The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has sufficient funds for research projects, but the number of high-quality projects among the proposals received by the council is very low. Therefore, researchers should focus on the quality of their projects," said Dr Ashu Grover, Head of the Delivery Research Division and Scientist-G at ICMR, on Thursday.

She was addressing a symposium on the 'Importance of Clinical Research' organized at Bhopal Memorial Hospital and Research Centre (BMHRC). This symposium was organized by the research cell of BMHRC. Dr. Rehan Ul Haq, Dean of Research at AIIMS, Bhopal, also addressed the symposium on 'Why research by clinicians.'

Dr Manisha Shrivastava, Director In-charge, BMHRC, also addressed the doctors, nurses, and other staff present at the workshop.Dr. Ashu Grover stated that ICMR wants more people in the country to engage in research so that research conducted in India can stand at par with research in developed countries. To achieve this goal, funding is no longer an issue. The council provides up to INR 2 crore for research projects under small grants.

ICMR is making significant efforts to obtain more funding for research. She emphasized that researchers also need to work on improving their research projects, creating good proposals, and reading quality research journals. She noted that there is no shortage of data and patient numbers for good research. There is no deficiency at the educational level either.

The only lack is in the research environment. We need to create a good environment for research in our institutions.

Do Research on Your Area of Interest: Dr Rehan Ul Haq

Dr Rehan Ul Haq, Dean (Research) at AIIMS, Bhopal, emphasized that to conduct research, one should choose a good topic. This topic should be new, significant, and of your interest, along with having a good understanding of it. After deciding on the topic, determine the research question. Before deciding on the research question, think carefully about it. He emphasized that not only is it important to do research, but it is also essential to get your research project published in good medical journals.

When your project gets published in a reputed journal, it will give you recognition, benefit your career, and improve your clinical practice. It is also essential to identify which journal to publish your paper in. Reduce the word count of your research paper. Focus on the results in the research report, not just on how the research was conducted.

BMHRC is also focusing on Research: Dr Manisha Shrivastava

Dr Manisha Shrivastava, Acting Director of BMHRC, said that BMHRC is focusing on research along with providing good treatment to patients. We have several topics and resources available for conducting research. Addressing all the doctors of the hospital, she urged them to focus on research along with patient care. Before deciding on a research topic, think about how it will benefit the patients.