Author: Sowmya

Job Opening: Programme Manager

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Position: Programme Manager (Senior Project Associate/Project Scientist)

Number: 1  

Duration: 1 Year  

Job Description: 

The selected candidate would be a part of DST-Centre for Policy Research at IISc (DST-CPR-IISc’s) programme management team and will provide organisational and management support to various current and future projects and activities of the Centre.   

Responsibilities:   

  • Provide assistance in the overall management of Centre’s projects including financial management, event organization and record-keeping.  
  • Facilitate collaborations and partnerships with national/international researchers, institutes and programmes. 
  • Identify funding and career development opportunities for researchers and policy fellows affiliated with the Centre.  
  • Provide coordination support between the Centre, IISc and DST administrations.  
  • Provide subject-matter-expertise to researchers in preparation. of research grants. 
  • Provide outreach and communication support to the researchers  
  • Provide assistance in managing Centre’s website and social media engagements   

Necessary Qualifications:  

Bachelor’s / Master’s / Doctoral Degree in Science/ Social Science/ STI Policy/ Engineering/Technology from a recognized university.   

Desirable Criteria: 

Training and Experience in programme management/grant management. Demonstrated organisational and communication skills; Good understanding of Indian S&T policy system.   

Application Instructions:  

  • Please submit your resume/C.V. with an accompanying cover letter detailing your job suitability to coordinator.cpr@iisc.ac.in. The subject of the email should be ‘Application for Programme Manager’.
  • Resume/C.V. file should be named in ‘Your name_ Program manager _CV.pdf’ format and cover letter should be named in ‘Your name_Program manager_Cover letter.pdf’ format. 
  • Last date of submission 26th June, 2022. 

Remuneration:  Commensurate with qualifications and experience (as per DST guidelines – SR/S9/Z-05/2019)  

Note: The selected candidate would be expected to physically work from the DST-CPR office at IISc Bengaluru. 

Responsible Research Assessment

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Responsible Research Assessment

Exploring the Current Practices in Research Assessment within Indian Academia

Funded by: DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) under the Community Engagement Grant Program 

About the project 

India has a considerably large research community of ministries, scientific  and industrial research organisations; universities, research councils, and autonomous institutions directly dealing with research/funding. The country also boasts of ~0.34 million FTE researchers. The quantum of research undertaken/funded by these institutions are also quite large. Research assessment criteria vary with the type of institutions, research, and the goal of assessment. 

However, like many other countries, research assessment in Indian institutions and funding agencies is currently overly dependent on matrices such as Journal Impact Factor (JIF), h-index, etc. Though started well intended, matrices proliferated to be an abused instrument. Keeping this in view, the proposed project aims to initiate a broader discussion on the framework used by these institutions, their institutional capacities, and strengths and gaps in the existing practices. 

For this purpose, we plan to organise a series of workshops with the major stakeholders of the Indian research ecosystem to understand and deliberate on the strengths and weaknesses of current practices. 

Expected outcome

The workshop outcome will help us better understand the existing practices, how to look beyond the quantitative journal indicator-based metrics, and suggest pathways to make them more effective and inclusive wherever necessary. The project outcome will help the institutions build robust, flexible research assessment frameworks.

For more information, please see the project website and contact Dr. Momita Koley or Dr. Suchiradipta Bhattacharjee

 

Project Intern – Qualitative studies on Rare diseases

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Note: Due to overwhelming number of applications received, the call for applications is now closed!

 

Position: Project Intern – Qualitative studies on Rare diseases

Number of openings: 1 

Duration: 3 – 6 months (can be extended)

Location: Flexible hours, remote work with occasional visits to IISc

Joining Date: June 2022

Salary: INR 10,000 – 12,000 per month

About the role:

The intern will be expected to work on various processes involved in a qualitative research project which may include networking, taking interviews, proofreading transcripts, coding, analysis, manuscript writing, literature review

Desired Skillsets:

Basic knowledge of qualitative research methodology, Interview based study.

Required Qualifications: 

Completed or ongoing Masters in Life Science, Public Health, Public Policy, MBBS, BDS

Application Instructions:  

If you are interested in applying, please send your CV to mohuac@iisc.ac.in

Apply by 15 June, 2022

Multi-stakeholder Roundtable on Citizen Science Policy and Practices in India

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Multi-stakeholder Roundtable on Citizen Science Policy and Practices in India

DST-CPR-IISc

Multi-stakeholder Roundtable on Citizen Science Policy and Practices in India

Date: 10th May, 2022    |   Time 16.00 hrs – 18.00 hrs (IST)
Abstract

The objective of this roundtable was to discuss the current potential and challenges of Citizen Science in India and chart out the possible way-ahead including the creation of a citizen science network or a common platform in the country.  Various policy interventions in operating the citizen science projects in India were also discussed with experts from leading citizen science projects in the country, representatives of the young science academy, government agencies and the Global Citizen Science Partnership.

Concept note

Concept Note

Video

DORA funded project “Exploring Research Assessment Practices in Indian Academia

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Exploring the Current Practices in Research Assessment within Indian Academia

 

Funded by: DORA (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment) under the Community Engagement Grant Program 

 

About the project 

India has a considerably large research community of ministries, scientific  and industrial research organisations; universities, research councils, and autonomous institutions directly dealing with research/funding. The country also boasts of ~0.34 million FTE researchers. The quantum of research undertaken/funded by these institutions are also quite large. Research assessment criteria vary with the type of institutions, research, and the goal of assessment. 

However, like many other countries, research assessment in Indian institutions and funding agencies is currently overly dependent on matrices such as Journal Impact Factor (JIF), h-index, etc. Though started well intended, matrices proliferated to be an abused instrument. Keeping this in view, the proposed project aims to initiate a broader discussion on the framework used by these institutions, their institutional capacities, and strengths and gaps in the existing practices. 

For this purpose, we plan to organise a series of workshops with the major stakeholders of the Indian research ecosystem to understand and deliberate on the strengths and weaknesses of current practices. 

 

Expected outcome

The workshop outcome will help us better understand the existing practices, how to look beyond the quantitative journal indicator-based metrics, and suggest pathways to make them more effective and inclusive wherever necessary. The project outcome will help the institutions build robust, flexible research assessment frameworks.

 

For more information, please contact Dr. Momita Koley or Dr. Suchiradipta Bhattacharjee

Round table discussions with Swissnex & Danish embassy

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Round table discussions with Swissnex & Danish embassy
DST-CPR members with Swissnex team

 

Round table Discussion with DST-CPR-IISc Team and Swissnex Members

28 Oct., 2021 

Joined by:

Jonas Brunschwig, CEO, Consul General, Swissnex Bangalore   

Lena Robra, Head of University Partnerships, Swissnex Bangalore  

 

 

Round table Discussion with DST-CPR-IISc Team and delegation from Denmark’s embassy

08 Nov., 2021

Joined by:

Eske Bo Rosenberg, Consul General, Head of Trade and Innovation Centre Denmark, Bangalore

Jakob Williams Ørberg, Councellor Innovation, Research and Higher Education · Royal Danish Embassy in Delhi

Rajeev Balamurgan, Trade Associate, Royal Danish Consulate General, Bangalore

 

Higher Education

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Higher Education

Higher Education

Higher education institutions play a central role in developing the human, social, and knowledge capital of the STI ecosystems. The Centre’s work on higher education is focused on:

(a) scientometric  studies of publications from Indian institutions with a view to elucidate their research productivity and strengths in different fields of science and technology, and

(b) a study on doctoral education in India whose aim is to assess the level and quality of training received by doctoral students to prepare them for both academic and non-academic careers.

The project on Doctoral Education in India is a multi-institution collaboration led by DST-CPR at IISc, with project investigators drawn from the University of Washington (Prof. Maresi Nerad, who is a visiting professor at our Centre), Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Prof. Neeta Inamdar), Jindal Global University (Prof. Anamika Srivastava), IIM-Ahmedabad (Prof. Devasmita Chakraverty), FLAME University (Prof. Poonam Pandey), and IISc (Prof. T.A. Abinandanan. The project aims at mapping research scholars’ journey through their PhD years to develop a detailed understanding of their motivation, reasons for choosing an institution / department / subfield / thesis committee or supervisor, the breadth and depth of training in both academic and extra-academic domains, and effectiveness of their preparation for their post-PhD careers.

 

For more information, please contact Prof. Abinandanan or Prof. Maresi Nerad

Sectoral Research and Innovation

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Sectoral Research and Innovation

Sectoral Research and Innovation

Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) is part of a larger set of ideas and initiatives addressing socially responsible innovation and describes a research and innovation process that considers effects and potential impacts on the environment and society. RRI “refers to the comprehensive approach of proceeding in research and innovation in ways that allow all stakeholders that are involved in the processes of research and innovation at an early stage (A) to obtain relevant knowledge on the consequences of the outcomes of their actions and on the range of options open to them and (B) to effectively evaluate both outcomes and options in terms of societal needs and moral values and (C) to use these considerations (under A and B) as functional requirements for design and development of new research, products and services.”[a] The Centre has the following on-going research projects under this theme.

1. Responsible Research and Innovation to engage with Vulnerabilities of Agricultural Systems

2. Transitioning to a bio-based economy: a comparative study of innovation ecosystem for II generation (lignocellulose based) biofuels in India and Brazil.

3. What twirls the triple-helix for biofuels: A scientometrics and patentometrics study of top five biofuel producers in the world.

 [a] European Commission (2013). “Options for Strengthening Responsible Research and Innovation – Report of the Expert Group on the State of Art in Europe on Responsible Research and Innovation” (PDF). doi:10.2777/46253.

For more details, please contact Dr. Poonam Pandey

 

Rare Diseases

Rare diseases (RD) are severe and debilitating conditions that affect a small fraction of the population. These diseases are often not prioritised in the agenda-setting of government or the pharmaceutical industry. As such, there is a huge lack of awareness and medical attention to these diseases. This project aims to analyse the policy environment in India and identify the facilitators and barriers towards achieving equitable and affordable healthcare for people living with RDs. Through this project, we also attempt to explore ways to integrate public health thinking into RD management, raise awareness, and initiate discussion around RDs in India.

For more information, please contact Dr. Mohua Chakraborty Choudhury

DST – CPR, IISc Policy Lecture Series – Science, Technology & Innovation Policies for Development in India

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DST – CPR, IISc Policy Lecture Series – Science, Technology & Innovation Policies for Development in India

DST-CPR-IISc Policy Lecture Series

Lecture 4

Science, Technology and Innovation Policies for Development in India:

Some Reflections on Post-Independence Era
Date: 8th March 2022    |   Time 11.00 hrs (IST)
Abstract

The talk on science, technology and innovation policies (STIP) for development will be a critical reflection on exploring some key trends in a socio-historical perspective. Four different phases and trends, which are not exclusive but envelop with each other, are traced between 1947 and the contemporary period. Science and technology (S&T) policy in the formative years left a distinct Nehruvian imprint in the post-colonial and post-independent India. With a huge population, India is not dependent on food on outside countries since the 1960s. Green and White Revolutions have made immense contribution to develop scientific and technical capacities in agriculture security and related fields of research. India’s innovation system, including higher education, has given her some comparative advantage through ‘human capital’ in information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, space research and so on.

However, in export promotion and economic competitiveness in technology-based industries, we lag behind East Asian ‘Dragons’. India’s informal sector coupled with 650 plus industrial clusters poses a formidable challenge in skills and technological up gradation with more than 95% of India’s labour force. When we begin to assess our national innovation system, one feature that stands out to research observers is few islands of excellence, some promising S&T landscapes but vast ‘hinterlands’ of underdeveloped research arenas. Despite successive higher educational policies, India is yet to achieve what is known as the ‘Humboltdian goal’. There is clearly a gap between theory and practice of science policy in India. Our gross expenditure on research and development as a proportion of gross domestic product remained relatively stagnant in the last couple of decades and, in fact, receded from 0.8% in the 1990s to 0.7% in 2020. At 75, when a country introspects and looks back, it certainly needs some benchmarks, perspectives and strategies. Some attention will be given to these STIP issues confronting us.

 

About the Speaker

 

Venni V Krishna

Professorial Fellow, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia,

Editor-in-Chief, Science, Technology and Society (Sage)

Venni V. Krishna is currently Professorial Fellow, School of Humanities and Languages at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He has been elected as the Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales, Australia in December 2019. He was Professor in Science Policy and Chair, Centre for Studies in Science Policy, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi for more than 20 years. He held faculty positions at the National University of Singapore; McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Maison des Science De l Homme, Paris; United Nations University, Japan; Western Sydney University, Sydney and Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Over the years, he published over 40 papers and five books which include: Science, Technology and Diffusion of Knowledge: Innovation Systems in Asia-Pacific (Edward Elgar 2007); Scientific Communities in the Developing Countries, (Sage 1997). His latest book is on Chinese Universities in the National Innovation Systems (2021) co-authored with three Chinese scholars. Earlier to that he published, Universities in the National Innovation Systems: Experiences from Asia Pacific (Routledge 2017) He is Editor-in-Chief of a ranked international journal Science, Technology and Society (Sage). He was member of various expert committees and been consultant at UNESCO, OECD, ILO and other international agencies. He contributed to World Science Report 1998 and UNESCO Science Report 2005, and to the ILO in 2001 for its programme on the informal sector. He served as expert on European Research Council’s Grand Challenges and European Union, Brussels, based networks on research and innovation policies since the 1990s.

Click here to join the lecture on 8th March at 11:00 am