NEW DELHI: After 15 years of hard negotiation, India and the United States have finally signed an umbrella agreement on cooperation in the field of science and technology.

The pact was signed by Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

In a press release from Washington, where the agreement was signed on Monday, the Ministry of Science and Technology said the cooperation would be based on shared responsibilities and equitable contributions. The benefits would be commensurate with the respective scientific and technological strengths and resources of the two countries. It establishes the framework for effective cooperation between organisations and individual scientists. The agreement, it said, would accord priority to support partnerships between public and private research institutions and industry, and touch on issues such as basic space science, climate, information and communication technologies Ms. Rice said the agreement established, for the first time, the IPR protocols, which were necessary to conduct active collaborative research.Mr. Sibal described the agreement as a "great leap forward" in the relations. It would help in development of new vaccines and in tackling natural disasters.

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