Welcome
Wiss-Nama Newsletter February 2023
News from Indo-German cooperation
Ambassador Philipp Ackermann in Lucknow
Ambassador Philipp Ackermann visited Lucknow on January 23. Apart from meeting the Lucknow Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other political meetings, he visited the Humboldt Chapter in Lucknow. He met with Poonam Tandon, Secretary, Humboldt Club Lucknow, and a small group of Humboldt Alumni. There were discussions on student exchange and strengthening research collaboration with German Higher Education Institutions. He also met with Anandiben Patel and discussed how to intensify Indo-German scientific relations. Ambassador Ackermann emphasized, “Indians are currently the most successful diaspora in Germany.” He also visited the CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute. He appreciated the rich plant collection at the Cactus House. He was briefed about the contributions and achievements of the institute towards science and society. He also discussed the possibilities of future collaboration in the field of plant science, toxicology, and environmental research for the welfare of society.
Read more about CSIR- National Botanical Research Institute below
German organisations come together for science roundtable
On January 25, the German Embassy hosted a roundtable with some 20 German agencies, each with science-related programmes in and with India. Universities, research institutes, funding agencies, foundations, and other organisations discussed priorities for the upcoming six months. Benno Böer, Programme Specialist, Natural Sciences Unit, UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office, joined as Guest Speaker, gave a tour-de-force of the activities of their unit, and discussed the possibilities of cooperation. He affirmed, “The environmental challenges, caused by population dynamics coupled with the unbridled exploitation of natural resources are real. UNESCO’s world network of biosphere reserves offers an ideal platform for cooperation with UNESCO, UN agencies, Governments, NGOs, academies, the private sector and the general public to jointly test, apply, and demonstrate solutions to achieve the biodiversity, climate change and pollution related SDGs based on science.”
Hertie School and O.P. Jindal Global University sign Memorandum of Agreement for Academic Cooperation
The Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and O.P. Jindal Global (Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University) have signed a MoA to strengthen cooperation among its programmes and centres. This partnership will focus on academic exchange and research collaboration, with focus on digital governance, data science for public policy, international affairs and sustainability. Both universities will work together on promoting exchange among their graduate programmes in public policy, international affairs and data science. It will also include a close cooperation between the Jindal School of Government and Public Policy and the HERTIE School’s Data Science Lab, Centre of International Security and Centre of Digital Governance. The aim of this collaboration is to organise conferences and seminars jointly to promote sharing ideas among scholars, policy makers and business leaders of India and Germany. This will allow international exchange and strengthen collaborative research activities in key policy fields. This partnership will foster the already deepened Indo-German scientific relations.
News from Germany and India
Science and Higher Education updates in the Indian Budget 2023
Indian government announced its budget on February 1. Some key takeaways from budget are as following:
- Ministry of Education has been allocated Rs 1.12 lakh crore as opposed to 1.04 lakh crore last year.
- Allocation for higher education has also increased by 7.9%, from Rs 40,828 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 44,094 crore in 2023-24.
- For Digital India e-learning, the government has allocated Rs 420 crore and the total expenditure budget for Research and Innovation is Rs 210.61 crore.
- The Indian IITs allocated Rs 8791 crore this year. Research grants will be provided to one of the IITs to encourage indigenous production of lab-grown diamonds. It is a technology driven sector with high employment potential.
- Three centres of excellence in Artificial Intelligence will be set up in top educational institutions. Interdisciplinary research will be conducted to develop cutting-edge applications in the areas of health, agriculture and sustainable cities.
- Public and private medical college faculty and private research teams will be able to access the facilities in select ICMR labs to encourage collaborative research and Innovation.
- 100 labs for developing applications using 5G services will be set up in engineering institutions. The labs will cover, among others, applications such as smart classrooms, precision farming, intelligent transport systems and healthcare applications.
- A new programme to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will be introduced.
- While the Ministry of Science & Technology saw a significant jump in its annual allocation, with an allocation of Rs 16,361.42 crore, an increase of 15% from the previous Budget.
- Most of DST’s allocation was for the National Research Foundation, i.e. Rs 2000 crore.
- Department of Biotechnology (DBT) received Rs 2,683.86 crore and the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) received Rs 5,746.51 crore.
- The budget for the Department of Space has been slashed by Rs 1100 crore from the last financial year. The Centre allocated Rs 12543.91 crore to the department of space, which is responsible for India's space program.
Humboldt Foundation receives 6.5 million euros more for 2023
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation will receive 6.5 million euros more basic funding than planned from the Federal Foreign Office in 2023. Hans-Christian Pape said, “The funds enable us to take account of the emergency situation of researchers, especially in Ukraine, Russia and Iran. But it is also important that we can use the funds freely in order to be able to avoid some of the cuts in core areas of the foundation, in other research grants and awards.” The grants from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection remain largely constant and there is a certain increase in the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time conducting research in Germany. The Foundation maintains an interdisciplinary network of well over 30,000 Humboldtians in more than 140 countries around the world – including 59 Nobel Prize winners.
Upcoming events and conferences
iHED – International Higher Education Dialogue
DAAD, together with Association of Indian Universities (AIU), is organising its annual virtual conference iHED from March 1-3, 2023 that focuses on internationalisation of higher education and research. It aims to facilitate networking, knowledge sharing and encourages initiation of partnerships between higher education institutions in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Germany as well as other European countries. The purpose of this conference is to let participants collaborate during the sessions and establish new contacts through B2B meetings. It is a platform for stakeholders and higher education institutions to connect and liaise. Students and researchers will present a paper on topics such as, ERASMUS: Insights in cooperation projects between Europe and South Asia, Double and joint degrees: Good practice and challenges, Impact of cooperation: Monitoring and measurement and Beyond bilateral projects: Cooperation in network and consortia.
Indo-German Forum: Sustainable Urban Mobility
DWIH New Delhi and its supporter organisations are organising the Indo-German forum from March 22-23, 2023 in hybrid mode. The Forum will bring together researchers, decision-makers, and professionals from India and Germany to present research projects across disciplines and analysis on sustainable solutions and technologies for sustainable urban mobility. The themes will focus on governance, mobility solutions, resilience and green energy production, supply and efficiency. The event will comprise of fireside chats, panel discussions, and many other parallel sessions on related themes. Virtual B2B meetings will be offered from March 20-24.
Web-talk: Funding for Deep Tech Science Start-ups
DWIH New Delhi is organising a virtual talk on April 25 and 26 on funding for Deep-Tech science start-ups. Experts from Germany and India will share insights and tips on securing the resources one needs to bring out cutting-edge ideas to life. Discussions from grants to venture capital in the field of science start-ups will take place.
Deep Ocean/Ocean Research – Germany
DWIH New Delhi is organising a virtual lecture on May 18, where an expert from Germany is going to present current research trends and upcoming advancements in ocean research, oceanography and marine biology. It will also highlight Germany’s role as a key stakeholder in ocean research and innovation for issues of global importance.
DAAD Events
Higher Studies & Research in Germany
All questions on higher education in Germany will be answered in this information session.
Chennai: January 30, 2023, 3:00 PM, Indo-German Chamber of Commerce, 1st Floor, 32, G.N.Chetty Road, T Nagar, Chennai 600017
Realise your Dreams - Study in Germany!
Chennai: February 1, 2023, 4:00 PM, Auditorium, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan 4, Rutland Gate 5th Street, Chennai 600006
A Talk with Students in Germany
Pune: February 2, 2023, 3:00 PM, DAAD Information Point Pune, Indo German Chamber of Commerce, 710 Nucleus Mall, 1 Church Road, Pune 411001
Research in Germany and DAAD Scholarships (CMI)
Open for Students & Research Scholars of Chennai Mathematical Institute
Chennai: February 8, 2023, 3:30 PM, Chennai Mathematical Institute
'Study in Germany' Day
Get to know all about studying and living in Germany as a Bachelor or a Master student.
Aurangabad: February 11, 2023, 10:30 AM
Web Session: Masters in Germany
Join this web session and get to know all that you need to know about doing a Master degree in Germany.
February 14, 2023, 3:00 PM, Online
My Student Journey: Mrinmoy tells his Story
Listen to and connect with Mrinmoy Pal, doing his PhD in stem cells, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Know all that you need to know about studying in Germany and get answers to your questions.
February 16, 2023, 3:00 PM, Online
Research in Germany and DAAD Scholarships (IITM)
Open for Students of Humanities and Mathematics departments – IIT Madras
Chennai: February 17, 2023, 4:00 PM, Room HSB 357 , 2nd Floor, HSB Block, IIT Madras
Calls for proposals
Call for Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies
The Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) ProGrant India is jointly coordinated by DAAD and German Rectors’ Conference and financed by BMZ. The DIES ProGRANT coordination office at University of Cologne is organising a course to train young researchers and young PhD holders in developing promising proposal for national and international research funding. Researchers from all disciplines holding a doctoral degree are eligible to apply.
Application deadline: Febraaury 28, 2023
Summer Academy on the Entangled Histories of Concepts in the Bengal to Balkans Complex
ICAS:MP together with other major organisations is organising a summer academy that seeks to strengthen the increased scholarly interest in conceptual history as a tool to analyse the discursive transformations in the broad B2B geography. Applications are invited for the first session of this Summer Academy on the Entangled Histories in the Bengal-to-Balkans Complex will take place in Istanbul from September 4-15, 2023. This academy intends to enhance networks of research, foster collaboration and pass on expertise to a new generation of PhD students and junior scholars whose work covers one or more of the languages of the region and are interested in working with history of concepts. Over the course of two weeks, the program will include lectures by leading scholars in the field on theory, method and sources, as well as seminars where participants will present their work-in-progress and receive feedback from the lecturers and their peers. Researchers from all relevant disciplines and fields (e.g. history, philosophy, literature, social sciences, area studies, cultural anthropology, the study of religion, art history, environmental humanities etc.) are encouraged to apply.
Application deadline: March 1, 2023
DST’s Co-Funding Partnership under the EU Framework programme on R&I ‘Horizon Europe’
Department of Science and Technology (DST) and EU India invite applications from Central/State Government supported or recognised public or private academic or research institutions, National/state funded R&D labs, Central/State Government recognised organisations with research and innovation imperatives and public/private universities for a co-funding partnership under the EU Framework programme on R&I ‘Horizon Europe’. The proposal should contribute to increasing data efficiency and energy efficiency of AI, and rationalize the provision of data for AI. It should support appropriate AI paradigms (central, distributed, dynamic, hybrid), responding and adapting easily to the needs of the use situation, and to the changing characteristics, availability and use conditions for data.
Application deadline: March 29, 2023
Cooperation on Climate Change and Polar Research
The Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the European Union (EU) invite applications from researchers and innovators from Indian universities and research organisations to team up with European partners under the Research and Innovation programme ‘Horizon Europe’. Through participation in 'Horizon Europe', the partners can benefit from access to talent, knowledge, data and infrastructures, and connect to world-leading teams, networks, value chains and address jointly global challenges. The research actions should contribute to observing, modelling, and projecting the characteristics, volume, and dynamic of inland ice and permafrost in relevant regions, impacting regional and global climate, taking inter-seasonal, annual, decadal, as well as long-term changes into account.
Application deadline: April 12, 2023
MGG Academy Bonn 2023
The German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Bonn is organising a MGG Academy from August 17-December 3, 2023 in Bonn. The MGG Academy is a training and dialogue format for highly qualified young professionals from rising powers and Europe. It supports future change makers who are dedicated to global cooperation and a transformation to sustainability. The diverse programme brings together participants from governmental institutions, think tanks and research institutions, civil society and the private sector in India, Brazil, China, Europe, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa. The Academy combines a broad range of working methods, including practical experience and participatory approaches, training, lectures and discussions with experts, study trips and peer coaching.
Application deadline: March 5, 2023
Institute of the month
CSIR - National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI)
The CSIR-NBRI is one of the constituent research institutes of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), New Delhi. The mandate of the institute is to undertake basic and applied research on various aspects of plant science, including documentation, systematics, conservation, prospection and genetic improvement with particular emphasis on under-exploited, non-traditional and wild plant genetic resources of the country for sustainable development and human welfare. The aim of the institute are pursued through various projects among six broad areas of R&D, namely, Plant Diversity, Systematics and Herbarium, Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry and Product Development, Plant Ecology and Environment Technologies, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Plant Genetic Resources and Improvement and Botanical Garden, Plant Conservation and Agrotechnologies. The institute also provides expertise and assistance for identification, supply and exchange of plants and propagules, garden layout and landscaping. It disseminates scientific knowledge and technologies on plants and microbial resources through publications, training, capacity building and extension activities.
Did you know?
There are currently 397 universities in Germany with a combined student population of approximately 2.8 million. Of these, 115 are universities or similar institutions, 217 are universities of applied sciences, 57 are colleges of art or music.