Early Career Researcher Development Strand

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Early Career Researchers Development Strand (ECRDS)

In today’s rapidly evolving global economy, the scientific workforce is expected to play a vital role in shaping industries, economies, and societies. Early Career Researchers (ECRs)—including Ph.D. graduates and postdoctoral scholars—are required to possess not only strong subject expertise but also essential skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation, communication, and leadership.

A key challenge, however, lies in the gap between their academic training and the practical skills valued by employers in industry, governance, and academia. To address this, the iRISE Early Career Researcher Capacity Building Program was created as a comprehensive upskilling platform. It equips researchers with the competencies necessary to succeed in both academic and non-academic career pathways, enabling them to navigate diverse professional opportunities with confidence.

Inspiring India in Research, Innovation, and STEM Education (iRISE) is a joint initiative led by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), the Royal Society of Chemistry, the British Council, Tata Technologies Limited (TTL), and Tata Trusts.

The ECR strand of iRISE aligns closely with the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act 2023, which emphasizes strengthening India’s research and innovation ecosystem through robust industry–academia collaboration. By doing so, the program aims to nurture multi-talented, world-class researchers capable of making meaningful contributions across sectors.

Objectives of the Program

This program primarily aims to bridge the gap between industry and academia by engaging early career researchers in STEM.

The program seeks to build the competencies of early career researchers to help them succeed in both academic and industry sectors by:

  • increasing opportunities to enhance professional skills that complement academic programs;
  • facilitating industry internships for STEM Ph.D. scholars to encourage them to consider an industry sector of their choice and gain project-based experience; and
  • Supporting institutions in developing a consistent, institute-wide approach to doctoral education.
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Program Structure

The iRISE Early Career Researcher (ECR) Capacity Building Program follows a three-level structured training model aimed at equipping early career researchers with essential employability skills, industry exposure, and practical experience:

Level 1 - Introductory Workshop on Essential Employability Skills 

  • Level 1 workshops are Introductory Workshop of 3 Days conducted onsite at educational institutions, that aims to introduce participants key professional skills, including career planning, communication, problem-solving, and project management. Participants also gain access to online resources for further learning.

Level 2 - Residential workshop

  • Selected participants from Level 1 attend an intensive, hands-on training program at IISER Pune, featuring industry and incubation center visits, interactive sessions with experts, and exposure to real-world applications of their research. 

Level 3 – Industry Internship Opportunities

A select group of participants from Level 2 is offered internship opportunities in industries, research organizations, and startups, providing them with practical experience and professional networking opportunities.

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

Currently Project iRISE seeks expressions of Interest from educational institutions to host the 3-Day Level-1 workshop on their campus for PhD students and Postdoc researchers.

The Level 1 workshop will include introductory sessions on a mix of the 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

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