DAE's Bhabha Institute to become functional next year

The department of atomic energy (DAE) has set up an inter-disciplinary virtual university, Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI), to be functional from next academic year. The institute would attract the young scientists and mould them towards basic research and technology development.

Armed with a 'deemed university' status with facilities of summer and winter schools, HBNI plans to tap young boys and girls as the country needs to maintain and increase the basic infrastructure for research and technology development in the years to come, said R B Grover, director, HBNI.

The attraction for students would be an advanced degree for those already employed or a promise of such employment while obtaining an advanced degree, he said.

The gains for the DAE are envisaged in terms of strong links between its research centres and the grant-in-aid institutions through the generation of researchers and research problems.

It is expected that the volume, quality and relevance of research and development will simultaneously see an upward growth, said Grover, who is also the director, strategic planning group of DAE.

The concept underlying the HBNI is to promote advanced degrees, masters and phd, largely with the help of the research centres and grant in aid institutions, he said.

"It is envisaged that such an activity will concomitantly result in strengthening linkages between the grant in aid institutions and the research centres for advancing the pace of research in nuclear sciences on the one hand and, on the other, accelerate the process of translating research and development into technology products and their applications, Grover said.