India
The Leopoldina maintains close contacts with the Indian National Academy of Sciences (INSA). Together they promote scientific exchange, organise high-level symposia and lecture series and are involved in international policy advice.
Last edited: 28. April 2026
The Leopoldina and INSA strengthen the exchange between the scientific communities of both countries and increase the visibility of science in Germany and India. The close cooperation is based on a partnership agreement from 2007, which was extended in 2012.
The two academies regularly organise high-level, interdisciplinary symposia on topics such as medicine, neuroscience and evolutionary biology. They have also launched the "Leopoldina-INSA Lecture Series", in which members of both academies present their research findings to a wider audience. They also work together with the Indian Embassy in Berlin.
The connection to India goes back many years and is also reflected in the membership: several Indian researchers, including former INSA President Raghavendra Gadagkar ML, are members of the Leopoldina.
In addition, Leopoldina and INSA are jointly involved in international policy advice, e.g. in statements in the run-up to the G20 summits.
events
Lectures & Discussions 23. April 2026 | 16:00 - 18:00 From Science to Policy Advice: Science Diplomacy and the Role of National Academies – Insights from India and Germany ▸
Embassy of India Berlin
Impressions
In 2007, the Leopoldina agreed on closer cooperation with the Indian National Science Academy in the field of science and technology. Leopoldina President Prof. Dr. Volker ter Meulen ML and INSA President Prof. Dr. M. Vijayan signed a "Memorandum of Understanding" in New Delhi, India. The first bilateral seminar of the Leopoldina and INSA focused on "Antimicrobial Drug Resistance and the Development of New Antibiotics".
This virtual panel discussion explored approaches to address challenges in COVID-19 vaccination from a scientific perspective. The event was jointly organized by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Indian National Science Academy (INSA). Professor Gagandeep Kang, PhD, Chair of the Immunization Technical Advisory Group for the WHO South East Asian Region, Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA) participated.
As part of India's G20 presidency in 2023, the Science20 consultations were held under the leadership of INSA. The G20 Chief Science Advisers Roundtable (G20-CSAR) was established in 2023, with Leopoldina President Gerald Haug representing Germany. India was represented by Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, Chief Scientific Advisor to the Government of India and former President of INSA (both pictured). The consultations culminated in an official presentation of the Statement to the Government of India in Coimbatore in July 2023.
At the dialogue forum at the German National Academy of Science Leopoldina in Halle (Saale) on 22 March 2017 the science academies of the G20 States handed over recommendations to Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel. The document was published in preparation of the G20 Summit consultations in July 2017 under the leadership of the Leopoldina and contains strategies and tools to improve global health. For the first time, the G20 science academies contribute to the Summit preparations with jointly developed recommendations.
Leopoldina-Lecture, Indian Embassy Berlin, 18.9.2018
The Leopoldina and INSA have worked closely together for many years, for example by jointly organising scientific conferences in India and Germany. Prof. Dr. Raghavendra Gadagkar, member of the Leopoldina and former president of the Indian National Science Academy (INSA), gives a lecture at the Leopoldina headquarters in 2016.
Further information
Kontakt Dr. Saskia Steiger
