New Delhi: The Academy of Scientific and
Innovative Research (AcSIR), the ambitious initiative by CSIR,
will start enrolling students for post-graduate and doctoral
programmes from this year.
The Union Cabinet, through a resolution adopted at a
meeting last week, has permitted AcSIR to start operations
from the academic session beginning August.
"The Cabinet passed a resolution authorising CSIR to start
its Academy from the academic session beginning August-
September," Samir Brahmachari, Director General Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research, said.
The AcSIR will award post-graduate and doctoral degrees to
students pursuing research in its 37 laboratories.
With the Cabinet resolution in place, CSIR will not have
to wait for Parliament to pass a legislation authorising it to
start the Academy.
Currently, scientists pursuing research in any of the 37
laboratories of CSIR across the country have to register
themselves at different universities.
Once the AcSIR is set up, it would enable registration of
such researchers. In addition, the academy will also award
post-graduate degrees.
The Academy will primarily focus on research and imparting
training in areas that are not ordinarily provided by the
existing universities in India.
A Bill to set up the Academy will be moved in the Monsoon
Session of Parliament, till then Director General CSIR will
officiate as the Chairman of the Academy.
The objective of the Academy is to stem growing shortage
of skilled manpower in the science and technology industry and
the dwindling numbers of PhDs per annum.
The academy is expected to produce 1,000 PhDs in science
and technology and about 120 PhDs in engineering annually from
the fifth year onwards.
With its headquarters in Ghaziabad, the institute is
envisaged as a set-up that will network between the 37 CSIR
laboratories and pool resources and faculty across these to
create a national level academy with a strong research focus.
The CSIR has 4,500 scientists in diverse branches of
science and engineering of which 2,500 could effectively be
utilised for activities of the proposed academy.
India produced 8420 PhDs in science and engineering
in 2006, while China churned out 22,953 PhDs.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, June 22, 2010, 20:08