G20 science advisors to discuss pre-competitive collaboration, traditional knowledge

New Delhi, Mar 25 (PTI) In a bid to bolster the fight against future pandemics, India's top scientific advisor Prof Ajay Kumar Sood has urged G20 countries to collaborate in developing vaccine platforms by cooperating with each other in the pre-competitive research and development phase.

In a video interview with PTI, Sood, who will chair the Chief Scientific Advisors' Roundtable (CSAR) of G20 countries next week, said India will also present its traditional systems of medicine and seek to harness the knowledge of indigenous communities of different countries.

Making a strong pitch for collaboration among G20 nations in drug development, Sood, the principal scientific advisor to the government, said there is enormous scope for cooperation in the pre-competitive research and development space.