Jitendra Singh in Italy for Second Science Innovation Dialogue

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Jitendra Singh, began an official visit to Italy that runs from 11 to 15 November 2026. The purpose is to carry forward the Special Strategic Partnership agreed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Italy in May 2026, with science, technology and innovation as the main thread.

The dialogue

The visit forms part of the India-Italy Science and Technology Dialogue 2026. On 12 November the minister was to meet the Italian Minister of University and Research, and he is also taking part in the Second Science and Innovation Dialogue with that minister, Anna Maria Bernini. The delegation's first engagement was with members of the scientific community and officers of the Indian Embassy, where both sides reaffirmed the long relationship between the two countries.

Institutions on the itinerary

• Trieste, on 13 November, for the Elettra Synchrotron facility
• The International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste
• The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Trieste
• An event at the Indian Embassy in Rome on 14 November to mark World Diabetes Day, followed by a meeting with the Indian community in Italy

Who is in the delegation

The incubation and technology side is represented by the Qmet Tech Foundation at IIT Bombay, the Incubator and Technopark at IIT Kanpur and IKP Knowledge Park in Hyderabad, along with officers of the Department of Science and Technology.

Why it matters

Italy is one of India's older partners in research, and a dialogue at ministerial level turns broad agreement into working arrangements between named laboratories. The spread of the delegation, from physics and metrology to medical technology and start-up incubation, shows that the two sides are looking at research institutions and young companies together rather than treating them as separate tracks.