Linking Researchers and Resources (I-STEM)

The Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM) is a national web portal, developed with the concept “One Nation One Portal” for the scientific community, aimed at “Linking Researchers and Resources”.

I-STEM Web Portal

The Indian Science Technology and Engineering facilities Map (I-STEM), funded by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser (OPSA), GoI, was launched formally in January 2020. I-STEM is a national web portal developed with the concept “One Nation One Portal” for the scientific community, aimed at “Linking Researchers and Resources”. Its genesis was the very positive experience gained at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru) in sharing its national facilities with the R&D community of the country. The I-STEM web portal is available to the researchers from India and abroad.

To protect the IP involved in building the I-STEM Portal, a provisional patent application entitled, "A method and process for efficient use of geographically dispersed resources", has been filed with the Indian Patent Office.

The Vision

It has always been the basic tenet of the Government of India, in generously funding R&D efforts at academic institutions over the years, that facilities established through such support be made available to those needing them and qualified to make use of them for their own research work.

However, this was never easy or straightforward for, among other reasons, there was no ready source of information of what facility was available and where. Thanks to the web, it is much easier today to have a national and regional “inventory of resources”, so as to match users with the resources they need, and to do all this in an efficient and transparent manner.

This can lead to a leap in R&D productivity and greatly enhance the effectiveness of public investment. This is the motivation behind I-STEM.

The Mission

The I-STEM web portal is the gateway for users to locate the specific facility(ties) they need for their R&D work and identify the one that is either located closest to them or available the soonest.

The institutions with R&D facilities funded by agencies of the GoI are required to list them on the I-STEM portal.

Through the I-STEM portal or the website of the organization where the desired facility is located, one can make a reservation for using it. To enable the running and maintenance of the resources, the organization may charge a fee, which depends on whether the user is from the academia, a public institution, or from industry. A panel of experts will help users make the most informed use of resources available through I-STEM.

I-STEM COMSOL

The COMSOL Multiphysics software suite is used worldwide as an indispensable tool for a variety of computer simulations for R&D as well as for learning. It is a general-purpose simulation software package for modelling designs, devices, and processes in all fields of engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. In addition to using Multiphysics modelling for one’s own R&D projects, one can also turn the resulting models into applications for instruction, especially in classes for undergraduates and graduate students.

For the first time in the country, through the I-STEM portal academic users in India will be able to access the COMSOL Multiphysics software suite at no cost.

Status of I-STEM

As of July 2021, in the first phase, the portal is listed with more than 20,000 pieces of equipment from 1050 institutions across the country and has more than 20,000 Indian researchers.

Under Phase II (2021 - 2026), the portal will host indigenous technology products listed through a digital catalogue. The portal will also provide a platform for the various City Knowledge and Innovation Clusters supported by the Office of PSA to enhance effective use of R&D infrastructure through leveraging collaboration and partnership built on a shared STI ecosystem. It will also host and provide access to selected R&D software required to undertake research projects by students and scientists. The I-STEM portal in its new phase will be designed as a dynamic digital platform that will provide boost to research and innovation especially for 2 tier and 3 tier cities and also for the emerging start-up ecosystem.

Source : I-STEM Portal