SPARC: A Significant Leap Towards Advancing Academic and Research Collaboration in India
In the pursuit of enhancing the research landscape of India’s higher educational institutions, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has launched the web portal of the Scheme “Scheme for Promotion of Academic and Research Collaboration (SPARC)”. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur has been appointed as the National Coordinating Institute to implement the SPARC programme.
The Objective of SPARC
The primary goal of SPARC is to improve India’s higher educational research ecosystem. It aims to achieve this by initiating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions globally from 28 select nations. The focus is on jointly resolving problems of both national and international relevance. In the initial phase, the scheme will award 600 joint research proposals over two years. The collaboration will involve Indian research groups and renowned research groups from leading universities worldwide. The research areas will be either at the cutting edge of science or of direct social relevance, particularly to India.
Thrust Areas and Nodal Institutions
SPARC has identified five Thrust Areas: Fundamental Research, Emergent Areas of Impact, Convergence, Action-Oriented Research, and Innovation-Driven. Each thrust area has several sub-theme areas. Furthermore, the scheme has determined a set of Nodal Institutions (NIs) for each participating foreign country. These NIs are based in India and their role is to assist and coordinate with willing Participating Indian Institutions to establish an alliance with the Institutions of the related participating foreign country.
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) developed from the project will be regulated as per the norms of the participating institutes. The Indian Institute will enjoy the benefits arising from Patents / Royalty, rather than the foreign institute or individual faculty. All disputes will come under the jurisdiction of Indian law. The MHRD will resolve any special deviation through the SPARC Liaison cell, with the approval of the Apex Committee.
| Thrust Areas | Nodal Institutions |
|---|---|
| Fundamental Research | Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore |
| Emergent Areas of Impact | Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay |
| Convergence | Indian Institute of Technology, Madras |
| Action-Oriented Research | Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur |
| Innovation-Driven | Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi |
Anticipated Outcomes of SPARC
The SPARC program is expected to hold several benefits. These include addressing national problems with the best international expertise, aiding Indian scholars and researchers in exploring deep research issues with the help of the best foreign collaborators, and facilitating long-term stays for international faculty, thereby promoting academic interactions and research collaborations. Further, it will open opportunities for a large number of Indian students to receive training in high-end experimental facilities in world-class laboratories, stimulate academic and research content production and develop strong bilateral relationships in academics and research with top countries worldwide. Through a combination of internationalisation, research outcomes and academic interactions, SPARC is also expected to boost Indian Institutions’ International Rankings. In essence, SPARC is set to create a major international impact for catapulting Indian academics and research to a level competitive with the best in the world.