Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Lecturers, scientists to be trained to draw up projects

With an eye on the anticipated jump in central funding for research activities in the science and technology sector, the Kerala Academy of Sciences has initiated a programme to train college lecturers and young scientists to formulate projects in a scientific manner.

Eminent scientists and professors, who have sat in committees of Central Government organisations that approve such projects, will act as resource persons for the programme.

President of the Kerala Academy of Sciences and the head of the Department of Biochemistry, University of Kerala, P.R. Sudhakaran told The Hindu that even though there was a lot of talent in the State's colleges and universities, many projects were rejected because they were not worded correctly or formulated scientifically.

"In the coming years, Central funding for science and technology is expected to be two percent of the GDP. We have to equip our educational and research institutions to meaningfully absorb the funds. One way will be to draw up good projects, sound in all respects, and work to get them accepted. We plan to teach college lecturers and scientists how best to do this," Dr. Sudhakaran explained.

As part of the programme, to be held in nine locations across the State, the participating lecturers will be presented with case studies.

They will be told why one particular proposal made it past the scrutiny committee and why another did not. The lecturers will be encouraged to identify those features in a project that made it click and those that put paid to the prospects of another project.

The thinking in the academy is that if more lecturers were able to successfully pilot their projects through funding agencies, the students in colleges and the universities would benefit. The programme will concentrate on colleges located in semi-urban or rural areas in the State. This was decided after the academy found that most externally-funded projects went to institutions in Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.

The programme is being conducted with assistance from the State Council for Science Technology and Environment.

The first workshop under the programme was held at Kannur University earlier this month.

G. Mahadevan

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Lecturers, scientists to be trained to draw up projects

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