MUMBAI: Discovery and the British High Commission have annouced the launch of their partnership Future Living: 2020.

The UK-sponsored Future Living is a six part TV series. This will showcase the challenges and opportunities of the future in areas of lifestyle, computing, health, sustainability and creativity.

The series will be aired on Discovery in the first quarter of this year. The airing of the series on Discovery Channel will be accompanied by visits to India by UK scientists.

British Trade and Industry Minister, Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling said, “I am pleased to launch the television initiative Future Living. The series will reach out to a wide audience, share ideas for innovation, and generate new prospects for research partnerships. I want the UK to be a key partner for India in science and innovation, to improve the lives of ordinary citizens. The UK is a major player in science, with many Nobel Prize winners. Our science budget has doubled from ?1.3 billion to ?3.5 billion in less than a decade.”

Discovery India executive VP. MD Deepak Shourie said, “Future Living 2020, as the title clearly suggests, alludes to what the near future has in store for mankind.

What this series shows us is that as scientists and researchers probe newer ways of improving and bolstering technology and its delivery mechanisms in various fields of endeavour, we can all look forward to a healthier, safer and more creative world. Discovery Channel is proud to partner with the British High Commission in bringing this exciting vision of mankind’s immediate future to its viewers across India.”

Stressing on the India growth trajectory, Darling adds, “India is one of the great opportunities for business. With the economy growing at eight per cent, it is one we cannot afford to miss. That is why I am leading the largest ever business delegation to India - over 150 of our top business people, representing over 80 of our best-known companies.”