THE EU-INDIA SOCIAL SCIENCES and Humanities Platform (EqUIP), a new programme aimed at giving impetus to European Union-India research collaboration, was launched in Delhi on October 14. EqUIP is a €1.5 million (Rs.11.5 crore) project funded by the European Commission and will link 12 European research funding organisations with key funding agencies in India, to develop a stronger strategic partnership in social sciences and the humanities.
“The European Union is proud to support ten European countries joining with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) to enhance networking and coordination in the social sciences and humanities. This cross-cutting cooperation is crucial for enhancing the socio-economic impact of research and for evidence-based policymaking,” said Dr. Joao Cravinho, EU ambassador to India, speaking on the occasion.
Describing the launch of EqUIP as a “historic event”, Dr. Sukhadeo Thorat, chairman ICSSR, added: “Researchers from European countries and India will now be enabled to conduct collaborative research. We intend to extend this platform to other European partners as well, connecting with academics and researchers as widely as possible. We hope this will open up new opportunities and infuse new energy into social science and humanities research in India and Europe.”
Higher research stipends
AKHIL BHARATIYA Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student’s wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has welcomed the notification issued by the Union ministry of science & technology on October 21, to increase the stipends paid to research scholars from Rs.16,000 to Rs.25,000 per month for junior research fellows, and Rs.18,000 to Rs.28,000 for senior researchers excluding house rent allowance.
“Though the new stipends are welcome, timely disbursement of fellowships/scholarships is a major concern in all universities barring a few top institutions. For instance, in the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, research students face a lot of hardship in getting their fellowship disbursements. It’s important that fellowship disbursals are made timely and hassle-free,” says Saket Bahuguna, secretary of ABVP (Delhi state unit) calling upon the Union HRD minister to clarify the status of students in non-DST (department of science & technology) funded research institutes.
Women leaders initiative
THE US-BASED IT multinational IBM announced a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) and Catalyst India WRC to launch a cross-industry women’s leadership development programme Tanmatra (‘potential’ in Sanskrit) in Bengaluru on October 13. According to a company spokesperson, the programme will leverage the best collective practical experience and research to prepare women for leadership roles in the Indian business community. In this collaborative programme, IBM is the knowledge partner, contributing the organisation’s experience in the advancement of women. Catalyst India WRC is the research partner, offering its research expertise to Tanmatra’s faculty. IIM-Bangalore is the education partner.
“IBM places great emphasis on building women leaders who will help transform the businesses of tomorrow. We have industry-leading and recognised in-house interventions that focus on attracting, developing, and retaining woman talent, globally and locally. We are delighted to be the knowledge partner of Tanmatra as it supports our vision towards building women leaders not just in a uni-dimensional context but in the larger canvas of multi-industry, enabling peer-to-peer learning mentorships, and community give back,” said Dilpreet Singh, vice president, human resources (India/South Asia) of IBM, speaking on the occasion.
Added Deborah Gillis, president & CEO, Catalyst WRC: “Through Tanmatra, we can communicate with working women, discuss the daily challenges they face, and suggest effective strategies based on our extensive research. India Inc is bound to benefit enormously from this strategic and culturally relevant initiative.”
UBC scholarships offer
THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH Columbia (UBC), Canada has budgeted a quarter million dollars in non-public funds to support merit-based scholarships for Indian students entering any of UBC’s undergraduate degree programmes.
Under the programme announced in Delhi on October 6, UBC will offer 11 Outstanding International Student awards of CAD $10,000 (Rs.5.4 lakh), and five International Major Entrance Scholarships, valued at CAD $28,000 (Rs.15 lakh) per year for four years to students from India who demonstrate exceptional academic achievement, intellectual promise, and strong extra-curricular and community involvement. The first awards will be tenable for September 2015.
Dr. Arvind Gupta, president and vice chancellor of UBC, requested Indian schools to nominate their most outstanding students who have financial need for UBC’s highly-selective International Scholars Program (http://internationalscholars.ubc.ca/). “The UBC International Scholars Program provides full need-based funding to approximately 25-27 exceptionally gifted international undergraduate students entering UBC every year, covering tuition as well as cost of living for the duration of their four-year degree programme. There are currently 130 fully-funded International Scholars at UBC from 46 different countries, including India,” he said, speaking on the occasion.