IndiaBioscience

IndiaBioscience is a program that fills a unique niche in the ecosystem of the life sciences in India, by being a catalyst to promote changes that affect the culture and practice of the field, through engagement with academia, government and industry at various levels.

IndiaBioscience

IndiaBioscience aims to increase the visibility of science in society, by being a hub for policy discussions, science communication, and as an aggregator of information. IndiaBioscience has been nurtured within the campus of the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru,  but the mandate is broad-based in serving the life science profession across India.

Some of its activities over the past few years have been providing mentorship and facilitating recruitment of exceptional faculty through Young Investigators’ Meetings, communicating new and exciting research via this website, provision of career resources for students and young professionals and facilitation of research collaborations through specific programs. IndiaBioscience has also begun preliminary efforts towards addressing undergraduate science education in India.

IndiaBioscience is primarily funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India. It is also funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and DBT/​Wellcome Trust India Alliance.

Mandate

IndiaBioscience aims to:

• Enable networking of life science professionals across India and abroad 
• Increase visibility of Indian scientific research and opportunities 
• Play a bridging role between life science researchers and educators across India 
• Aid the development of science careers and promote exchange of scientific expertise in India 
• Establish IndiaBioscience as a node for discussion on policy matters

Publications

Disha

Disha is a career resource book for life science and biotechnology. Students provide comprehensive guidance on navigating the landscape of science careers in India. In addition to compiling information about multiple career options open to life science and biotechnology students in India, this book discusses strategies for professional development, job search, and higher education. It also provides an overview of the Indian biotechnology industry and features interviews with leaders in various science professions.

Journey of a Young Investigator (JOYI)

This is a collection of scientific journey and success stories of young investigators attending Young Investigators’ Meeting (YIM). These stories will serve as inspiration for those hoping to launch their scientific careers in India in the near future.

Imprint

Imprint is a collection that showcases the diversity of articles published on indiabioscience.org website.

Spoorthi

Spoorthi is an e-booklet featuring resources for women in science in India, in addition to articles born out of conversations with several such trailblazing women. 

Teaching Graduate Biology

Teaching Graduate Biology booklet is a compendium of popular articles on the topic of higher education. The collection showcases techniques biology teachers use in their classrooms and their teaching experiences.

Careers in Science

Careers in Science is an e-booklet introducing a whole range of career options available to students of science in India.

Young Investigators' Meeting (YIM) Series

In order to bring the best of India’s life scientists together, IndiaBioscience organizes the annual Young Investigators’ Meetings (YIM). YIM allows young Indian scientists who represent the future of Indian biology to meet each other, make friendships, start collaborations, and share ideas for developing laboratories. It brings together an eclectic mix of India's best young life science researchers, post-doctoral fellows, renowned Indian and international scientists, representatives of various grant-funding agencies and science policymakers.

Interactive Database of Life Science Researchers in India

This project of mapping the researchers in the life sciences in India, was inspired by and is an outcome of the 10^th edition of YIM (2018) in Thiruvananthapuram. It was initiated to serve as a resource to:

• Help locate and connect the community of life science researchers, including (but not limited to) the past attendees of the YIM series
• Help map the pool of resources providing relevant information (location, affiliation, discipline, expertise, and links to lab websites)
• Help foster collaborations and cross-disciplinary interactions within the community

Engage with IndiaBioscience

GRADUATING SOON? WHAT NEXT?

• Disha: Comprehensive compendium of life science careers in India
• Crafting Your Career (CYC): Career-development and skill-building workshops conducted by professionals and the IndiaBioscience team, online and in-person.
• Crafting Your Career (CYC): Podcast series featuring conversations on career development and different career paths in science.
• IndiaBiostreams: Interactive webinars showcasing opportunities for science students.
• PhD Café: Articles by PhD students giving an insight into their unique journeys.
• Mental Health and Research Ethics:  Articles on mental health and research ethics.
• Alerts: Latest events, jobs and other resources for students and fresh graduates.

STARTING A NEW LAB?

• Young Investigators’ Meeting: A national platform for postdoctoral fellows and young investigators to network and seek mentorship.
• Regional Young Investigators’ Meetings: A regional platform for science professionals to seek local collaborations and networks.
• Researchers Database:  Interactive database of 400+ life science researchers in India.
• IndiaBiostreams: A webinar series on science policy, funding, training opportunities and more.
• Journey of a Young Investigator (JOYI): Articles by early career researchers about their journeys towards becoming independent investigators.
• 10 Leaders, 10 Questions: Interviews on leadership skills.
• Alerts: Videos, events, jobs and other resources for young investigators.

ARE YOU AN EDUCATOR?

• Teaching Techniques: Articles by teachers on their teaching techniques.
• Talk with Teachers: Interview series and other feature articles on modern pedagogy.
• Teaching Graduate Biology: A compendium of articles on the topic of higher education.
• Information about Science Careers: Podcasts, workshops, articles, webinars, videos and booklets to provide information on science careers in India.
• Educators Database: A discussion forum and a database of 4500+ educators to help them network with each other.
• i wonder: A magazine for middle and high school teachers about the many dimensions of teaching science.
• Other Resources:  Latest events, jobs, videos, newsletters, books and other resources for educators in India.

ARE YOU A WOMAN IN SCIENCE?

• 10 Leaders, 10 Questions: Interviews on leadership skills.
• 10 Women, 10 Questions: Articles based on interviews with women scientists.
• Spoorthi: An e-booklet featuring articles based on conversations with trailblazing women and other resources for women in science.
• Wikipedia edit-a-thon: A public event to increase the visibility of Indian women scientists on Wikipedia.
• Science Articles: Articles by women on various aspects of their lives in science.
• Inclusive Meetings: Inclusive meetings that strive to have a balanced representation across genders.
• Other Resources:  Videos, events, jobs and other resources for women in science.

SCIENCE POLICY - WHAT? WHO? HOW?

• Essays: Essays on themes around science policy.
• India Biospeaks: Podcasts of interviews with various stakeholders in the policymaking process.
• Discussion Forum: A moderated discussion forum to exchange thoughts and ideas on issues related to science policy.
• Webinars: Interactive webinars on science policy with participation from stakeholders in the policymaking process.
• Science Policy 101: Webinars, podcasts and articles on the fundamentals of science policy in India.
• Other Resources: Documents, books, latest events, jobs and other resources on science policy.

WANT TO BE A GOOD MENTOR?

• Young Investigators’ Meeting: A platform for young investigators to gain an insight on how to be good mentors from senior scientists.
• Mental Health: Articles on mental health awareness and mental well-being of students and employees.
• Work Atmosphere: Articles by group leaders about how they create a happy and motivating working atmosphere.
• Career Guide: Podcasts, workshops, webinars, articles and booklets providing information on various career options in India for science students.
• 10 Leaders, 10 Questions: Interviews on leadership skills.
• Ethical Practices and Guidelines: Resources and discussions on ethical practices and guidelines.
• Other Resources: Resources related to mentorship.

Useful Links

• IndiaBiospeaks
• IndiaBiostreams
• Grants
• iBiology
• HHMI BioInteractive