New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS): An initiative that aims to take the Indo-British research and innovation relationship to a higher level was announced here, a statement by Research Councils UK India said Thursday.

The "Newton-Bhabha" programme was announced following a meeting between UK's Minister for Universities, Science and Cities Greg Clark and Minister for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan here Wednesday.

Both the ministers applauded the role that the UK-India research and innovation partnership has played in bringing together the best researchers in both countries with the aim to tackle wide-spread global challenges.

"I hope this exciting new programme will deliver as much to global science as Newton and Bhabha. By working together to address big societal challenges like sustainable cities, health, food, energy and water, UK and India can deliver tangible benefits for our countries and the world," Clark said.

The Newton-Bhabha Fund (50 million pounds over five years from the UK and an equal amount from India) would further strategise the science, research and innovation cooperation between the UK and India, the statement said.

As part of the programme, joint initiatives in the fields of mental health and substance abuse, women's and children's health, cancer biology, neuroscience, among others, were announced.

Clark also announced another UK-India partnership in historical research through the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR).

Research is the fastest growing bilateral cooperation between India and the UK, having scaled up from 1 million to over 150 million pounds since 2008, the statement said.