Nagpur: The department of science and technology (DST), New Delhi, has sanctioned an impressive sum of Rs 11.42 crore under the Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence (DST-PURSE) scheme for Nagpur University.
The DST had solicited research proposals from various universities across the nation in March this year. The project successfully passed the initial screening by an expert committee, and the university team members were summoned for a presentation at IIT, New Delhi on August 28.
The entire team, led by acting NU Vice Chancellor Prashant Bokare, adeptly defended the research proposal before the DST Programme Management Board comprising 15 distinguished experts from diverse fields of science and technology.
The presentation was highly commended by the committee, and the university received a sanction letter on October 25. The sanctioned amount encompasses scientific equipment worth Rs 8 crore, project fellowships for 5 research students, and other consumables and contingencies required over a span of 4 years.
The principal investigator, Ravin Jugade, elucidated that the research proposal focuses on the development of novel materials for the fabrication of clean energy devices without compromising on both environmental and health standards.
The erstwhile Vice Chancellor, in collaboration with Rajesh Singh, Director of IIL, had constituted a project implementation group with Professor Subhash Kondawar (Physics) as chairman, Professor Ravin Jugade (Chemistry) as principal investigator, Professor Umesh Palikundwar (Physics) and Rajesh Ugale (Pharmacy) as co-investigators, along with Vijay Tangde (Chemistry), Satyendra Prasad (Pharmacy), and Dadasaheb Kokare (Pharmacy) as members of the group.
Clean energy devices essential for the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission, environmental remediation under the Swaccha Bharat mission, and healthcare materials required under the Swasth Bharat mission are integral components of the project.
This project will not only serve as a catalyst for the research group at RTM Nagpur University but will also lead to the development of materials that will benefit society at large. The developed materials will be scaled up through the university incubation centre, which serves as a bridge between the university and industry and provides support to new start-ups. These state-of-the-art equipment will be accessible to all researchers working in various PG departments of the university as well as affiliated colleges. They will be instrumental in conducting research projects in accordance with the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) curriculum, recently implemented by the university from the last academic session. The sanctioned amount also includes funding under Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR), which will be utilized to provide hands-on training on the sophisticated equipment procured under this scheme to budding researchers in the Vidarbha region.
This is the highest amount ever sanctioned by DST to RTM Nagpur University under the Research Project Scheme to date.
Bokare lauded the entire team for their diligent efforts not only in crafting a robust research proposal but also in defending the proposal during the presentation with equal finesse.