Integrated long term programme of cooperation in Science and Technology known as ILTP was jointly initiated at the apex level by the former PM and the then General Secretary of CPSU in 1987. ILTP became one of the most exhaustive S & T collaborative programme that India and the former Soviet Union ever entered into with another country. Consequent upon the disintegration of the Soviet Union, the programme continued between India and Russia as most of the participating scientific institutes and scientists are from Russia. ILTP has remained a flagship programme amongst international programmes in science and technology. Considering the benefit which has accrued from the programme and the vast potential available it has been agreed by the two sides to extend the programme by another decade with a focus on technology transfer.

ILTP comprises of cooperation in 12 thrust areas related to frontiers of S & T namely:

• Biotechnology & Immunology
• Materials Science & Technology
• Laser Science & Technology
• Catalysis
• Space Science & Technology
• Accelerators and Their Applications
• Hydrology
• Computer & Electronics
• Biomedical Science & Technology
• Oceanology and Oceanic Resources
• Engineering Sciences

• Mathematics
• Applied Mechanics
• Earth Sciences
• Physics and Astrophysics
• Ecology and Environmental Protection
• Chemical Sciences
• Life Sciences

• Setting up of Advance Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials at Hyderabad is a proud example of accomplishments of ILTP. Erstwhile USSR contributed hi-tech equipments worth Rs. 35 crores for use in the Centre, whereas from the Indian side we have spent about Rs. 46 crores on infrastructure and balancing equipment. Presently the centre is operational with thrus on three major area, namely, Powder Metallurgy; Surface Engineering and Ceramic Materials. This is a unique example where scientists and technologist from Russia, Belorussia, Ukraine, Maldova and Uzbekistan work together with Indian scientists/technologists for joint R & D and transfer of technologies to industry.
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• Another important accomplishment of the programme has emerged in the form of polio vaccine production facility, BIBCOL (Bharat Immunological and Biologicals Corporation Ltd.), at Bulandshahar. This plant with a capacity of 100 million doses of polio vaccine annually has been receiving continuous help and inspiration from Russia. About 40 scientists/engineers of this plant have been trained in Institute of Polio Myletitis Vaccine, Moscow for periods ranging from 1-3 months.
• Setting-up of Indo-Russian Centre for Advanced Computing Research in Moscow has been another important milestone of this programme. The centre was inaugurated by Prof. MM Joshi, Hon'ble Minister for Science and Technology at Moscow on 3^rd July 2000. The parallel computing system PARAM 10000, designed and developed by Centre for Development of Advance Computing (C-DAC) has been installed at the Indo-Russian Centre for Advanced Computing Research. Initially, the system is of 12.8 GFLOPS peak performance which would be subsequently upgraded after the multidisciplinary applications are optimized. Projects on developments of software for the applications like Computational Fluid Dynamics, Seismic Data Processing and Development of Parallel Compiler have been initiated.