THE EU-INDIA SOCIAL SCIENCES and Humanities Platform (EqUIP), a new programme aimed at giving impetus to European Union-India research collaboration, was launched in Delhi on October 14. EqUIP is a ‚1.5 million (Rs.11.5 crore) project funded by the European Commission and will link 12 European research funding organisations with key funding agencies in India, to develop a stronger strategic partnership in social sciences and the humanities. œThe European Union is proud to support ten European countries joining with the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) to enhance networking and coordination in the social sciences and humanities. This cross-cutting cooperation is crucial for enhancing the socio-economic impact of research and for evidence-based policymaking, said Dr. Joao Cravinho, EU ambassador to India, speaking on the occasion. Describing the launch of EqUIP as a œhistoric event, Dr. Sukhadeo Thorat, chairman ICSSR, added: œResearchers from European countries and India will now be enabled to conduct collaborative research. We intend to extend this platform to other European partners as well, connecting with academics and researchers as widely as possible. We hope this will open up new opportunities and infuse new energy into social science and humanities research in India and Europe. Higher research stipends AKHIL BHARATIYA Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student™s wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has welcomed the notification issued by the Union ministry of science & technology on October 21, to increase the stipends paid to research scholars from Rs.16,000 to Rs.25,000 per month for junior research fellows, and Rs.18,000 to Rs.28,000 for senior researchers excluding house rent allowance. œThough the new stipends are welcome, timely disbursement of fellowships/scholarships is a major concern in all universities barring a few top institutions. For instance, in the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University, research students face a lot of hardship in getting their fellowship disbursements. It™s important that fellowship disbursals are made timely and hassle-free, says Saket Bahuguna, secretary of ABVP (Delhi state unit) calling upon the Union HRD minister to clarify the status of students in non-DST (department of science & technology) funded research institutes. Women leaders initiative THE US-BASED IT multinational IBM announced a collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) and Catalyst India WRC to launch a cross-industry women™s leadership development programme Tanmatra (˜potential™ in Sanskrit) in Bengaluru on October 13. According to a company spokesperson, the programme will leverage the best collective practical experience and research to prepare women for leadership roles in the Indian business community. In this collaborative programme, IBM is the knowledge partner, contributing the organisation™s experience in the advancement of women. Catalyst India WRC is the research partner, offering its research expertise to Tanmatra™s faculty. IIM-Bangalore is the education partner. œIBM places great emphasis on building women leaders who will help transform the businesses of tomorrow. We have industry-leading and recognised in-house interventions that focus on attracting, developing, and retaining woman talent, globally and locally. We are delighted to be the knowledge partner of Tanmatra as it supports our vision towards building…
