By Niti Aayog
Copyright thehindu
Director General of CSIR N. Kalaiselvi commended the timely consultation process initiated by NITI Aayog for revamping scientific research in the country, stressing the need for the coexistence of various funding agencies along with newly created networks, and the enhancement of the number of fellowships in all categories as mandatory measures for furthering indigenous science and technology development.
The two-day sixth regional consultative meeting on ‘Ease of Doing R&D,’ hosted by CSIR-IICT, Hyderabad, commenced on Wednesday. Delivering the keynote address, N. Kalaiselvi said that trust-based funding, performance-based evaluation, and accountability with transparency were urgent necessities. “It is also essential to take into account a variety of scientific disciplines with their differing environments of functioning, and problems of statements have to be accommodated into the reformed systems for advancing national scientific goals,” she said.
Welcoming the gathering of the eminent scientific community, host institute director D. Srinivasa Reddy stressed that this is a great initiative capable of transforming the country’s R&D environment.
Prof. Vivek Kumar Singh, senior adviser to NITI Aayog, and Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, president of INSA, also spoke. The meeting brings together over 90 participants, including heads of institutions, Vice-Chancellors and professors of universities, and directors of research labs. The congregation of experts in scientific research and policymakers is deliberating on ways to build trust, remove procedural hurdles, translate basic research, and foster young thinking minds to strengthen the research and innovation domains in India.
