that furthering and developing the bilateral program of R&D and university-level exchanges in India is one of the top priorities of the French Government and that the French Embassy would like to undertake many more bilateral projects in the coming years. look forward to supporting.

Dr. Annapoorni Subramaniam, Director, IIA and Mr. Sanjeev K. Varshney, Adviser and Head, International Cooperation, DST, agreed that there is a need for observers, theorists and instrumentation scientists to design multiwavelength synergy projects and strengthen collaborations to meet cutting edge science goals for the next decade. The meeting is very timely to bring together the network, in which both countries and their European partners are deeply involved at basic technical and scientific levels. CEFIPRA Director, Dr. Nitin Seth talked about new progressive initiatives of CEFIPRA in 2023, such as the Indo-French Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for Women in Science.

The French PI and Dr Mamta Pommier from the University of Montpellier, France, said at the meeting, “We want to be reliable long-term partners in all astronomy projects, which include building our scientific, technical and infrastructure infrastructure while maintaining a gender balance in higher academics. expertise and are doing their bit to ensure that the larger objectives set by both governments are achieved.”

In the meeting, IIA Professor and Indian PI, C. Muthumariappan said that the exchange of students and researchers between India and France will enhance scientific and cultural exchanges to achieve sustainable and synergistic benefits in areas such as entrepreneurship, training and education. promotes.
Several projects were discussed to outline the areas of cooperation and the layout of the Indo-French astronomy centric plan for the next decade. The conference saw several discussions on joint projects, as well as key scientific questions on which astronomers of India and France can collaborate. Individual training sessions on data analysis were also organized for the students. In addition, there was a special focus on projects to promote gender balance, diversity and inclusion in astronomy, as well as public outreach and student involvement. Indian projects like Aditya-L1 Solar Space Mission, Indian Spectroscopic Space Telescope, National Large Solar Telescope, National Large Optical Telescope etc were also discussed. Around 100 scientists, engineers and students from both the countries participated in the meeting.

India and France are partners in several upcoming international telescope mega-projects and several institutions from both countries are leading various work packages and forward-looking projects. The meeting was also supported by the French Embassy in Delhi and Bangalore, the International Astronomical Union (IAU), the Women in Astronomy Working Group (WG) and the SKA Communications Office in India and France.

Participants of Indo-French Astronomy Meeting at Indian Institute of Astrophysics