Page 7 - Research

Lok Sabha passes Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill for research

The Lok Sabha on Monday passed the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill to set up a national agency to fund research across universities in the country. Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had introduced the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill-2023 on Friday in the Lower House. The bill seeks to set up a Rs 50,000-crore fund, with a sizeable contribution from the private sector by tapping into the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, to "seed, grow and promote" research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India's universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories. "PM Narendra Modi has provided an enabling milieu due to which over the last nine years, many taboos of the past were broken, space was opened up for the private sector that is why many startups are working with ISRO. It was our Chandrayan that brought pictures of water and today organisations like NASA are waiting for ..

NRF to ensure equitable funding for research: Jitendra Singh at BRICS meet

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said the proposed National Research Foundation will ensure equitable funding for scientific research and greater private participation in the endeavour. Addressing the 11th BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting at Goeberha in South Africa virtually, he said the National Research Foundation will also be given the task of creating a policy framework and regulatory process to promote research and development across universities. On Friday, Singh introduced the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill in the Lok Sabha to set up a national agency to fund research across universities in the country. "We are planning a unique public-private partnership entity for which Rs 36,000 crore of the research funding is to come from the private sector, mostly industry, whereas the government will put Rs 14,000 crore for the same to ensure greater participation of industry," the minister told his counterparts from Brazil, Russia, China and South

Summers in Arctic were ice-free over 100,000 years ago, finds research

A subpolar plankton species found in the Atlantic water expanded far into the Arctic Ocean during the Last Interglacial, indicating that summers in the Arctic were ice-free during this period. Published in Nature Geoscience, this research analysed the microfossil content of sediment cores to determine the extent of sea ice present during the Last Interglacial, a recent period of the Earth's geological history characterised by a climate warmer than today. The Arctic sea ice, an important component of the Earth system, is disappearing fast due to climate warming, whereas the summer sea ice is anticipated to vanish entirely within this century. To gain a deeper understanding of the climate dynamics in a world without the Arctic sea ice, researchers have turned to analogues from our geological past. However, the extent of sea ice during this period has been intensely debated and there is no consensus, limiting understanding of this period and the ability of researchers to simulate it i

Lok Sabha passes bill to set up agency to fund research across universities

A bill to set up a national agency to fund research across universities in the country was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday by Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh. The Anusandhan National Research Foundation Bill-2023 seeks to set up a Rs 50,000-crore fund, with a sizeable contribution from the private sector, to "seed, grow and promote" research and development (R&D) and foster a culture of research and innovation throughout India's universities, colleges, research institutions, and R&D laboratories. It seeks to set up different funds the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Fund, for the financing of activities under the Act; the Innovation Fund for supporting outstanding creativity in the areas supported by the foundation; the Science and Engineering Research Fund for the continuation of the projects and programmes initiated under the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008; and one or more special-purpose funds for any specific project or

Viral room-temperature superconductor claims spark excitement & skepticism

The papers have sparked wild enthusiasm online. At same time, there are reports of disputes among the Korean researchers over whether the research should have been released at all

Education ministry signs 106 MoUs to foster innovation, research, knowledge

The Ministry of Education on Sunday signed 106 MoUs with various esteemed organisations and institutions to foster innovation, research and knowledge exchange in multiple domains, ushering in a new era of collaboration in education and industry-academia linkages. The memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed on the culmination day of the Akhil Bhartiya Shiksha Samagam to mark the third anniversary of the launch of the new National Education Policy (NEP). The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) signed 15 MoUs with different institutes and sector-skill providers to give a specific focus on skill development and education. "These partnership will also promote skill assessment and capacity building," a senior MoE official said. The MoUs were signed in association with the Atal Innovation Mission, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Apparel Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council, Automotive Sector Skill Council, Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure Skills Council, .

Stanford University prez quits after problems discovered in his research

Tessier-Lavigne, a neuroscientist who joined Stanford as president in 2016 from Rockefeller University in New York, has been a leader in the field of brain and spinal cord research

Maybe govt will coin 'minimum funds, maximum research' slogan: Chidambaram

Senior Congress leader P Chidamabram took a swipe at the Centre on Thursday over top research institutions of the country reportedly not having received any funds since April this year, saying maybe the government will coin a new slogan 'minimum funds, maximum research'. Citing a media report which claimed that scientists at top research institutions who ought to have received funds from central agencies for this financial year in April, were still waiting, Chidambaram said that as a result of this, purchases are on hold and project staff have not been paid for three months. He also quoted senior scientist, S C Lakhotia, as saying that he is paying his project staff from his own pocket Why are the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Biotechnology silent on the matter, the former Union minister asked. "Maybe the Government will coin a new slogan this week: minimum funds, maximum research," Chidambaram said on Twitter.

No country can progress without embracing technology: EAM Jaishankar

No country can progress without embracing technology and research and development, Union External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Monday. Interacting with the students of NIT Delhi as part of the BJP's mega public outreach to mark nine years of the Narendra Modi government, Jaishankar advised them to understand local and global developments. "Globalisation has broken down the boundaries between inside and outside and you should understand what is happening around you," he said citing the impacts of the Covid pandemic and Ukraine war on the prices of petroleum products and food grains. No nation can become developed without embracing technology and research and development, the minister said. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several changes have taken place in the last nine years, he said. Citing Modi's recent visit to the US, Jaishankar said, "He has a different image, especially in the democratic world as a senior experienced and credible leader." The

Covid-related worrying impacts daydreams' more than night-dreams: Research

On days when people when worried more about COVID-19, they experienced more negative emotions while daydreaming. However, people who generally tended to worry more about Covid, also tended to have more negative dreams, a new research examining how Covid-related concerns and worries affected the emotional quality of daydreaming and nighttime dreaming in these times found. More than a hundred participants were asked how worried, anxious, and concerned they were during the COVID-19 pandemic, in this study from the University of Turku, Finland, UK and Australia. They reported their daydreams every evening and their nighttime dreams every morning upon waking up. The researchers analysed more than 3000 reports of daydreams and night-dreams to come out with their findings, published in the journal Emotion, about how the pandemic has shaped people's inner experiences, having profoundly impacted the mental health of people worldwide. They said that the emotional quality of night-dreams or .

Indian researchers develop low-cost mobile pollution monitoring tech

They have developed a low-cost mobile air pollution monitoring framework in which, pollution sensors mounted on public vehicles can dynamically monitor the air quality

Heavy drinkers get more impaired despite higher tolerance claims: Research

People with alcohol use disorder show the same or even more levels of fine motor and cognitive impairment as light/moderate drinkers when consuming their usual excessive amount, research has shown

Nutraceutical market grows 20% in 3 years achieves remarkable growth: ICAR

A workshop on natural biopolymers has observed that the demand for nutraceutical products has increased in recent years, resulting in a remarkable growth of the sector with a compound annual growth of 20 per cent over the past three years. This trend is driven by increasing health awareness among the public and a growing emphasis on preventive healthcare. Projections indicate that the nutraceutical market in India will expand from an estimated USD 4 billion to an impressive USD 18 billion by the end of 2025, according to experts, an official release said here on Friday. The workshop was organised by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) under the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Policy at the institute. Experts also viewed the increasing demand for nutraceutical products as an indication of the need to utilise untapped natural resources. While delivering the inaugural address, CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan stressed the urgent need to explore marine

Amazon signs pact with ICAR to empower farmers enrolled under Kisan store

E-commerce firm Amazon India on Friday signed an agreement with the government's premier agri-research body ICAR to guide farmers enrolled on its 'Kisan store' on scientific cultivation of different crops and help them achieve optimum yield and income. A 'Kisan store' section was launched on the Amazon platform in September 2021. Farmers can avail doorstep delivery of agri input products via Kisan store through assisted shopping at Amazon Easy stores. The outcomes from a pilot project at Pune between Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-Krishi Vigyan Kendra and Amazon India has motivated to further expand the partnership, the company said in a statement. On behalf of ICAR, U S Gautam, Deputy Director General (Agricultural Extension), and Siddharth Tata, Product Leader, Amazon Fresh Supply Chain and Kisan, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). "ICAR will collaborate with Amazon for technologies, capacity building and transfer of new knowledge," ICAR Director Genera

Nasa to invest $45mn in small biz to develop tech for future missions

For first-round funding, Nasa selected 300 proposals from 249 small businesses and 39 research institutions

Global R&D network can ensure access to medical countermeasures: Official

Initiatives such as a global research and development network can help build a future where no one is left behind and access to life-saving medical countermeasures becomes a universal reality, Department of Pharmaceuticals secretary S Aparna said on Tuesday. Delivering the closing remarks at the concluding session of the third G20 Health Working Group meeting here, Aparna appreciated all delegates for contributing their valuable insights on the establishment of a global research and development network within the global medical countermeasures platform to support pandemic preparedness and response. "The discussions have helped to define the pathway for collaborative partnerships and provided us with a framework to envision the global research and development network," she said. Underscoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare systems around the world, she said the time is now to build collaboration among nations, institutions, and stakeholders through a global ...

Global primate genome study reveals their evolution of human health

A series of global studies of genomes of primates have revealed key features of their evolution, human disease, and biodiversity conservation

Progress in reducing plastic pollution painfully slow: Scientists

The progress in reducing plastic pollution across the globe has been painfully slow and the consequent damage to the natural environment and to human health is likely to increase further, according to a network of scientists researching on the subject. In a research paper published in the scientific journal Nature Communications', scientists from many countries, including India, have said that the views and ways of working of four distinct stakeholder communities scientists, industry, society at large and those making policy and legislation are not sufficiently well integrated. The paper has been jointly published by Richard S Lampitt, Stephen Fletcher, Matthew Cole, Alice Kloker, Stefan Krause, Fran O'Hara, Peter Ryde, Mahua Saha, Anastasia Voronkova and Adrian Whyle from the UK, France and India. Mahua Saha, a scientist from Goa-based CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, is the only Asian scientist who is representing the region in this group. The researchers claim that abo

Collaborate for optimum use of resources: Minister Jitendra to institutions

Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday urged all research and development institutions to work in collaboration for optimum use of resources as the country marches towards the centenary of independence. Singh was addressing through video-conferencing the directors and presidents of professional bodies under the Department of Science and Technology (DST) who were meeting in Guwahati to review their performance. Singh said it was the best time for India's startups, innovators and the scientific fraternity as the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was providing them an enabling milieu to showcase the best of their potential, talents as well as their creative and innovative instincts. The minister urged the RandD Institutions to work in collaboration mode so that the DST can utilise the resources and manpower optimally and think of the revised mandate for the 'Amrit Kaal'. Singh said the 16 research institutions under the DST form a very special group as

Kerala should give importance to virology research: NITI Aayog member

Kerala should give more importance to virology research since the state faces a higher risk of virus-related incidence compared to other parts of the country, a NITI Aayog member has said. NITI Aayog member Vinod Kumar Paul was speaking at the inauguration of the Department of Biotechnology - Scientific Infrastructure Access for Harnessing Academia University Research Joint Collaboration (DBT-SAHAJ) at the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB) here on Saturday. He said Kerala is expected to be the entry point of various viral diseases and also urged the state to make efforts in geriatric care. Paul said the initiatives made by Kerala in the health sector could be followed by the rest of the country. Lauding the initiatives of RGCB in virology research, Paul said the institution has to design additional programmes in the field urgently. "Considering the demographic transition-related health challenges faced by Kerala, the state should make more efforts in the area of geriatr