Govt. gives cash to lure women scientists back to work!
By siliconindia   |   Wednesday, 25 November 2009, 22:26 IST   |    3 Comments
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Govt. gives cash to lure women scientists back to work!
Bangalore: In a bid to stop women scientists from forsaking their careers post marriage and motherhood, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has launched a Women Scientists Scholarship Scheme (WOS) to enable women to pursue research in science and engineering even after a long hiatus from work. This Central government scheme aims to train women qualified in science, engineering, medicine or allied areas in the area of intellectual property rights (IPR) and its management for a period of one year. Under the new scheme, women scientists and technologists in the age group of 30 to 50 years desirous of returning to their professional lives as bench level scientists will be provided the opportunity and financial support to do so. "This initiative is expected to give women a strong foothold into the scientific profession, help them re-enter the mainstream sector and provide a launch pad for further forays in the field of science and technology, both from the point of view of pure sciences and its application to societal development. They will be able to take up science and technology internships and later be self-employed," said a Senior DST official. The project, which will enable women to strike a balance in their professional and personal lives, will cover physical sciences, chemical sciences, mathematical sciences, life sciences, earth sciences, atmospheric and engineering sciences. The selected scientists will be supported with research grants up to 20 lakh for a period of three years as part of this scheme which is being coordinated and implemented by the Patent Facilitating Centre (PFC) of Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council (TIFAC) on behalf of DST. "We are trying to encourage inter-disciplinary studies. By concentrating on supporting the researchers, we can promote research and development (R&D) in college campuses," said Prof. Sneh Anand, WOS Chairperson. Women's University, Bijapur, has also included in the scheme for R&D activities for a period of three years. "The department will also release 5 crore to the university for R&D in science and engineering subjects. The department has already finalised four women's universities under this scheme and Bijapur Women's University will be included as the fifth one in this scheme," said DST Member Secretary Dr H.B. Singh.

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