India and France have signed a pact to establish a virtual institute for applied mathematics in an effort to set up joint research projects in the area, officials have said Friday.

Apart from the agreement between India's Department of Science and Technology and the National Centre of Scientific Research ( CNRS) of France, the two countries also inked pacts to renew cooperation in the field of immunology and informatics.

The mathematics project will draw participation from six institutes from India led by the Indian Institute of Science in the southern city of Bangalore. The University of Toulouse will be the leading institute from France, the officials said.

"We have signed agreements with the Indian counterparts to set up a joint unit in mathematics in Bangalore and two international associated labs in informatics and immunology to strengthen scientific collaboration between the two countries," CNRS Director General Joel Bertrand told the media in the national capital.