SRINAGAR: The 7th expert committee meeting of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, in the field of life sciences was held at the University of Kashmir to evaluate 744 new proposals under the Start-up Research Grant (SRG).
The three-day Startup Research Grant-National Postdoctoral Fellowship (N-PDF) expert committee meeting, which concluded here on Saturday, was chaired by Prof Manoj Prasad from the National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi.
Prof Raies A Qadri from the Department of Biotechnology, KU, who hosted the meeting in the Varsity, said it also evaluated 120 project completion reports and 50 startup research grant proposals.
According to SERB objectives, the SRG-NPDF aims to identify young researchers and provide them support for doing research in frontier areas of science and engineering. The two-year grant intends to assist researchers to initiate their research career in a new institution, according to SERB.
KU Vice-Chancellor, Prof Nilofer Khan, said it adds to the University’s credentials to host such national-level meetings which encourage young researchers to explore new areas of research in different fields of science and engineering. She urged research scholars from the University of Kashmir and other universities in J&K to continue applying for such fellowships to aid their research progression.
Prof Raies A Qadri, also an expert on the committee, said hosting such meetings will help inculcate passion for research among young students.
Later, the hosts organised a special dinner in the Varsity to foster collaborations, sharing of knowledge and exchange of ideas. It was attended by Vice-Chancellor KU Prof Nilofer Khan, Vice-Chancellor KU Prof A. Ravinder Nath, Prof. Satyanarayana, former Vice-Chancellor, Osmania University, as special guests. Other dignitaries including Registrar KU, Dr Nisar A Mir, Dean Academic Affairs, Central University of Kashmir Prof Shahid Rasool and Registrar Central University of Kashmir, Prof Afzal Zargar also attended the event.
The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by the Chairman, with special appreciation to the organising team including Dr Asif Amin, Umer Majeed Wani, Faizah Farooq, Asif Lone and Dawar Farooq who were led by Prof. Raies A Qadri for successful conduct of the meeting.

KR Desk