UK Science and Innovation Network essay competition about Innovation capacity building in India

UK Science and Innovation Network essay competition

We welcome applicants to write an essay about Innovation capacity building in India.

The UK Science and Innovation team in India welcomes applicants to write an essay about Innovation capacity building in India. We encourage Indian policymakers, researchers, academics and those with strong knowledge of the field to participate in this essay competition.

Science and Innovation is widely recognised as the engine that drives the economic transformation of emerging markets like India. Increasingly, the real innovation bottleneck is not the supply of new knowledge, but external factors surrounding the process. How is India building the capacity to develop its innovation systems? What has been the impact of the national and state-level innovation capacity building programmes and initiatives in India so far? These could be the guiding points for writing the essay.

The UK Science and Innovation Network has bases in 28 countries/territories and works to facilitate international science & innovation collaboration with the UK, as well as collecting evidence to inform the UK's, and our host countries', policies.

Application guidelines

Please read the guidance carefully before completing the Phase I - Application form (MS Word Document, 518KB) .

The competition will have two phases -

Phase I

Submit the completed Phase I - Application form (MS Word Document, 518KB) including a 500 word outline summary and a curriculum vitae (CV) by 1700 hrs IST 18 August 2014. Submitted applications will be reviewed and successful candidates will be notified by 5 September 2014.

Phase II

Five successful applicants will then be invited to submit a full length essay (up to 3000 words) by 22 September 2014. The winners will be announced on 13 October 2014.

Anticipated timelines

18 August 2014	Applications for Phase I due
5 September 2014	Notification of success of application
22 September 2014	Completed essay submitted
13 October 2014	Winner announced

Essay topic/ theme

The essay topic will centre on the issues related to 'Innovation capacity building in India'. We anticipate that areas which would be covered in the final essay would include:

• 'National and state-level capacity building programmes and initiatives targeting staff from public sector and innovation agencies' in India.
• Which programmes have worked in the past? What did not work?
• What were the gaps in the programme development?
• Key Indian and multilateral funders delivering programmes in this area.

For Phase I, we are looking for a 500 word summary of some of the key issues relating to the above. The successful applicant will be asked to expand on these in Phase II – writing of the full essay.

Eligibility

The essay competition is open to academics and researchers based in Indian universities, institutes and centres and to those with knowledge and expertise in this subject. The competition is open only to people based in India.

All applicants must complete the application form, attaching a two page CV and submit these by 1700 hrs IST 18 August 2014 by email.

Incomplete applications, submissions after the deadline, and applications exceeding the word/page limit will not be accepted.

Only one submission per person is accepted. Essay should be the original work of the participant. When quoting directly, original sources must be cited.

By entering the essay competition, the applicants agree that while the Intellectual Property Rights to the essay content remain with the author, the UK Science and Innovation Network in India has the right to promote, print, distribute and publicise the final essay and excerpts from it.

Criteria

For Phase I applications will be judged against the following criteria and should demonstrate:

• The ability to write in English in a fluent and engaging way
• An understanding of how innovation capacity building programmes are funded in India
• An understanding of the success and failure of such programmes
• An understanding of the gaps in the programmes
• The drivers for undertaking these activities
• Any other aspects of delivering innovation policy and programme development in India.

The successful candidate must be able to commit to completing the essay by 22 September 2014.

Prize and recognition

1st prize: An all expenses paid trip to the UK to attend Innovate UK conference in November 2014. SIN India will pay for roundtrip economy class fares in carriers of its choice between candidate's home city and the UK and will be responsible for travel, room and meals for 4 nights.

Entrants are responsible for all documentation related to their journey, including passports and visas and the costs related to these, as well as appropriate medical insurance for their journey and stay in the UK.

There will be exciting prizes for first and second runners-up.

All five successful candidates of Phase II will receive certificates of participation.

Queries

Any questions regarding this essay competition should be emailed to Essay.Competition@fco.gov.uk.

IIED Call for proposals for research grants on building urban resilience to climate change, due on 30 August 2014

Call for proposals for research grants on building urban resilience to climate change

17 July 2014

Individuals and research institutions based in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam are being invited to apply for funding for research in urban centres.

The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is seeking proposals (PDF) for original research projects in those countries that can contribute to an improved understanding of urban climate resilience.

In particular, projects with a particular focus on health and climate change in cities, and sanitation and other urban services in the context of climate change are being sought.

A partner in the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN), IIED is seeking to support local institutions, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders to build knowledge and evidence of practice in order to develop urban climate resilience in Asian cities. 

The institute will work with researchers to help produce and share knowledge and evidence through working papers, policy briefs, peer-reviewed journal articles and other media, to reach and inform key local, national and international stakeholders. The intention is also to build the capacity of local researchers and institutions to design and carry out research and documentation on urban climate change resilience.

Research proposals must be relevant to either health and climate change in cities, or sanitation and other urban services in the context of climate change.

Health and climate change in cities

There remains a need for further understanding of how residents of urban areas may experience health problems due to indirect and direct effects of climate change on existing health risks. 

What role do social and ecological factors play in determining health of urban residents, and how might climate change affect these factors? In what ways might the systems (such as basic services and infrastructure), agents (community groups, individual households and local businesses) and institutions (legal frameworks, planning regulations) in urban areas build resilience to the potential direct and indirect effects of climate change on health?

Sanitation and other urban services in the context of climate change 

There is a continuing need for improving access to shelter, infrastructure and basic services in a way that is accessible to the lowest-income urban residents, who are often most vulnerable to climate change. Through what processes can these deficits be filled, in cities which are often densely populated, lacking infrastructure, growing, in a context of uncertainty around climate change?

While research projects need not be solely focused on the ACCCRN cities, research should be of relevance to ACCCRN cities and should help to build the capacity of local researchers and institutions in a variety of disciplines. Where appropriate, collaborations between researchers, practitioners and government agencies are encouraged.

Further information:

• A total pot of $200,000 USD is available to fund proposals, and IIED expects to fund from eight to 12 projects with budgets in the range of $15,000-25,000 USD per project
• Successful applicants will be expected to produce a working paper (up to 15,000 words) and a policy briefing paper (2,000 words) to be published in the Asian Cities Climate Resilience series, in English. IIED will provide editorial support in the publication process. See examples of past papers in the series
• IIED will facilitate a process of review of the working papers. Initial drafts of the working papers and briefing papers need to be submitted by 1 February 2015, with final drafts submitted by 1 April 2015
• Wherever possible, project outputs should be in a form allowing wider dissemination of findings, such as peer-reviewed journal articles, in order to contribute to knowledge around building urban climate resilience.

Submission process

Proposals should be sent to Diane Archer by email (diane.archer@iied.org) not later than 30 August 2014 outlining the following:

• Objectives of the research, background information and policy relevance
• Methodology
• Key partners
• Timeframe (note that final working papers and briefing papers must be complete by 1 April 2015)
• Anticipated outputs (such as working paper, policy brief, academic journal paper, other)
• Proposed budget (provide an indicative budget using the outline categories show on pages 2-3 of the announcement document (PDF) as applicable, providing additional detail for each category as appropriate)
• Other relevant information.

Disbursements will usually be made as follows: 30 per cent on signing the contract, 40 per cent at an agreed point in the project, and 30 per cent on satisfactory completion of the project. However, there may be room for flexibility in this depending on the type of costs and the lengths of the projects. Disbursements would usually be made to a registered institution or organisation (such as a university or non-governmental organisation) rather than to personal bank accounts.

Selection process

Proposals will be reviewed by a panel on a competitive basis. Applicants will be contacted by 19 September 2014.

Contact: Diane Archer (diane.archer@iied.org)

Further Details: http://www.iied.org/call-for-proposals-for-research-grants-building-urban-resilience-climate-change

IDRC 2015 Research Awards

IDRC 2015 Research Awards

Deadline: August 6, 2014 by 4:00pm EST

As a research award recipient, you will undertake a one-year paid program of research on the topic you submitted to the competition and receive hands-on experience in research management, grant administration, and the creation, dissemination, and use of knowledge from an international perspective.

Eligibility:

• You must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, or a citizen of a developing country.
• You must be currently enrolled at a recognized university at the master's or doctoral level OR have completed a master's or doctoral degree at a recognized university. These awards may be part of an academic requirement.
• Your proposed research must focus on one or more developing countries.
• Candidates cannot receive any other Canadian government scholarship, award, subsidy, bursary, or honorarium, or hold any federal government contract in support of a research/work project for the duration of the award.
• If you are a non-Canadian residing, relocating, or studying in Canada and are recommended for an award, you will need a valid work permit before working at IDRC.

Duration: January – December 2015 (minimum 6 months to a maximum of 12 months). Based in Ottawa, Canada (Select placements may be located in one of IDRC's Regional Offices.)

Budget: CA$39,000-CA$45,000 (salary for one-year, paid internship)

Awardees are considered to be full-time employees of IDRC. Benefits include contributions to Employment Insurance, Employer Health Tax, the Canada Pension Plan, and 4% of salary in lieu of vacation leave. Some travel and research expenses are also supported, up to a maximum of CA$10,000.

 

Scope: Research proposed in the following countries or territories must be approved by IDRC before an award and contract is issued:

Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Eritrea, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Niger, Papua New Guinea, Small Island States [including Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritius, São Tomé and Principe, Seychelles, Timor-Leste and Oceania (Cook Islands, Fiji, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, Marshall Islands, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna)], South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, West Bank and Gaza, Yemen.

TO APPLY

Choose ONLY one of the following programs listed below.

Please note that all applications must be submitted online.

• Advisory Committee on Research Ethics (PDF, 173KB)
• Agriculture and Food Security (PDF, 175KB)
• Climate Change and Water (PDF, 175KB)
• Collaborative Adaptation Research Initiative in Africa and Asia (PDF, 180KB)
• Donor Partnerships Division (PDF, 123KB)
• Governance for Equity in Health Systems (PDF, 129KB)
• Governance, Security, and Justice (PDF, 132KB)
• IDRC Challenge Fund (PDF, 167KB)
• Information and Networks (PDF, 131KB)
• Non-Communicable Disease Prevention (PDF, 118KB)
• Supporting Inclusive Growth (PDF, 129KB)
• Think Tank Initiative (PDF, 169KB)

Access the application form directly at: https://ra-br-competition.fluidreview.com/

Have questions? Read the FAQs about the Research Awards (PDF, 70KB)

 
For more information, contact us at awards@idrc.ca

How does IDRC choose candidates for the Research Awards? Learn about the evaluation process.

Due to the high volume of submissions, only those applicants considered for an award will be contacted by email. An autoreply from the IDRC Fellowships and Awards program serves as acknowledgement of receipt of your application.  

A list of Candidates Recommended for an Award will be posted on the IDRC website by December 2014.

Journal Papers by CSSP Scholars "Knowledge Production by Indian Biotechnology Parks" by SK Patra; "Book Review: Legal Aspects of Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety" by Amit Kumar

Knowledge Production by Indian Biotechnology Parks
by Swapan Kumar Patra
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review, 16(1), 69-87.
Abstract: Globally knowledge parks are encouraged as a source of economic competitiveness of a region and economy. Following the developed countries model of knowledge parks, many developing countries are also promoting technology parks. In India, central as well as various state governments have encouraged science parks in different locations. This study maps the knowledge production by science parks, particularly the Indian Biotechnology Parks. Publication records from Scopus databases are used to map the growth of publications, major areas of activities, the productive institutions and collaboration patterns among top actors. The result shows that scholarly publications from these parks have increased significantly in the last decade. However, the number is very less in terms of global publication share. The maximum publications are from the physical science areas, followed by life science subjects. Collaboration patterns show that Indian educational institutes are collaborating with the entities located very close by the parks. However, collaborations among industry and academia are very limited.
Download Full-text PDF: http://www.ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/Swapan%20Kumar%20Patra.pdf

Book Review: Legal Aspects of Implementing the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
by Amit Kumar
Asian Biotechnology and Development Review, 16(1), 89-95.
Download Full-text PDF: http://www.ris.org.in/images/RIS_images/pdf/Book%20Review-Amit%20Kumar.pdf

Policy Briefs & Strategy Papers from CSIR-NISTADS, India

Policy Briefs & Strategy Papers from CSIR-NISTADS

• "Dynamism in S&T and the role of S&T and Innovation policies in China: Lessons for India", by G.D. Sandhya; N. Mrinalini & Pradosh Nath. ISTIP Policy Bulletin No. 4, March 2014. Download Full-text PDF.
• "Scientific Research in India: Drawing Insights from Bibliometric Indicators", by Sujit Bhattacharya, Shilpa & Arshia Kaul. ISTIP Policy Bulletin No. 3, January 2014. Download Full-text PDF. 
• "FDI in R&D in India: Policy Implications", by N.Mrinalini, Pradosh Nath and G.D.Sandhya. ISTIP Policy Bulletin No. 2, September 2013. Download Full-text PDF.
• "Nanotechnology Development in India: Investigating Ten Years of India's Efforts in Capacity Building", by Sujit Bhattacharya, Shilpa & A.P. Jayanthi. CSIR-NISTADS Strategy Paper on Nanotechnology, No. I, July 2012, NISTADS, India. Download Full-text PDF.
• "Nanotechnology Research and Innovation in India: Drawing Insights from Bibliometric and Innovation Indicators", by Sujit Bhattacharya, Shilpa & A.P. Jayanthi. CSIR-NISTADS Strategy Paper on Nanotechnology, No. II, July 2012, NISTADS, India. Download Full-text PDF.