Accelerate Vigyan Scheme

Context:

Recently, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), has invited applications under ‘ABHYAAS’, a program of ‘Accelerate Vigyan’ scheme, for summer season.

Accelerate Vigyan Scheme

• Accelerate Vigyan (AV) strives to provide a big push to high-end scientific research and prepare scientific manpower which can venture into research careers and knowledge-based economy.
• The primary objective of this scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.
• AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshop on a national scale.
• The aim is to expand the research base in the country, with three broad goals – consolidation / aggregation of all scientific training programs, initiating High-end Orientation Workshops and creating opportunities for Research Internships.

Aims of the AV Scheme

• The primary objective of this inter-ministerial scheme is to give more thrust on encouraging high-end scientific research and preparing scientific manpower, which can lead to research careers and knowledge-based economy.

The aim is to expand the research base in the country, with three broad goals –

1. Consolidation / aggregation of all scientific training programs,
2. Initiating High-end Orientation Workshops and
3. Creating opportunities for Research Internships.

AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshop on a national scale.

• The scheme also seeks to garner the social responsibility of the scientific community in the country.

Components of Accelerate Vigyan Scheme

1) ABHYAAS

• It is an attempt to boost research and development in the country by enabling and grooming potential PG/PhD students by means of developing their research skills in selected areas across different disciplines or fields.
• It has two components: High-End Workshops (‘KARYASHALA’) and Research Internships (‘VRITIKA’).
• This is especially important for those researchers who have limited opportunities to access such learning capacities/facilities/infrastructure.

2) SAMOOHAN

• Mission ‘SAMOOHAN’ marks the beginning of Accelerate Vigyan.
• It aims to encourage, aggregate and consolidate all scientific interactions in the country under one common roof.
• It has been sub-divided into ‘SAYONJIKA’ and ‘SANGOSHTI’.
• SAYONJIKA is an open-ended program to catalogue the capacity building activities in science and technology supported by all government funding agencies in the country.
• SANGOSHTI is a pre-existing program of SERB.

How are such Steps Helpful?

• Capacity Building: The database of skilled manpower developed across different disciplines through all the sub-components of the AV would help in capacity building.
• Social Responsibility: The scheme also seeks to garner the social responsibility of the scientific community in the country. 

What are the Initiatives taken to boost S&T in Budget 2022-23?

• An outlay of Rs 50,000 crore was announced spread over five years, for National Research Foundation.
  • It will ensure that the overall research ecosystem of the country is strengthened with focus on identified national-priority thrust areas.
• The budget also declared the setting up of umbrella structures in nine cities for building better synergies among R&D institutions, Universities and Colleges supported by the government while also retaining their internal autonomy.
  • This will be coordinated by the Ministry of Education, and a Glue Grant will be set aside for this purpose.
  • The Department of Biotechnology is implementing the URJIT clusters (University Research Joint Industry Translation Clusters) which are being set up in 10 locations as per the Budget Announcement in February 2020.
  • These will complement the activities of the Umbrella Structures.

Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)

• It was set up through the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008 of Parliament.
• The body comes under Department of Science and Technology.
•  Promoting basic research in Science and Engineering and to provide financial assistance to persons engaged in such research, academic institutions, research and development laboratories, industrial concerns and other agencies for such research and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto are the primary and distinctive mandate of the Board.
• SERB aims to build up best management systems which would match the best global practices in the area of promotion and funding of basic research.

Source: DTE

You can find many articles on SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (part of GS III) in our website. Go through these articles share with your friends and post your views in comment section.

Q). Accelerate Vigyan (AV) strives to provide a big push to high-end scientific research and prepare scientific manpower which can venture into research careers and knowledge-based economy. Discuss. (250 words)