We hope 2021 is off to a great start for each one of you. Here are some glimpses of the previous year at IndiaBioscience. We are pleased with what we could accomplish in spite of the unique and unprecedented challenges of 2020, and the support of our community has played a big role in keeping us motivated and driven.
Going forward, we have a lot of exciting projects lined up in 2021, and we decided to dedicate this newsletter to providing a quick glance through such projects. We hope for your continued engagement and support in carrying these forward. Do let us know what you would like to see from us in the future and if you have ideas about how we can further serve the community. As always, you can write to us anytime at hello@indiabioscience.org, or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram. We love hearing from you!
The annual Young Investigators’ Meeting (YIM) brings together exceptional young and senior scientists, heads of institutions, and representatives from funding agencies for interactions focusing on science careers, mentoring and networking. YIM 2021, which will be held in an online mode. will feature illuminating talks by renowned scientists, networking sessions, and panel discussions that focus on a wide variety of topics, including mentorship, setting up a research group, navigating the post-COVID world, funding opportunities and research assessment.
If you are a young (independent) investigator (YI) in India or a postdoctoral fellow (PDF) intending to set up a research group in India, this meeting is for you. Please complete the application process by 7 February, 8 PM IST.
This year, instead of a PDF Satellite Meeting immediately following the YIM, we are organizing a (separate) Postdoctoral Fellows' Meeting in mid-May. This will be a virtual meeting that will recapitulate the essence and format of the in-person PDF Satellite Meeting as best as possible in a virtual format. Stay tuned for updates!
Curious about the Young Investigators' Meetings, and why you should attend one? Check out the articles below. You can also find videos of talks from YIM 2015-2019 here.
The scientific ecosystem in India is ever-expanding, and more opportunities than ever are present today for those who wish to build their careers in science. This new series of webinars by IndiaBioscience discusses several such career paths as well as provide the requisite knowledge, tools and techniques for science graduates to navigate and craft their career paths.
For our fifth session, join us to learn more about professionalism, role models & mentors, and careers in scientific facility management. This session is suitable for students who are currently pursuing or have recently completed a BSc, MSc, or a PhD in any life science field, as well as postdoctoral fellows and research scholars.
The sixth and final session in this series will be held in February, wherein we will put together our learnings from the entire series, as well as exchange views on career development in the context of the Indian scientific ecosystem, in the form of an extended panel discussion. We hope to see you there!
To commemorate the completion of 100 years of promoting excellence in biological sciences, the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) has launched a webinar series. The second lecture in this series is by award-winning evolutionary biologist, Sean B. Carroll titled "The Serengeti Rules: The Regulation and Restoration of Biodiversity". IndiaBioscience is the official publicity partner for this series. For more details about the lecture and about IUBS, please visit the event website.
Lack of accessible information related to grants and funding opportunities often serves as a roadblock in the path of quality research. Here are some of our projects that are aimed at addressing this gap and enabling Indian researchers to obtain funding for research as well as for their professional development.
International Grants Awareness Program (iGAP)
The International Grants Awareness Program (iGAP) aims to improve the success rate for Indian applications at international funding opportunities, some of which India even contributes towards. The objective of this project series is to spread awareness of international funding schemes, impart skills to craft a successful application and inculcate the confidence to apply by sharing access to a network of Indian mentors. In 2021, we will continue to generate resources towards this end. In the meantime, we welcome you to check out some of the webinars, podcasts, and articles that we have already published as part of this project.
In an effort to improve the accessibility of information related to research grants and fellowships in India, we plan to bring out a series of booklets curating and compiling funding opportunities available to Indian researchers. Means to a Beginning - Funding opportunities for PhD Students and Postdocs in India is the first booklet in this series, which focuses on the funding opportunities available for pursuing PhD and postdoctoral research in different areas of life sciences. It aims to highlight the requirements, benefits, and timelines of these fellowships and award schemes and provides relevant links for easy access to up-to-date information. You can download a free copy of the booklet here.
In 2021, we plan to publish the second booklet in this series, which will compile funding opportunities available to young investigators who have already set up their independent labs.
We also maintain an up-to-date listing of jobs, grants, and events on our website. You can check out some recent listings below.
We regularly publish articles of interest to undergraduate biology educators. These articles are based on innovative and research-based teaching, interviews with educators, event reports, the latest research in the country and so on. We started a new article series last year, called “Common Misconceptions in Biology”, that covers topics that are often misunderstood by undergraduate students, and describes ‘tried-and-tested’ ways with which educators can approach these topics. Look out for more articles from this series this year.
We also provide a comment section under each article, where educators can share their opinions and feedback on the article and its topic. We manage moderated discussion forums where educators, students, scientists, policymakers and the general public can have discussions with each other on any topic related to the life science ecosystem in India.
Some of our recent articles, discussions, and resources can be found below.
We are progressively seeing the signs of a burgeoning mental health crisis in academia. There is an increasing global push to acknowledge and bring discussions on mental health to the forefront and seek and share individual and collective solutions to support and promote the mental well-being of professionals in science. In 2020, we published articles, podcasts, infographics, and webinars that dealt with this important issue, and we plan to continue this discussion in the coming year. You can find some of our past initiatives as well as some resources linked below.
Through this all, we hope to continue following our motto of "Engaging Communities, Enabling Change". We look forward to your support and encouragement. Wishing you all a safe, happy, productive and science-filled new year ahead.