The HRD Ministry on Monday approved a new ‘Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy’ (STRIDE) to provide support to research projects that are socially relevant, locally need-based, nationally important and globally significant.
To function under the aegis of University Grants Commission (UGC), STRIDE will support research capacity building as well as basic, applied and transformational action research that can contribute to the national interest. “STRIDE will support creation, development, and integration of new ideas, concepts, and practices for the public good and strengthening civil society,” said HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.
The Minister said that STRIDE scheme will strengthen research culture and innovation in colleges and Universities and help students and faculty to contribute towards India’s developing economy with help of collaborative research. He also added that focus on Humanities and Human Sciences will boost quality research on Indian languages and knowledge systems. Trans-disciplinary research is a team effort of investigators from different disciplines to create new conceptual, theoretical, methodological innovations that integrates and transcends beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem.
The main objectives include identifying young talent, strengthen research culture, build capacity, promote innovation and support trans-disciplinary research for India’s developing economy and national development and to fund multi institutional network high-impact research projects in humanities and human sciences.
While component-1 will endeavour to identify the motivated young talents with research and innovation aptitude in universities and colleges with grant upto Rs one crore, under component-II collaborations between universities, government, voluntary organizations and industries will be encouraged under grant upto Rs 50 lakh - Rs one crore.
The component-III will fund high impact research projects in the identified thrust areas inhumanities and human sciences through national network of eminent scientists from leading institutions.
Grant available for this component is upto Rs one crore for one higher educational institutions it will be Rs five crores for multi institutional network.
HRD Secretary R. Subrahmanyam said that the National Innovation Foundation has a database of over three lakh technological ideas from over 608 districts waiting to be explored. UGC Chairman Prof D.P. Singh said STRIDE will provide support to the innovative research projects that are Socially Relevant, Locally Need-based, Nationally Important and Globally Significant.