The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIITH) hosted EU Day on 17 April 2023. The event aimed to facilitate discussions and promote cooperation between India and the European Union (EU) in digitalization and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The event had talks by Mr. Benoit Sauveroche, Counsellor of the Delegation of European Union to India; Prof. P J Narayanan, Director, IIITH; Mr. Sanjeev Roy, Key Expert Higher Education, EU Policy Outreach Partnerships and Prof. Sachin Chaudhari, Associate Professor, IIITH.
The event commenced with a welcome address by Prof. P J Narayanan, who highlighted the role of IIITH in various EU-funded projects, such as the Smart City Research Center and the Center of Excellence in IoT. He also emphasised the institute’s focus on modern research in IT with human sciences. Prof. Sachin talked about IIITH’s strong relationship with the EU with its active involvement in the India-EU ICT projects since January 2018. In addition, there are several collaborations and research exchanges ongoing with several EU universities.
Mr. Benoit presented the keynote on EU-India Cooperation on Digitalisation / ICT, focusing on the EU-India collaboration to contribute to society and humanity through the integration of technical knowledge. He also talked about the EU’s focus on creating human-centric regulations like the Digital Market Act and the AI Act so that social and ethical principles are always upheld while adopting new technologies. Later, Mr. Sanjeev talked about scholarship programs and opportunities to study in Europe. He discussed the Erasmus+, Study in Europe, and EU Higher Education Virtual Fair Programs, which fund Indian students for internships and master’s programs in the EU.
The event concluded with two Q&A sessions moderated by IIITH students Ms. Ruchi Pandey and Ms. Ihita Gangavarappu. The attendees asked questions related to the elements of transparency in the use of AI, which Benoit answered by mentioning the human-centric and risk-based approach considered in the EU’s AI Act. There were questions on the adoption of Indian digital infrastructures like UPI, Aadhaar, and ONDC in Europe, which Benoit answered by mentioning the ongoing work on the creation of universal identity for Europeans on the lines of Aadhaar and the adoption of QR based payment system through UPI in countries like France and Belgium. Mr. Sanjeev answered the questions and clarified the application process for different scholarship schemes and the associated eligibility criteria.
The event was a success, with a diverse audience, including students and faculty members, who appreciated the informative talks and the opportunity to interact with the EU representatives. The vote of thanks was presented by Prof. Sachin, followed by high tea.
April 2023