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Wiss-Nama Newsletter December 2024
News from Indo-German cooperation
Climate Talk: Science Solutions for Climate Action: A Focus area of Indo-German Cooperation
On the occasion of 50 years of Indo-German science and technology cooperation German Embassy New Delhi organised a climate talk on the theme ‘Science Solutions for Climate Action: A Focus area of Indo-German Cooperation’. Climate is one of the main focuses of the Indo-German cooperation. An engaging panel discussion with Dr. Anita Gupta, Department of Science and Technology, Mr. R. Madhan, IGSTC and Dr. Lipi Thukral, IGIB, moderated by Dr. Philipp Ackermann set the tone for an evening of recognizing the integral role of the scientific landscape of both countries in steering climate action and related transformation processes. It was followed by an interactive Q&A session and a celebration dinner later.
Science Slam 2024 LIVE Finals at Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum
The EURAXESS Science Slam competition took place on December 5 at the Goethe-Zentrum Trivandrum, where four outstanding young Indian researchers captivated an eager audience with live presentations. After a night filled with excitement and creativity, the winner, Suman Tiwari, a PhD Scholar from TIFR Mumbai, was chosen by both the audience and the jury. As the 2024 India Science Slam champion, Suman earned a roundtrip ticket to Europe and the rare opportunity to network with peers at one of Europe’s premier research institutes. The EURAXESS Science Slam provides a unique platform for emerging researchers to present their work in an engaging and accessible way, outside the traditional confines of labs and classrooms. Finalists are evaluated based on their ability to effectively communicate their research in a clear, original, and entertaining manner. The competition was open to all researchers with an MA/M.Sc. from universities, research institutions, or the private sector, covering fields ranging from Social Sciences and Humanities to Life Sciences and Engineering. Participants submitted short videos, showcasing their research projects in creative ways to capture the audience's attention.
Upcoming events and conferences
DAAD Events
Bengaluru: Higher Studies in Germany - Meet Antara from Jena!
Students/researchers will be guided about opportunities in Germany – Eligibility criteria, types of universities, various master courses, types of PhD, scholarships, application procedure, visa procedures etc.
January 16, 2025, 3:00 PM, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, 716, CMH Road, Indiranagar 1st Stage, Bangalore 560038
Calls for proposals
Consolidator Grants: ERC awards €678m in grants to back excellent research across Europe
The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded its 2024 Consolidator Grants to 328 researchers across Europe. These grants, totalling €678 million, aim to support outstanding scientists and scholars as they establish their independent research teams and develop their most promising scientific ideas. The funding is provided through the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. The grants will support scientific projects spanning all disciplines of research from engineering to life sciences to humanities. Researchers of any nationality with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD, a scientific track record showing great promise and an excellent research proposal can apply. Research must be conducted in a public or private research organisation (known as a Host Institution/HI). It could be the HI where the applicant already works, or any other HI located in one of the EU Member States or associated countries.
Application deadline: January 14, 2025
Special Call for a One-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship in Economic Sociology or Political Economy
The Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies (MPIfG) is offering a one-year postdoctoral fellowship intended for researchers. The successful candidate must hold a doctoral degree, completed no more than ten years previously at the time of the award of the postdoctoral fellowship. The MPIfG provides an attractive environment for postdoctoral researchers to pursue their own research projects within the scope of its research program.
Application deadline: January 15, 2024
German Indian Academic Network for Tomorrow (SPARC - GIANT) 2025-2026
The DAAD is inviting proposals for the German Indian Academic Network for Tomorrow (SPARC – GIANT). This program aims to strengthen and intensify cooperation between German and Indian higher education and research institutions, fostering academic mobility, promoting joint research and deepening academic collaboration. It is funded from the Ministry of Federal Foreign Office (AA), Germany and is co-financed by the Indian Ministry of Education, Government of India under the Scheme for Promotion Academic Research & Collaboration (SPARC) coordinated by IIT Kharagpur. The program is open to all disciplines. Applicants may want to focus on the following areas: Energy, Sustainability and Climate, Smart Cities & Mobility, Semiconductors and New Materials, Healthcare and MedTech, Supercomputing, AI, Quantum Computing and Advanced Manufacturing & Industry 4.0. All German government recognised institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. In India, all institutions ranked in the overall top 100 or category-wise top 100 in NIRF ranking and all central universities and institutes of national importance are eligible to apply.
Application deadline: January 31, 2025
Job Vacancy
Programme Officer - Communications for the DWIH New Delhi
The DAAD Regional Office New Delhi invites applications for the full-time position for its unit, German Centre for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New Delhi. Job profile includes, development and execution of communication plan, content creation for digital and print media, analysis of performance of social media and website and planning and coordination of different event formats. Candidates with a Bachelor’s degree with excellent English language skills are eligible to apply. The candidate should also have a work experience in communications. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview between 22 January to 24 January 2025.
Application Deadline: January 9, 2025
Institute of the month
European Research Council
The European Research Council (ERC), established by the European Union in 2007, is the leading organization for funding frontier research in Europe. It supports researchers of any nationality and age to conduct projects across Europe. The ERC offers four main grant schemes: Starting Grants, Consolidator Grants, Advanced Grants, and Synergy Grants, with an additional Proof of Concept Grant to explore the innovation potential of research. The ERC is governed by an independent Scientific Council, which sets the scientific strategy and includes 22 distinguished scientists. The ERC’s overall budget for 2021-2027 is over €16 billion, as part of the Horizon Europe programme. The ERC is made up of two main bodies: the Scientific Council, responsible for strategy and funding decisions, and the ERC Executive Agency (ERCEA), which manages the day-to-day administration of grants. The ERC Board ensures effective coordination between the Council and the Agency, and the ERCEA Steering Committee oversees its operations. Its mission is to foster high-quality, investigator-driven research in Europe, based on scientific excellence. Since 2007, ERC has funded more than 16000 projects and over 10000 researchers. Currently over 75,000 postdocs, PhD students and other staff are working in their research teams. ERC grantees of more than 97 nationalities are present in 850 research institutions.
Great women in science
Usha Zehr is the Director and Chief Technology Officer at Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company Private Limited, where she has been utilizing biotechnological tools for improving the quality and productivity of seeds and agriculture. She has the distinction of producing India’s first genetically modified food, Bt brinjal. She received her Ph.D. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Later, she worked at Purdue University in the Sorghum improvement program. For the last eight years, she is involved in the Private Seed Industry in India. Dr. Zehr serves on a number of board viz., M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation. She was also member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the CGIAR, other committees such as the Intellectual Property Committee of the International Seed Federation. She has been involved in the founding or functioning of several charitable and educational organizations including the Shri Ganapati Netralaya and Barwale educational institutions at Jalna, Maharashtra.
Did you know?
208 degree programmes on Artificial Intelligence are offered at German universities and universities of applied sciences. And there are 171 data science programmes.