The Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India, along with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, organised a one-day summit titled Dialogue 2023 on 18 November 2023 to broaden the science and technology horizon within the nation and beyond. In this article, Debraj Manna highlights the key takeaways from the event.

IndiaBioscience has recently launched a nationwide survey to assess the current status of independent life science researchers in India and to create actionable insights about the same. In this article, we highlight the intent and expected outcomes of the survey. We also answer common queries related to the survey. The survey can be accessed here.

Foetal bovine serum is a nutrient-rich additive widely used for in vitro cell culture studies. However, harvesting the serum involves inhuman methods, calling for replacing or reducing its use in experiments. Here is a report on one such ethical step by a team of researchers who found a novel technique to grow skin cells by drastically reducing bovine serum use.

Timely intervention is critical to curbing the spread of vector-borne diseases like malaria. A team of researchers from Mangaluru, Karnataka, has shown that information technology tools such as their Malaria Control System can be powerful allies in anti-malaria programs. Here is a report on how digitisation helped Mangaluru chalk its success story against malaria.

The need for more transparent, comprehensive, and practical guidelines for carrying out quality research has been recognized time and again in the Indian scientific ecosystem. To address this lacuna, the University Grants Commission (UGC) recently released a document titled “Good Academic Research Practices (GARP)”, which lists best practices for researchers and institutions to maintain excellent standards of ethical research.

Academicians and advocates of open access debate the need for open access institutional repositories.

Scientific advances and achievements of the last two years were the focus of a recent press conference organised by the Ministry of Science and Technology, GoI.