Regional Young Investigators’ Meetings (RYIM) aim to build local networks of scientists and science professionals with an aim to promote regional collaborations and change. The RYIMs are intended to be Young Investigator (YI) driven endeavours that promote networking in local scientific communities and foster collaborative leadership among YIs in the region.

Importantly, RYIMs are expected to be ​‘no-garland’ events, optimized towards a supportive and collaborative environment for the participants, resource personnel and organisers. RYIMs will ensure diversity and representation across gender and other demographics for participants, speakers, panellists and resource personnel.

RYIM Bengaluru 2024

RYIM Bengaluru will be organised from 28 – 30 November 2024, by four institutions in Bengaluru: 

• Manipal Institute of Regenerative Medicine, MAHE (MIRM-MAHE)

• St. John’s National Academy of Health Sciences (SJNAHS)

• The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology (TDU)

• Institute of Bioinformatics and Applied Biotechnology (IBAB)

The theme of the event is ​“Accelerating Indian science through private investments”.

Structure of the meeting

RYIM Bengaluru will kick off with a Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop on Thursday, 28 November 2024, which will take place at MIRM-MAHE in North Bengaluru and be conducted by IndiaBioscience. 

This will be followed by an exciting second day of talks, panel discussions, poster presentations and other activities on the theme, ​“Bridging the gap between Indian academia and private investment”, which will also take place at MIRM-MAHE.

On the third day, participants will travel to St. John’s Research Institute (SJRI), SJNAHS in South Bengaluru, where they will partake in insightful talks and discussions on the theme, ​“Biomedical translational research: Questions to execution roadmap”.

A minimum of 75 – 100 participants are expected from the medical, biomedical and life sciences community in and around Bengaluru. This also includes research institutes, universities and industries located in neighbouring cities like Mysuru, Tirupati, Manipal, Coimbatore, etc. From early career researchers to young investigators to seasoned faculty members at higher education institutes (HEIs), from clinicians to educators to industry professionals, RYIM Bengaluru will target a diverse group of individuals who want to explore private funding opportunities to support their research. Additionally, representatives from prominent Research Foundations, Trusts and philanthropists are anticipated, alongside individuals who have personally contributed to research funding, all of whom will be accessible to the registered participants. Lastly, by including patient advocacy experts, policy specialists, and government representatives, a range of voices is expected to shape discussions on private investment, translational research and scientific innovation in India. 

Meeting focus area:

Today, India is the fifth largest economy in the world and ranks third with regards to the number of PhDs produced. Despite this, in 2020 – 2021, India’s investment in research and development stood at 0.64% of GDP, five times lower than other developed and emerging economies. Of this, only 36.4% came from the private sector. Recognizing this lacuna, the central government recently unveiled an interim budget for 2024 – 2025 which places a significant emphasis on leveraging private sector investment in research. While this sounds promising, biomedical and life science researchers at non-governmental HEIs face additional challenges when it comes to obtaining private funding: limited networking and connections, lack of visibility and recognition, resource constraints, commercialization challenges, and risk averseness of investors, to name a few. Therefore, through RYIM Bengaluru, we will explore the pivotal role that private investments can play in capacity building, and advancing biomedical and life science research at HEIs in India. 

Key objectives:

RYIM Bengaluru aims to:

• Provide a platform for researchers to understand what drives industries, philanthropists, venture capitalists and angel investors to fund science in India 

• Improve the perception amongst young investigators and private investors regarding the research conducted at non-governmental HEIs

• Foster collaboration between the public and private sectors through the establishment of public-private partnerships in research and development

• Train researchers on how to set up and execute privately funded multi-centre research programmes across different domains such as fundamental research, public health, clinical research, and big data in biology and healthcare

Meeting Format:

Plenary talks, Mentor talks, Special talks, Panel discussions, Round-table discussions, Poster presentations

What’s more in RYIM Bengaluru?

To provide visibility to the attendees, a Poster session will be organised on Day 2 of RYIM Bengaluru. All participants, including private investors, will be encouraged to visit the posters and engage with the researchers to explore opportunities for collaborations.The attendees will also have an opportunity to speed-date on Day 2 and let their hair down during the Gala dinner.

Bengaluru’s conducive ecosystem, collaborative spirit, access to talent and resources, and the supportive policies of the Karnataka government have already positioned it as a premier hub for biomedical and life sciences research. Through RYIM Bengaluru, the ultimate goal is to increase private funding, collaboration, and support for large, multi-institute, inter-disciplinary research projects, with non-governmental HEIs taking the lead.

• Alok Srivastava, Professor, CMC-Vellore and CSCR, Vellore

• Anurag Agrawal, Dean, BioSciences and Health Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University

• Apurva Sarin, CEO, DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance, Hyderabad

• Bhavana Prasher, Senior Scientist at CSIR’s Ayurgenomics Unit TRISUTRA, CSIR-IGIB, New Delhi

• Darshan Shankar, Vice Chancellor, TDU, Bengaluru

• Gaurav Ahuja, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi (IIIT-Delhi), EMBO Fellow

• K. VijayRaghavan, Emeritus Professor, NCBS, Bengaluru

• Paul C. Salins, Managing Director and Vice-President of the Mazumdar Shaw Cancer Center, Bengaluru

• Prabhdeep Kaur, ISAAC Centre for Public Health. Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

• Samiran Mahapatra, Director-Open Innovation Asia, Unilever, Bengaluru

• Shekhar Krishnan, Tata Translation Cancer Research Centre, Kolkata

• Soumya Swaminathan, Chairperson, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Chennai

• Sudha Rao, Co-founder and Executive Director, Genotypic Technology Pvt Ltd., Bengaluru

• Suman Rao, Professor, Department of Neonatology, SJMCH, Bengaluru

• Suresh Bhojraj, Pro-Chancellor, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru 

• T. R. Raju, Research Director, Sankara Academy of Vision, Bengaluru

• Vandana Bharadwaj, Professor, Department of Pediatric Hemato-Oncology, SJMCH, Bengaluru

• Vinod Scaria, Vishwanath Cancer Care foundation, Bengaluru

• Yogesh Shouche, Director, SKAN Trust, Bengaluru

Eligibility:

• Scientists and physicians who are interested in interdisciplinary, team science projects and want to learn about private sources of funding are invited to apply to RYIM Bengaluru. Age/​experience/​affiliation no bar. While the meeting has been tailored for young investigators (within the first 5 – 6 years of an independent group leader position), the eligibility is deliberately kept wide as PhDs and MDs have different career trajectories. 

• Scientists and clinicians from non-academic research institutions such as Industry R&D, foundations and start-ups are encouraged to apply.

• Postdocs or those in transition are welcome to attend the meeting. 

• Researchers who have had a career break and are looking to re-enter the scientific, biomedical workforce are encouraged to apply. 

• Physicians who are starting out in research or looking for collaborators are strongly encouraged to attend RYIM Bengaluru. Prior research experience is not mandatory, but enthusiasm for research is a must! 

• If you are not sure about your eligibility, write to us at ryimblr@​gmail.​com

Registration fees:

• Rs 2360 for all categories

  
  

Materials covered by the fees:

• Access to Days 2 and 3 of the meeting for all participants

• Access to CYC workshop on Day 1 for selected participants

• Lunch and Tea/​Coffee on Days 1 and 2; Gala Dinner on Day 2; Breakfast, Lunch and Tea/​Coffee on Day 3

• Transportation from MAHE to SJNAHS on Day 3 

For out-of-town participants, Travel and Accommodation costs are not covered by the Registration Fees. Accommodation may be available on a first-come first-serve basis in the vicinity of MAHE, Bengaluru Campus. Additional details will be provided once your registration is confirmed.

Payment Process:

Kindly make the payment using this link –

https://​tinyurl​.com/​5​3​c​ub59c

You will need the payment transaction number and a screenshot of payment confirmation to complete your registration. 

How to Register:

The link to the registration form is provided below. Before you access it, make sure that you have the following items ready:

1. Payment transaction number

2. Screenshot of payment confirmation

3. Your CV [Only 2 pages, as PDF]

4. Your poster abstract, if you are planning to present a poster at the meeting [250 words; Submit as PDF in the format described below]

Complete your registration by filling this form – 

https://forms.gle/7AogQCNfg9e1SHTd7

You will receive an automatic confirmation after you submit the form. A copy of the filled form will arrive in your Inbox. No further confirmation is required. 

Note: Both payment and registration are mandatory to secure a spot at the meeting. The number of registrations may be capped at 100, on a first-come basis.

Important Dates:

• Registration Deadline: 31 October 2024

• Notification of selection for CYC workshop (by email): 7 November 2024

• Notification of selection for Childcare Grant (by email): 7 November 2024

Childcare Grants:

RYIM Bengaluru will support up to five participants with childcare grants. At the time of registration, please indicate if you want to avail this grant and we will reach out to you to discuss your eligibility. These grants are supported by IndiaBioscience and EMBO.

For queries and clarifications, write to us at ryimblr@​gmail.​com.

All attendees are encouraged to submit a poster.

Audience:

Please keep in mind that this is a mixed biology meeting, and many in the audience will not be experts in your subject. Non-scientific personnel will also be in attendance. Design your abstract and poster accordingly.

Content:

An ideal poster would summarise your overall research interests, contain some preliminary data (if relevant) and outline your future directions. If you want to present a study in progress or one that is completed, we suggest that you follow the Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion format. You could otherwise focus on a proposed research direction that you want feedback on or that could attract private investment. Overall, the content of your poster should encourage people to come and interact with you on ideas.

Abstract submission guidelines:

• Use this template

  <Title, Arial, Point 14, Bold, Sentence Case>
  

  <Authors, Arial, Point 12>
  

  <Affiliation, Arial, Point 12>

  <Contact email ID>

  <Abstract, 250 words max, for general audience of peers>

  File Name: First name_​Last name_Affiliation

Poster guidelines:

• Should be no more than 3 ft (breadth) * 4 ft (length)

The Crafting Your Career (CYC) workshop by IndiaBioscience will be held on 28 November 2024 at MAHE, Bengaluru for registrants who fall into these categories: postdoctoral researchers, researchers on a career break, and YIs/​clinicians who are within 3 years of starting their lab.

Workshop trainers: Karishma S Kaushik and Shruthi S. Vembar

The workshop will cover the following topics:

• Science careers in the 21^st century

• How to research and prepare key resources to help you build an effective network: the power of social media

• Preparing for elevator pitches and interviews

There are no additional charges to attend the CYC workshop. However, it is mandatory for the participants to convey their interest at the time of registration.

More information on CYC can be found here.

All IndiaBioscience Meetings, Workshops, and Conferences are subject to a Conference Code of Conduct.

IndiaBioscience is dedicated to providing an inclusive and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, caste, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of event participants in any form. All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues (virtual or physical) and event-related social events.

Speakers and Presenters: Sexual language and imagery are not appropriate for the event venue, including talks and posters. Sexist, racist or exclusionary jokes are not acceptable.

Participants: Harassment includes offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, caste, religion, sexual images in public spaces, deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Sponsors: Sponsors are also subject to the anti-harassment policy.

Virtual events: Attendees, Speakers, Trainers and Event Organisers are required to keep all e communications — emails, online presentations, webinar chat/Q&A sessions etc — professional and respectful. As with the physical events, at online seminars/​workshops/​courses and associated correspondence, sexual language/​imagery and harassment are not appropriate and will not be tolerated.

Action: Attendees asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately. If an attendee engages in behaviour that violates this code of conduct, the conference organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender, expelling him or her from the premises with no refund or expelling them from the virtual event (i.e. webinar, workshop, course etc).

Conference staff members are there to help participants contact appropriate authorities, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the conference. We value your attendance.

Contact: If you are harassed, have noticed that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact: ryim@​indiabioscience.​org

License: This Conference Code of Conduct was modified from the Code of Conduct for JSFOO 2014 and Code of Conduct for YIM 2015, available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License, and the Geek Feminism Wiki, created by the Ada Initiative and volunteers, available under a Creative Commons Zero license.

The Conference Code of Conduct for IndiaBioscience events is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.