Accelerate Vigyan Programme

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), through some of its existing programmes facilitates various forums for scientists and technologists by providing complete or partial grant-in-aid to scientific organizations and professional bodies to organize seminar/symposia, technical workshops, winter/summer schools etc., while the organizers of such events solicit funds from other funding bodies too. However, such efforts of all these ministries/departments and beneficiaries of such programs, often remains unnoticed for the want of a common database. Thus, another component of the AV aims towards branding and aggregation of all the scientific workshops and training programs conducted in the country under a common roof and logo of "Accelerate Vigyan".

Goals of Accelerate Vigyan

The inter-ministerial scheme Accelerate Vigyan (AV) strives to provide a big push to high-end scientific research and prepare scientific manpower which can venture into research careers and knowledge-based economy. Recognizing that all research has its base as development of quality and well-trained researchers, AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshop, on a broad-based national scale. The vision is to expand the research base, with three broad goals, namely:

• Consolidation/aggregation of all scientific programs
• Initiating high-end orientation workshops
• Creating opportunities for research internships, for those who do not have access to such resources/facilities

The AV will work on mission mode, particularly with respect to its component dealing with consolidation/aggregation of all major scientific events in the country.

AV Programs

Abhyaas (Skill Development)

Mission Abhyaas is an attempt to boost Research & Development in the country by enabling and grooming potential PG/Ph.D. level students by developing dedicated research skills in selected areas/disciplines/fields through high-end workshops and research internships. This is especially important for those researchers who have limited opportunities to access such learning capacities/facilities/infrastructure.

This mission will be achieved through two of its subcomponents/programs, namely:

• Karyashala (High-End Workshops)
• Vritika (Research Internships)

These high-end workshops and research internships will primarily be facilitated by institutions of national importance such as:

• Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)
• Indian Institute of Science (IISc)
• Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) 
• National Institutes of Technology (NITs)
• Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

Karyashala (High-End Workshops)

Karyashala is aimed to provide hands-on experience to the students primarily from universities, colleges, private academic institutions and newly established institutes in handling/troubleshooting of high-end scientific instruments and such skill development on themes required for quality and cutting edge research work.

The program is meant to support motivated PG and Ph.D. students who are having a strong willingness to get excellence in their scientific and engineering research pursuit, and do not have such high-end facilities in their own institution in the country.

Daily necessary expenses such as TA, stationary, consumables, accommodation, food, etc. for the participating students will be borne by the host institute through SERB funding support. A typical duration of each high-end workshop will be 1 -2 weeks.

Vritika (Research Internships)

'Vritika' is the call for initiation and practice in science through research internships. This program aims to provide opportunities to promising PG students from universities and colleges to get exposure and hands-on research experience.

The scheme is meant to support regular PG level students who are having a strong orientation and potential towards scientific and engineering research and are pursuing their degree from University/Institution within India, but do not have the requisite infrastructure or expertise in their institutions, to be able to get first such exposure and motivation.

The internship will be given for meeting daily necessary expenses such as TA, stationary, consumables, accommodation, food etc. and will not contain any stipend for them.

Samoohan (Bring Together)

Samoohan is aimed to encourage, aggregate and consolidate all scientific interactions in the country under one common roof. This mission, through its wide knowledge base, caters to a varied audience – Research & Development Departments, Institutes in Science & Technology as well as stakeholders - mentors, coordinators, participants and students.

This will be achieved through two of its subcomponents, namely:

• Sayonjika (aggregation of the major capacity building activities of all science departments/ ministries in the country)
• Sangoshthi (existing Seminar & Symposia Scheme of SERB)

Sayonjika (Chronicle)

Sayonjika is an integrated initiative to catalogue the capacity building activities in Science and Technology supported by government funding agencies in the country. This program aims to encourage the event organizers to register with Accelerate Vigyan online portal, to utilize its logo and submit the completion report and outcomes. The information base aggregated through this initiative will benefit the students, teachers, researchers, science administrators and policy makers, in participating, conducting and planning future capacity building activities and have repository of the skilled manpower in various fields/areas.

The events supported by the national agencies (Central Government Ministries/Departments) are eligible under Sayonjika. The events related to "Science and Technology" and of five or more days are only eligible for funding.

Sangoshthi (Seminar & Symposia)

Sangoshthi is an effort to reshape and renovate SERB's erstwhile program "Seminar and Symposia'' that provides partial financial support up to Rs. 5 lakhs (generally) for scientific events. It is designed to facilitate the scientific community to establish an interaction with individuals and research groups to enhance knowledge exchange, keeping them abreast of the latest developments in Science & Technology. This is done by providing partial financial support to hold conferences, seminars, symposia, technical meetings and short-term training programs/workshops. The ultimate objective is to bring it under the ambit of Samoohan, so that all such events fall under the common roof.

The program covers events having a strong orientation towards scientific research in the areas of basic and applied sciences, engineering, technology, agriculture and medicine. Partial support can be used to cover the domestic travel in respect of young and senior scientists (Indian only), pre-conference printing (announcements, abstracts, etc.) and contingencies. There is no bar on the number of days in the entire duration of proposed events.

Source: Accelerate Vigyan