DST plans big push to Research

CHENNAI: The Department of Science and Technology plans to address the declining trend in registration of PhDs and provide an impetus to research in private sector, according to T Ramasami, Union Science and Technology Secretary.Speaking to Express on the sidelines of the naming ceremony of a research block in Shankara Nethralaya as ‘Kamal Nayan Bajaj research centre’, Ramasami said that taking into account the low interest among youngsters to pursue research programmes, the government had introduced the Innovation for Science Pursuit in Inspired Research (INSPIRE), a novel programme aimed at attracting talents to the study of science at a young age that has no global precedent. The programme, launched in 2008, has three components - Scheme for Early Attraction of Talents (SEATS), Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) and Assured Opportunity for Research Careers (AORC).Under this programme, the Department aimed at conferring one million science awards over a period of five years, called INSPIRE awards, on students in the age group 10 -15 years for science projects that are selected by an eminent jury. The INSPIRE awards that cover middle and high schools have been received with high level of enthusiasm and will soon cover 7.2 lakh awards in the states, he said.In addition, the top 10 per cent in class 10 from all boards are being invited for science camps being held in different parts of the country. In 2010, the government held 220 such camps, he added. Apart from this, the government has stepped up its scholarship schemes under SHE for top rankers  keen on pursuing research in Bachelor and Masters level education in natural and basic sciences. To enable students from various boards of study to benefit from this initiative, the centre has ensured eligibility certificates for the scholarship schemes are attached to the students’ marksheets. This initiative helped them identify students eligible for the scholarship scheme and helped them increase enrolment in research programmes. The INSPIRE fellowship schemes, under AORC, are aiding in enhancement of research fellowships for doctoral studies, he said.The event was attended by V Krishnamurthy, chairman, National Manufacturing Council, Rahul Bajaj, chairman, Bajaj Group, and H N Madhavan, president of Vision Research Centre.