The cabinet today approved a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research proposal to double its postgraduate science and engineering fellowships to 2,400 a year in an effort to increase India’s output of doctorates.
The annual number of Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), open to students with MSc in any science discipline or a BTech in engineering, will increase from 1,200 to 2,400 each year, leading to a total of 12,000 fellowships over the next five years.
Science policymakers have been worried about the slow growth in the number of science and engineering doctorate-holders in India. “This will boost the number of PhDs from India,” said Samir Brahmachari, the director-general of the CSIR.
Scientists believe more doctorates will be critical to India’s efforts to awaken what some call its “sleeping institutions” — second-tier institutions that are not as productive in research as the top-ranking ones such as the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
The number of science and engineering doctorates from India last year was a little more than 9,000, about half of an estimated 18,000 from China, Brahmachari said. Even Brazil had more than 10,000 PhDs, he said.
Each JRF receives Rs 12,000 per month which is raised to Rs 14,000 after two years and can pursue PhD in public or private universities, or in any of CSIR’s 39 laboratories, or in national research institutions.
However, senior faculty are concerned that the best doctorates will continue to leave India for post-doctoral research positions until India finds a way to absorb and retain PhD-holders in institution, universities, and colleges.
“Indian science will only improve when our best PhDs remain and work here,” said Subhash Lakhotia, a senior biologist at the Banaras Hindu University. “Some of the most productive research emerges during the post-doctoral years,” he said.
Researchers believe poor faculty is one reason why India’s second-tier institutions have been unable to improve research productivity while top-ranking institutions have contributed a steady 30 per cent of research papers.
“The biggest problem in these (second-tier) institutions is the lack of PhD holding faculty,” said Mahesh Panchagnula, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech University.
Source : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100122/jsp/nation/story_12015036.jsp
The annual number of Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), open to students with MSc in any science discipline or a BTech in engineering, will increase from 1,200 to 2,400 each year, leading to a total of 12,000 fellowships over the next five years.
Science policymakers have been worried about the slow growth in the number of science and engineering doctorate-holders in India. “This will boost the number of PhDs from India,” said Samir Brahmachari, the director-general of the CSIR.
Scientists believe more doctorates will be critical to India’s efforts to awaken what some call its “sleeping institutions” — second-tier institutions that are not as productive in research as the top-ranking ones such as the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
The number of science and engineering doctorates from India last year was a little more than 9,000, about half of an estimated 18,000 from China, Brahmachari said. Even Brazil had more than 10,000 PhDs, he said.
Each JRF receives Rs 12,000 per month which is raised to Rs 14,000 after two years and can pursue PhD in public or private universities, or in any of CSIR’s 39 laboratories, or in national research institutions.
However, senior faculty are concerned that the best doctorates will continue to leave India for post-doctoral research positions until India finds a way to absorb and retain PhD-holders in institution, universities, and colleges.
“Indian science will only improve when our best PhDs remain and work here,” said Subhash Lakhotia, a senior biologist at the Banaras Hindu University. “Some of the most productive research emerges during the post-doctoral years,” he said.
Researchers believe poor faculty is one reason why India’s second-tier institutions have been unable to improve research productivity while top-ranking institutions have contributed a steady 30 per cent of research papers.
“The biggest problem in these (second-tier) institutions is the lack of PhD holding faculty,” said Mahesh Panchagnula, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech University.
Source : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100122/jsp/nation/story_12015036.jsp
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