PM Research Chair Scheme to attract 120 global Indian scientists for IITs

The Indian government will roll out a new PM Research Chair scheme to attract 120 global Indian scientists and researchers back to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) over the next five years. Discussed during an IIT council meeting, this move aims to enhance the country's higher education and research ecosystem by involving top Indian-origin talent in the major sectors.

Objectives of the PM Research Chair Scheme

The PM Research Chair scheme has conferred on the research fellows the liberty to select their own research topic out of 14 themes of national importance. The Chair post holders will be Research fellows, Senior Research Fellows and Research Chairs. This will be a follow, up to the existing scheme of research chairs and will expand the scope of activities that research chairs can do. A Department of Education spokesman further revealed that the scheme is targeted at strengthening the research capacity of institutions, stimulating innovation, and thus, raising India's position on the world map in science and technology by the ministry of education.

Strategic Importance

The IIT Council, which is the highest coordinating body for the IITs, was informed about the proposal at its meeting held in August last year. It is seen as a strategic move to tap the global talent pool of Indian origin and to solve problems in India's higher education system like a limited number of specialisations and lack of internship opportunities. The Council believes that this scheme will attract top researchers and thus improve the research environment in IITs.

Supporting Measures and Recommendations

Besides the PM Research Chair initiative, the IIT Council has also suggested that a comprehensive survey be undertaken in all the 23 IITs to evaluate the alumni outcomes and the socioeconomic impact of the graduates from the 2013, 2014, and 2015 batches. Along with the survey, which will investigate the primary reasons for IIT graduates to study abroad, the Council has also proposed reforms in the MTech and PhD programmes such as increasing the number of industry internships and making specialisation more accessible. The implementation of these recommendations will be under the aegis of IIT Bombay.

Earlier, the Council discussed the necessity of updating MTech and PhD programmes to meet the requirements of the industry more closely. Internships are to be made a compulsory part of the MTech curriculum, which is one of the important changes that could increase the student intake in these programmes, as per the Council's suggestion.

Looking Ahead

The Prime Minister Research Visit, IIT Council has expressed its confidence that the scheme can bring significant changes in research capabilities of India. Along with the reforms that have been proposed, this initiative is a crucial step towards the betterment of the academic and research environment in India.