Three hundred women in India have been selected to receive a research grant that will run over three years as part of a scheme to support and empower female scientists. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) initiative is designed to encourage more women to participate in cross-disciplinary research, including the chemical sciences.
On International Women’s Day 2023, the CSIR launched – for the first time – a special call for research grants for female scientists branded CSIR-ASPIRE which took in over 3000 submissions across the country. Eligibility criteria stated the principal investigator must be a woman actively carrying out R&D in science and engineering. After an independent review, the research committee chose 301 research proposals to support. The grants, which do not exceed INR2.5–3 million (£236,000–£282,000), will be provided for staff, contingency and minor equipment. The grant also subsidises international travel to enable global exposure and foster international collaboration.
At the announcement of the grants, Jitendra Singh, the minister for science and technology, stressed the importance of developing indigenous technologies and products, and encouraged the integration of public and industrial R&D with startups.
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