Tuesday, March 30, 2010

CSIR Programme on "Technology Led Entrepreneurship"

Seventh Programme on "Technology Led Entrepreneurship"

Organized by: Human Resource Development Group, CSIR

Venue: Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, (IICT) Hyderabad

Dates: June 01 - 22, 2010


Objective
The objective of this programme is to inculcate the spirit of technological entrepreneurship amongst our Research Scholars to enable them to learn how to take knowledge based innovations through to a commercial outcome. The skills learned during the programme would help the scholars to enhance their expertise in technology commercialization and business development.

The programme also seeks to kindle the sprit of 'intrapreneurship' (Corporate Entrepreneurship) in the participants, through which they can take on entrepreneurial roles in large organizations in the course of their employment subsequent to completion of their doctoral programme.

Eligibility criteria for participants
  • Research Scholars [JRF, SRF, RA from Science & Engineering Stream] availing fellowships of any central agency [CSIR, UGC, ICMR, ICAR, DAE, DRDO, DST, DBT] in universities and R & D organizations and having at least one year of research experience are eligible to apply for this programme.
  • GATE qualified M.Tech students, Project Assistants registered for Ph.D and Research Scholars working in externally funded project in CSIR Labs and having a minimum of one year of research experience are also eligible.

Last Date
Application and Recommendation forms complete in all respect must reach to us on or before April 25, 2010.

Important topics to be covered during the Programme:
  • Technological Entrepreneurship: Key conceptual framework and Case studies
  • Preparation of Business Plans
  • Corporate entrepreneurship: Innovating in large organizations
  • Finance & Accounts
  • Going to market for technology and products
  • Company Law and Commercial Knowledge for technological ventures
  • Communication skills
  • Intellectual Property Rights
  • Thinking Strategically in technological ventures
  • Motivation, team building, creativity and leadership
  • Decision Analysis and Resource Management
  • Economic Environment
  • Technology-driven business opportunities
  • Technology assessment and licensing
  • Positioning of latest R&D technologies in the market
  • Major hurdles / barriers in technology-driven ventures and their solutions
  • Business plan presentations

Monday, March 22, 2010

6th Sixth International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics (WIS) & Eleventh COLLNET Meeting

Sixth International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics (WIS) & Eleventh COLLNET Meeting

19-22 October 2010

Venue: University of Mysore, Mysore, India

Scope
Quantitative aspects of science of science. Collaboration and communication in science and technology. Science policy. Combination and integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches.
Theoretical, methodological and applied aspects, for example:
  • Emerging issues in scientometrics/informetrics/webometrics and history
  • Science Policy and collaboration
  • Collaboration Studies for Science & Society
  • Collaboration, Knowledge Management & Industrial Partnership
  • Collaborative Bridge between Academic Research and Industry
  • Techniques for Collaboration Studies
  • Visualization Techniques in Collaboration Studies
  • Quantitative analysis of S&T innovations
  • Informetric laws and distributions, mathematical models of communication or collaboration
  • Nature and growth of science and of collaboration in science and its relation with technological output
  • Evaluation indicators
  • Collaboration in science and technology from both quantitative and qualitative points of view
Please, note that these examples listed above give a broad outline of the scope of the workshop theme but do not limit it.

COLLNET and ISSI
COLLNET is a global interdisciplinary research network of scholars who are concerned to study aspects of collaboration in science and in technology (see COLLNET web site at: http://www.collnet.de/). This network of interdisciplinary scholars was established in January 2000 in Berlin with Hildrun Kretschmer as coordinator. Since that time there have been 9 meetings: the first in Berlin, September 2000, the 2nd in New Delhi, February 2001 and the 3rd in Sydney (in association with the 8th ISSI Conference), July 2001. The former ISSI President Mari Davis has mentioned in the Newsletter, July 2003: Importantly, ISSI needs alliance with other groups, such as COLLNET, for broader reach among a range of interdisciplinary researchers and to encourage new thinking and perspectives on investigations in science and in technology. The 4th COLLNET Meeting took place on August 29th in 2003 in Beijing in conjunction with the 9th International ISSI Conference; the International Workshop on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics and 5th COLLNET Meeting in Roorkee, India, in March 2004. The 6th COLLNET Meeting took place in association with the 10th ISSI Conference in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 2005 and the International Workshop on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics and 7th COLLNET Meeting in Nancy, France, in May 2006. The Third International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics, Scientometrics and Science and Society & Eighth COLLNET Meeting took place in New Delhi, India, in March 2007 (http://www.collnet-delhi.de), the Fourth International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics & Ninth COLLNET Meeting in Berlin, Germany in July 2008 (http://www.collnet-berlin.de) and the Fifth International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics & Tenth COLLNET Meeting in Dalian, China, in September 2009 (http://www.wiselab.cn/collnet-dalian)

Call for Papers
Papers are called presentation and publication in conference proceedings from , teachers, researchers and students. The papers submitted at the conference should be the original work of the author(s). Research papers based on surveys and case studies are given preference. The paper submitted should have been neither published anywhere nor kept under consideration for publication.
  • The article must be submitted according to the following format: The manuscript may be limited to 3000 to 5000 words.
  • Article should be submitted electronically.
  • All papers should be typed on Microsoft Word Version.
  • Paper size should be A4, Portrait (8.5"*11") with margins:1" (top & bottom and right):1.5" (left)
  • Heading & sub headings must be in bold font, justified and numbered according to the level of heading as below:
  • 1. First level heading
  • 1.1 Second level heading
  • 1.1.1 Third level heading
  • Figures, chairs, photos and tables within the article should have proper number and descriptions.
  • The font size is to be 12 in Times New Roman.
  • The main title should be followed by name, affiliation and address of the author(s) with email ID and contact numbers.
  • The length of the abstract should not be more than 200 words.
  • At least 5 keywords must be given after the abstract.
  • All papers must be accompanied by one passport size colour photograph and a brief CV.
  • Reference/bibliographies may be cited as per APA format prescribed by American-Psychological Association (http://www.apa.style.org)
  • General presentations and descriptive articles are not encouraged. Submission of Papers: Original papers focusing on the theme of the conference are invited from the potential authors engaged in the area of Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics and related issues are requested to send their full paper so as to reach the organizing secretary before 15th August 2010.
Important Dates:
  • Extended Abstract (3 pages): April 15, 2010
  • Acceptance: May 15, 2010
  • Full Paper: August 15, 2010 (Camera-ready version, maximum 10 pages including tables, figures, references)
Both abstracts and full papers will be peer reviewed by the Programme Committee. The accepted full papers will be published in the proceedings. Please send your extended abstracts to: Hildrun Kretschmer {Kretschmer.h[at]onlinehome.de}. Please send also a copy to: S.L. Sangam {slsangam[at]yahoo.com}.

Contact Information
Dr.P.V. Konnur
Organizing Secretary
Sixth International Conference on Webometrics, Informetrics and Scientometrics & Eleventh COLLNET Meeting
C/o Department of Library and Information Science
University of Mysore
Manasagangotri, Mysore 570 006
Phone: +91-80-22961131, 23215510
Mobile: +91-9449679737
E-Mail: konnur[at]bub.ernet.in
Website: http://library.bub.ernet.in/

Sunday, March 14, 2010

India's Scientific Legacy by Jayant V. Narlikar

India's Scientific Legacy
Jayant V. Narlikar


BOOK REVIEWED - Technology at the Core: Science and Technology with Indira Gandhi
by Ashok Parthasarathi
Pearson Education India: 2008. 348 pp. INR 750

The end of the Second World War saw the beginning of decolonization in many countries. Among the nations that became free, India is unique in having a firm science and technology base. This exists because the nation was led by a visionary prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, who strongly believed in directing science and technology for the development of the emerging nation. Nehru's dialogue with high-ranking scientists, such as Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar, Homi Bhabha and Daulat Singh Kothari, led to practical solutions for how to achieve it. Another fortunate circumstance was that Nehru had a long tenure of 17 years at the helm, during which India enjoyed political stability.
It is against this background that one should read Technology at the Core. The author's father, the late G. Parthasarathi, was a senior diplomat and close confidant of prime minister Indira Gandhi, Nehru's daughter. And author Ashok Parthasarathi worked for several years in her secretariat, making him eminently qualified to write an account of how she handled issues relating to science and technology. Indeed, in several places he cites instances showing the informality of her interaction with him.

Mrs Gandhi, as she was widely known, succeeded her father two years after his demise, and like him, she had a soft spot for science and technology. "It was Indira Gandhi who brought scientists, engineers and technocrats into policy-making and managerial positions," explains Parthasarathi. Nehru, by contrast, saw them more as laboratory workers and thinkers.

This book focuses on the years 1967 to 1977 and 1980 to 1984, when Mrs Gandhi was in power and when Parthasarathi was able to observe, report on and somewhat influence the events that were important enough for the prime minister's intervention. Since Nehru's time, major science and technology issues in India, such as space and atomic energy, have been handled by the prime minister. Parthasarathi was initially appointed special assistant to Vikram Sarabhai, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. In 1970 he was moved to the prime minister's secretariat, where his job was administrative in nature but required good scientific knowledge. His varied roles included briefing the prime minister, preparing drafts of her speeches, acquainting her with the progress of meetings - including complaints about bureaucratic delay - and reminding her of previous enabling decisions of the cabinet.

One might imagine that science-related decisions would be taken rationally. That image receives a knock if one reads the accounts in this book. One learns that Sarabhai gave an unrealistic future estimate of nuclear power generation without consulting his second-in-command at the Atomic Energy Commission, Homi Sethna, who had the engineering experience. The Department of Atomic Energy continued to have internal quarrels between engineers and scientists. The book also describes controversies from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, with one director-general reportedly victimizing the favoured staff of his predecessor.

There are hints of bigger controversies. When the Indian National Satellite System was being constructed, Mrs Gandhi insisted on finding out who was involved in the tendering procedure. She suspected that one of her senior ministerial colleagues was trying to influence the bids. Advance payments were reportedly sent to suppliers of defence equipment in the United States shortly before the US government was expected to ban the sale of such equipment to India. Parthasarathi also discusses his own role in the investigation of Monkombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, the distinguished agricultural scientist known for developing high-yielding Indian wheat varieties. He describes how Swaminathan was exonerated after being accused of falsifying scientific claims.

Occasionally, there are glimpses reminiscent of the British sitcom Yes Minister, when decisions approved by the cabinet or the prime minister were stalled in the corridors of power. The administration was even divided between the technocrats and those who came through the regular channel of the administrative service. I recall that during my tenure as member of the Science Advisory Council to prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, the exasperated leader once asked the council: "Tell me, how am I to get this recommendation implemented by my administrators?".

Excellent though this account is, there are serious gaps. Important political events such as the war leading to the formation of Bangladesh, the declaration of emergency with draconian powers assumed by Mrs Gandhi, her loss of the post-emergency election, and her return to power nearly three years later are mentioned only fleetingly. How did science and technology, especially the prime minister's secretariat, fare during these traumatic events? Even in a purely scientific context, there is no discussion of the 1974 peaceful nuclear test. How much did the secretariat staff know of it? There is frequent mention of Purshottam Narayan Haksar as an important decision-maker whose views were greatly respected by Mrs Gandhi. Yet there is no discussion of why and how he was sidelined during the state of emergency declared in 1975.

A comparison with a political biography of Mrs Gandhi, such as the one by Inder Malhotra, would make this book seem a somewhat dry and oversimplified account of how she functioned and how she ran science and technology in a big emerging nation. Technology at the Core is eminently readable as an eyewitness account. But it could have been even more so had the political ambience not been filtered out.


Source: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v457/n7226/full/457150b.html

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Call for Research Partnerships - Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network

Call for Research Partnerships - Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network

Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (RRA-network) is a network of organizations and individuals attempting to build a macro-economic case for improved targeting of public investments and policies in support of rain-fed agriculture. The network has emerged based on the collective understanding that agricultural policies designed for relatively secure and well-endowed parts of the country have been indiscriminately extended into rainfed areas. Such an extension has contributed to a range of crises, including the depletion of groundwater and natural resources, escalating input costs, and a secular decline in farmers' incomes.

This network is pursuing a broad engagement with practitioners, researchers and government on issues confronting rain-fed areas. The network hopes to use evidence from different parts of the country, in combination with macro-economic and other research to build the case for a shift in agricultural policy. The network believes that such a re-orientation in public policy will contribute to both regional economic growth and ecological restoration of rain-fed areas.


RRA-Netowrk invites applications from researchers to undertake a range of studies to further our understanding of the existing structure and regional disparities in public investments (around subsidies, support prices, the structuring of the PDS, the availability of credit and so on), develop simulations to model macro-economic returns under a range of policy/investment regimes in rainfed India and analysis of various policy options.

Interested researchers should send resumes with 3 references, 2 sample publications and a brief expression of interest to Coordinator, Revitalising Rainfed Agriculture Network (email: rainfedfarming[at]gmail.com). RRA will be looking for research support on an ongoing basis.

The Revitalizing Rainfed Agriculture Network is funded by the Hivos-Ford Foundation Dryland Agriculture Fund and is anchored at WASSAN, Hyderabad.

Call for Research Partnerships - Rainfed Livestock Network (RLN)

Call for Research Partnerships - Rainfed Livestock Network (RLN)

Rainfed Livestock Network (RLN) is a national coalition of organizations and individuals attempting to build a macro-economic case for better targeted public investments and policies in support of non-dairy, low-input and diverse livestock production systems in arid and semi-arid India. This objective of the network derives from a number of localized understandings and experiences that point to the crucial role played by these neglected livestock production systems in sustaining low-income households. Yet, such animal husbandry remains peripheral to mainstream livestock policies and government investments.

RLN is exploring the case that a reorientation in public policies and investments with a focus on these marginal livestock production systems can contribute substantially to the growth of the livestock sector, poverty reduction more generally and to ecological restoration.

RLN invites applications to undertake applied research in support of building the case for such a reorientation in livestock policy. Within this broad framework, studies may focus on issues such as mapping the spatial distribution of such systems across the country, profiling the contribution of these livestock systems to the GDP and people dependent on them, analysis of production systems and the natural resource base of such systems and demographic and spatial trends over time.


Interested researchers should send resumes with 3 references, 2 sample publications and a brief expression of interest to Coordinator, Rainfed Livestock Network (email: rainfedlivestocknetwork[at]gmail.com). RLN will be looking for research support on an ongoing basis.


The Rainfed Livestock Network is funded by the Ford Foundation, New Delhi and is anchored by Foundation for Ecological Security, Anand, Gujarat.