India News | Dept of S&T's Fund-related Advisory Board Recognises Need for Structural Changes

New Delhi, Jan 23 (PTI) Focusing on supporting interdisciplinary problems, increasing the scope for participation of industries and start-ups and aiming towards an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' were underlined at the Fund for Improvement of S&T Advisory Board (FISTAB) meeting, the DST said on Saturday.

The meeting was held on January 22, the Department of Science and Technology said. The FIST programme was launched in 2000 to strengthen the S&T infrastructure.

The 24th FISTAB Meeting that was held in October 2020 highlighted that the FIST Program has played a pivotal role in the strengthening of both the teaching and research infrastructure in different academic and research institutions.

However, with the shift in priorities and the S&T needs of the country, restructuring of the programme was necessary in the context of the current national interests, national missions, sustainable development goals, and its scope to strengthen the vibrant economy towards building a self-reliant India.

“The necessity for focusing on supporting interdisciplinary problems, solution-centric and translational research, and increasing the scope for participation of industries and start-ups and new ideas, aiming towards Atmanirbhar Bharat was underlined at the Fund for Improvement of S & T Advisory Board (FISTAB) Meeting,” a statement by the DST said.

The meeting, which discussed the need to create an ecosystem towards exploring academia-industry link-ups, involvement of start-ups in utilisation of FIST facilities and promotion of avenues for theoretical sciences, was chaired by Prof S G Dhande, Chairman FISTAB, and former Director, IIT Kanpur.

It was attended by more than 15 distinguished scientists from R&D institutions and universities.

“The scientific institutions are a critical cradle of innovation and knowledge creation, and the development of scientific infrastructure is crucial for advancement of a nation with ease of access and greater emphasis for their optimal utilisation,” said Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary, Department of Science & Technology (DST).

During the meeting, the National Report on FIST Impact Evaluation Study and Report on Activities of FIST programme was released.

The impact of the FIST programme and its associated benefits was discussed by different experts under the aegis of the Centre for Human and Organisational Resource Development (CHORD Division) of the DST.

A total of 2,913 FIST Projects, from 2000-2019, have been awarded with an investment of Rs 2,953 crores across the country so far, the DST added.

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