Fostering home-grown research

Times News Network

    The University of Mumbai, in association with the National Innovation Foundation, is organising a summer school to help build strong foundation of research among UG and PG students. The programme will run from May 12 to 31 at University of Mumbai’s Vidyanagari Campus.
    Having already sealed the entries to the summer school, the university instructed all affiliated colleges to nominate two students from the faculty of science and technology. Fifty students were then shortlisted to attend the summer school.
    The students were required to send a 250-word abstract of a research proposal, after which it was reviewed by an expert committee, who then shortlisted candidates on the basis of merit.
    “Fifteen students from rural colleges and 35 from urban colleges have been selected,” said RT Sane, convener of the summer school.
    Elaborating on the need for such a summer school, Sane believes that initiatives like these would inculcate an environment of research in colleges and herald a new age indigenous innovations. He says, “India needs to apply basic research to help develop new products which can be patentable and marketable. The present generation of students lacks the drive to innovate and hence, need to be motivated to conduct research.”
    The summer camp will feature talks and lectures by eminent speakers such as MM Sharma, former director, Institute of Chemical Technology, RA Mashelkar, former director general, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Anil Kakodkar, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission of India and the secretary to the Government of India and others belonging to various institutes, including IIT and TIFR
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