Q&A
Clinical research students are a big hit with industry
CRUCIAL JOB: A researcher conducting experiments at her lab
I graduated in B.Sc. Biotechnology in 2005 and worked as medical representative for nine months. I am now looking for a career in Clinical Research. What are its job prospects? I have heard of ICRI, affiliated to Cranfield University (U.K.), which offers M.Sc. in Clinical Research and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Pharma Management (full time, two year course) including an internship in the last semester. But ICRI is not approved by AICTE. Will this hinder my growth? Will it be easy for me to get a good job with a handsome salary in India?
Sunil Kumar Bharti
The Institute of Clinical Research India (ICRI) (www.icriindia.com) , which has a centre in Bangalore, has tied up with Cranfield University, U.K., (http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/) for a master's programme in clinical research. The institute has attracted a lot of talent as students have realised that one can make a quality career in the field of Clinical Research.
Multinational corporations are outsourcing clinical research, and according to a recent McKinsey report, the business is expected to be worth Rs. 5,000 crore and provide employment to 50,000 people by 2010. The main function of a clinical research associate is to monitor clinical trials. A clinical research associate ensures compliance with the clinical protocol, checks clinical site activities, makes site visits, reviews Case Report Forms and communicates with clinical research investigators. An associate is usually required to possess an academic degree in Life Sciences and needs to have a good knowledge of clinical practice and local regulations. Clinical research is a systematic study for new drugs in human subjects to generate data for discovering or verifying the clinical, pharmacological or adverse effects with the objective of determining safety and efficacy of new drugs.
ICRI offers the two-year M.Sc. in Clinical Research starting August '06 in its centres at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The following are the eligibility criteria:
A postgraduate or graduate in Bioscience/Life Sciences (with any of the following subjects: Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Genetics, Biotech) with at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate.
A postgraduate or graduate with Chemistry as a subject with at least 50 per cent marks in aggregate.
A postgraduate or graduate in Pharmacy or Pharmaceutical Sciences.
A postgraduate or graduate in Medicine.
A graduate or equivalent degree/diploma in Nursing.
The selection procedures are undertaken in three phases: 1) written examination, 2) personal interview, and 3) screening and selection based on merit. Scholarships are offered for meritorious students.
In India, we have a multitude of bodies such as University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), Pharmacy Council of India (PCI), Nursing Council of India (NCI), and Association of Indian Universities (AIU) which help maintain quality in the field of education.
The ICRI programme is not approved by AICTE or any other body, but is appreciated by the industry. As students, we do tend to get carried away by advertisements, but you should convince yourself that the programme would help you to make a career. The nine months of experience would come in handy as you would be able to relate to the dynamics of the business that you would be getting into.
For further details, you can contact: Anoop K. Agarwal, (akagarwal@icriindia.com), Principal, ICRI, Bangalore. Ph: 2520 7224/2520 7225/2520 7226/5536 9972/5536 9973/5536 9974/5536 9975.
No short cuts
I am a second year Electronics and Communication Engineering student of VTU and I wrote my exams recently. I want to know what courses are offered by institutes in Bangalore/elsewhere so that I can improve my technical skills in my discipline in one month's duration. I am also interested and wish to work in Astrophysics and Space Communications.
Pradeep Kumar S. Joshi
Do not go for any short cuts. You should concentrate and have a strategy to help you in your functioning. You can augment your technical skills by taking up certificate programmes depending on the area you would like to major in. Of late it has been seen that students of Electronics and Communication do get to the field of Information Technology and function successfully.
Astrophysics is the study of physical nature of stars, galaxies and the universe. Institutions such as the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (www.iiap.res.in) , Bangalore; Raman Research Institute (www.rri.res.in) , Bangalore; and the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pune-411007 offer programmes in astronomy/astrophysics. The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (www.tifr.res.in) , Mumbai, offers many programmes in Astrophysics.
The Indian Institute of Science (www.iisc.ernet.in) , Bangalore offers an integrated Ph.D. in Astrophysics. You could integrate the finer aspects of Electronics, Communication, Information Technology, Astrophysics and Space Communication and carve out a career in the corporate world or in the field of research.
Multiple choice
I am doing M.Sc. Agriculture at U.A.S., Dharwad. I am interested in joining a correspondence course in agri business management, foreign trade & stock exchange. Please provide information on them.
C.L.Mudddukumar
You are selecting a multitude of disciplines, which may not be to your advantage at least initially. Being an agricultural scientist, you should pursue agri-business on a regular mode, for it will help you in your placement as well. The following two programmes, conducted on campus at IIMA and IRMA, would help you a lot: Post-Graduate Programme in Agri-Business Management (PGP-ABM), Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA) (www.iimahd.ernet.in) . Institute of Rural Management (IRMA), Anand offers Post-Graduate programmes in Rural Management and Development. Placements are the best in both these institutes.
The boom in agriculture would help you to plan a career not by chance but by choice. At a later stage you could even pursue a course in Foreign Trade and understand the nuances of agricultural sciences in the international business.
Which branch?
I am studying in Standard XI of the CBSE stream and have taken PCMC. I want to get into the field of engineering. Which branch should I choose?
Anoop Ali
Engineering has different faculties that help students to work on and get their desired jobs. The faculties include Electronics, Electrical, Information Technology, Computer Engineering, Industrial Production, Civil Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering.
Environmental Engineering is one area where the engineers can make a lot of contribution and you should look at this field as well. Besides these, the field of Biotechnology is providing challenges to the engineers of the future.
SHAHEED KHAN
Shaheed_k@yahoo.com
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