According to the ‘Directory of Extramural Research & Development Projects 2018-19’ released by the Centre for Human and Organisational Resource Development (CHORD), a division of the Department of Science & Technology (DST) – Women Principal Investigators (PIs) participation in research that received Extramural Research (EMR) support (support received through peer-reviewed competitive grant mechanism) stood at 28% during 2018-19, compared to 24% during 2016-17.
- The Research & Development (R&D) support through peer-reviewed competitive grant mechanisms by the Central government stood at INR 2091.04 crore in 2018-19 compared to INR 2036.32 crore in 2017-18 (an increase of 54.72 crore from 2016-17).
Directory of Extramural R&D project Report
i.The Directory of Extramural Research & Development projects approved for funding by selected Central Government Departments/Agencies has been published by DST annually since 1990-91.
- The 2018-19 Directory is the 29th in the series. It contains information on 4616 R&D projects approved for funding by 16 scientific agencies/departments during 2018-19.
- CHORD (formerly known as National Science & Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS)) is responsible for collecting, analyzing and disseminating information on Extramural Research and Development projects funded by various scientific agencies. It will help in policy planning in India.
Key Points
i.The number of supported projects & number of PIs have increased during 2018-19.
- A total of 3839 PIs undertook 4616 projects during 2018-19 compared to 3491 PIs undertaking 4137 projects during 2017-18.
- Out of the 4616 projects – 64% of the projects and 71% of the share of funding were received by 8 states – Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
ii.Among Educational Institutions, the 22 Indian Institute of Technologies (IITs) combined received the highest number of projects (822) & highest funding support (INR 449.25 crore). The 26 National Institute of Technology (NITs) combined, received 191 projects with financial support of INR 55.83 crore.
- Maximum financial support went to the field of Engineering and Technology, while the Maximum number of projects went to the field of Biological Sciences.
iii.Departments which contributed the most to extramural R&D funding in India,
- DST – INR 1392.21 crore (67%), followed by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) with INR 341.37 crore (16%).
- DST & DBT together contributed to 83% of the total extramural R&D funding in India.
Extramural Research and Development (R&D) project support
It is a peer-reviewed competitive grant mechanism of the Central Government to promote, catalyze and advance R&D and innovation in India. It aims to encourage scientists to pursue a research career.
Recent Related News:
On October 29, 2020 Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology e-launched a scheme titled ‘SERB-POWER’(Science and Engineering Research Board-Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research) ,which is designed exclusively for women scientists.
About Department of Science & Technology (DST)
DST is under the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Secretary – Prof Ashutosh Sharma
Head Office – New Delhi
