Prof. Claude Allegre, the then French Minister for National Education, Research and Technology, during his visit to India in 1997 had suggested the setting up of collaborative projects and eventually joint Indo-French research cells in several areas, including information technology and computer simulations . The strategy for rapidly creating a Joint Research Laboratory in India can consist of opening an Indo-French cell within an existing Indian Centre, making it grow with a specific programme and if necessary, in multiplying it to create several independent laboratories, or even with a central unit managing dependent units working on different themes . The programme includes research projects, seminars, exchanges of doctoral and post-doctoral fellows and exchange of teaching faculty and scientists . Following this India and France had decided to set up five such laboratories to promote cooperation in fundamental and applied research . The areas identified for joint research were water resource management and technology, information technology, mathematical modelling and laser physics .