International Conference on “Aligning Science-Technology-Innovation Indicators for Effective R&D Governance” 

The two day international conference is being organized by the National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (NIScPR),a constituent laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The conference will be Commemorating the institute’s4th Foundation Day Celebrations. NIScPR focuses on science communication and evidence based policy studies, acting as a bridge between science, technology, industry and society. The two-day conference intends to bring together leading experts, policymakers, scholars, researchers to discuss the emerging issues in contemporary research and challenges in performance evaluation for R&D governance. The conference will have the following key themes: Methods, Approaches, and Practices in Performance valuation, Open Science, Open Source & Open Access, Measuring the Social Impact of Connecting R&D and Social Media, and Foresight in R&D Governance. The conference will also deliberate upon how in more robust ways performance and impact of government programs can be captured, the critical inputs that can strengthen these initiatives.

The conference is expected to be attended by 300 participants with leading experts from India and abroad speaking on different sessions of the conference.  Many young researchers will presenting papers and posters. India’s top scientists and policy makers will address the conference. Prof. Ashutosh Sharma, President, INSA, Institute Chair Professor & C. V. Seshadri Chair Professor, IIT Kanpur, Former Secretary, DST, Govt. of India will deliver the Chief Guest address. Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS) will deliver the Foundation Day Lecture.

Experts from the NITI AaYOG, Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Govt. of India, and from reputed academic institutions will address this conference. Along with keynote and invited talks, there will be panel sessions and paper presentations. International experts speaking on the conference will be from France, Russia, South Korea, the Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, and Armenia.  Science councilors from Germany, Mexico and The Netherlands will also attend and be on the panel. Conference is structured to bring diversity and involve the participants in engaging discussions through keynote and invited talks, panel sessions among others.

The conference is expected to bring out novel methods and practices for performance evaluation and impact assessment of R&D. It will bring out some key policy suggestions of how R&D governance, access and inclusion can be strengthened by proper application of the STI indicators. The deliberations on new initiatives like PM One-Nation-One-Subscription will also be reflected in the final document. The conference will expose young researchers to various nuances of evidence based policy making, the tools and techniques and shaping their research to address developmental challenges. The outcome of the conference will be published in different formats, from a dedicated special journal issue to a policy bulletin and book proceedings.