About iRISE Early Career Researcher Capacity Building Program

In our rapidly evolving global economy, the scientific workforce is going to have an increasing influence over industries, economies, and societies. Early Career Researchers (ECRs), encompassing Ph.D. graduates and post-doctoral academics, are expected to possess specialised skill sets crucial for leading the 21st century. These skills mainly include critical thinking, problem-solving, and domain expertise. However, a prevalent concern is the disparity between their profound domain knowledge and their practical skills sought after by employers across industry, governance, and academia. Recognising this disparity, there is a pressing need to develop a comprehensive up-skilling program tailored to equip these individuals with the practical skills demanded by employers in diverse professional settings.

Highlights of the Program

• Consistent and Institute-wide upskilling of ECRs: The program extends comprehensive support to institutions in fostering a consistent and institute-wide approach to upskilling of ECRs. By encouraging alignment and collaboration across departments, we aim to foster an ecosystem that nurtures interdisciplinary research and holistic growth of early career researchers.
• Professional Skills Enhancement: Participants will benefit from an array of expanded opportunities to bolster their professional skill sets, which perfectly complement their academic programs. By equipping them with essential competencies, we aim to nurture well-rounded researchers capable of excelling in diverse professional settings.
• Industry Internships for STEM Ph.D. Scholars: As a pivotal component, STEM Ph.D. scholars will have the exclusive chance to partake in enriching industry internships. These immersive experiences will not only inspire them to consider diverse industry sectors but also provide them with invaluable project-based exposure. We envision this as a transformative step towards a seamless academic-to-industry transition.

Program Structure

iRISE Early Career Researcher Capacity Building Program comprises of three levels:

Call for ‘Expression of Interest’ to host iRISE Early Career Researcher Capacity Building Program (Level 1)

Currently Project iRISE seeks expression of Interest from educational institutions to host the 3-Day Level-1 workshop in their campus for Ph.D. students and Postdoc researchers.

The Level 1 workshop will include introductory sessions on a mix of following themes.

• Career Planning
• Communication Skills
• Systematic Problem Solving and Innovation
• Project and Product Management
• Business and Industry fundamentals
• Effective Teaching Methodologies
• Entrepreneurship

Institutions  interested in hosting the 3-Day iRISE Early Career Researcher Capacity Building Workshop (Level 1) for their PhD students, can connect with us by sending an email with the subject line “Expression of Interest by (Institute Name) - iRISE ECR Capacity Building Program” to irise.ecr@acads.iiserpune.ac.in