I-STEM programme to strengthen research collaborations

I-STEM (Indian Science, Technology, and Engineering facilities Map), an initiative from the Office of Principal Scientific Advisor (PSA), Government of India, on Tuesday organised Samavesha, a national programme aimed at forging extensive research collaborations.

I-STEM holds the database of publicly-funded R&D equipment and facilities across public and private institutions. With Samavesha, it proposes to connect researchers, industry and startups with these facilities.

Researchers or industry looking to avail advanced scientific equipment can connect with scientific institutions through the I-STEM portal and use the equipment, on rent. It could save the users the capital expenditure on the purchase of advanced equipment and prevent resource duplication in research institutions. After inaugurating the event at IISc, Parvinder Maini, Scientific Secretary in the Office of PSA, underlined access for all to research infrastructure and urged I-STEM to facilitate greater opportunities to researchers from economically weaker sections.

The programme was launched in the presence of Prof Navakanta Bhat, Principal Investigator of I-STEM and Dean (Department of Interdisciplinary Science), IISc, and I-STEM COO and national coordinator Harilal Bhaskar. The I-STEM network has 27,730 users – researchers, industry, and start-ups – and 2,350 research and academic institutes that lend scientific infrastructure, including labs, to these users.