The 13th Young Investigators’ Meeting (YIM 2021) is going to be held in a virtual format from 17-19 March, 2021. We asked the organisers of YIM2020 (Imroze Khan, Ashoka University, Sonipat; Karishma Kaushik, Institute of Bioinformatics & Biotechnology, Savitribai Phule Pune University; Vasudharani Devanathan, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Tirupati; Shantala Hari Dass and Smita Jain, IndiaBioscience) a few questions about the upcoming meeting. Here is what they had to say.

In Feburary 2020, IndiaBioscience launched Disha, an eBook which provides comprehensive guidance on navigating the landscape of science careers in India. Written by Suman Govil, this book compiles information about multiple career options open to life science and biotechnology students in India and discusses strategies for professional development, job search, and higher education. The following book review by SC Lakhotia (Banaras Hindu University (BHU)), was first published in Current Science, Vol. 120, NO. 3 (10 Feb 2021).

The 12th Young Investigators’ Meeting (YIM 2020) was held in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, from 14 to 18 February, 2020 and was attended by nearly eighty young researchers, in addition to several senior scientists, institutional representatives, guest speakers, and panellists. This article is the second in a two-part series reporting on its proceedings.

2020 has been an exceptional year, one with unprecedented global events that left an indelible impact on our lives and forced us to reexamine our priorities. This was also a year of many new beginnings, innovations, and breakthroughs, aided by courageous efforts from across the scientific ecosystem. In this article, Smita Jain, Executive Director, IndiaBioscience, reflects on what this year has meant for IndiaBioscience.

The IndiaBioscience Outreach Grants were initiated to motivate young researchers to step out of their labs and build stronger connections with the broader public through innovative science outreach efforts. The first five winners of this grant represent a variety of fields and bring up a diverse array of ideas designed to make the most of digital communication technologies for societal benefit.