Stipend For Research Scholars Should Be At Par With What A Parallel Job Would Pay: IIESR Pune Director

The director of Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), Pune - Jayant Udgaonkar has said that the funding scheme for the post-doctoral fellows in the country is limited, reports Indian Express.

The matter has been collectively taken up to the government, Udgaonkar was quoted saying.

“In India, the funding scheme for post-doctoral fellows is limited, and we are trying to pursue the matter with the government. These fellows work closely with faculties at research labs and institutions. These post-doctoral fellows make some of the top quality research contributions in the country,” he said.

The post-doctoral fellows can be hired for problem-based projects with government support and industry partnership, he suggested.

“In western countries, post-doctoral fellows are the ones who mainly drive research forward. Along with small funding, it is difficult for the post-doctoral fellows to get the right jobs. It would be welcomed if the industry can fund projects on specific problems they need solutions for. This can also be an opportunity for fellows to bag jobs with the same companies,”

With regards to the ongoing protests for a hike in stipends of PhD students, Prof Udgaonkar said it that was up to the government to take a final decision on it.

However, he said that “The stipends must be competitive enough in comparison to a what a parallel job would pay, which the students would consider alternatively. The effort always remains to attract bright students into pursuing academic research as a career”.