Start-up packages for academic research scientists
Anil Kumar C
Wednesday, 03 June 2009 07:50 UTC
Is there any formal information on the kinds of start-up packages new investigators in the sciences (specifically life sciences) get at Universities, Research Institutes and Centers in India? There is a lot of hearsay in this regard, and it would help if authentic information can be obtained.
Updated 03 June 2009 07:53 UTC
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The information on the pay scales for diffeent cadres (including the one at the entry level, i.e.assistant professor) in available on UGC website (The grade is: 15600 – 39100 plus allowances).
I think the emoluments for JRF/SFR/RA etc. vary with the funding agency but are above Rs. 15000/-
Omsharma53@yahoo.com
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It’ll also be interesting to find out if any of Indian agencies (either Govt and private) offer any “incubation” money for start-up industry in biological science. Many US universities do have such programs but I never heard that any Indian University or Institute offer any financial or administrative support to start-up entrepreneurs with viable product/technology.
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I am not looking for salary scales or packages. I am specifically looking for initial (funding) support for setting up a new lab. Is the support in kind (e.g. lab space, basic equipment) or does it include financial support to buy equipment and reagents? In other words, what is the institutional support for a new investigator/Asst.Prof. to start his/her research work? Thanks.
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There are no fixed packages for such initiatives. You need to apply to various funding agencies (the UGC, for example) with your proposal. But I doubt they give you money to set up a new facilty from scratch. Most research institutes in India are government-setup and the investigators come in as salaried professionals, who later apply for funding specific projects from various bodies like the UGC and Department of Science and Technology. Thus, one needs to enter a research insitute as a scientist or a lecturer/professor first.
You may search these sites too:
http://www.ugc.ac.in/
http://dst.gov.in/ -
Actually this might help you a bit:
DBT Proposals -
For newly joining faculty members in life sciences, the University of Hyderabad provides 5 lakh Rupees at the beginning as a seed money and a laboratory space plus a reasonable office to sit. Some times, the university also provides a computer, a printer, a table and about three to four chairs. Apart from this, each year a small maintenance grant of about 1.0 lakh Rupees is made available early in April. The laboratory space given is not equipped and one has to arrange furniture, air-conditioners, equipment and consumables from his/her own grants.
This practice may not be in vogue at other universities in India.
But why are you asking this question? You do not look like starting a new lab in near future. I searched your pubmed record and found only 2 papers related to medicinal chemistry.
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Anonymous
A decent institute like TIFR or NCBS will give you handsome grants but smaller research establishments including Universities will give you enough to buy a computer!!!
So apply to TIFR/NCBS/NBRC/NII/ICGEB/CCMB/JNCASR/IISERs/IITs/IISc, and get a position. IISc eventhough is excellent, they donot give substantial amount as a start up like TIFR. TIFR mumbai at the same time is suffering from space problem (heard about it so please confirm from them). IIT Delhi might end up showing you an empty plot and say we will be building a biomedical research centre in next few years.
If you get in universities like stated by someone from Hyd, you will get few lakhs and you will not be able to establish good lab.
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You may check the index of http://www.dst.gov.in/scientific-programme/ser-index.htm, hope you find there some useful info for academic research.
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Dear Anil, There is no formal information on start-up packages. This information will not be available even on the web-sites of US universities. At the newly established Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine or at the National Center for Biological Sciences, start-up packages are competitive and are in sync with the rest of the world.
Similar to US universities, you need to write up a research plan, and resources provided will be to make sure you succeed and do well. There are resources for Instrumentation, personnel and consumables.
Remember if you want international start-up packages the expectations are also similar. You will be expected to write grant applications, mentor students, publish papers and participate in service, like what you would do in a leading US university.
I cannot say much about what other institutes or universities offer. I just relocated after being a tenured faculty for 10 years in a major US University to Bangalore. I can tell you that start-up packages being offered to Assistant Professors here (in Bangalore Biocluster) are more generous than what is being currently offered in the top US for Assistant Professors. It is all about what your market value is internationally.
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Thank you Dr.Ramaswamy for the crucial piece of information you posted above. Hope that will help the newcomers in days to come.
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