Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Dec: Sardar Bhagwan Singh University (SBSU), Balawala, successfully concluded a Five-Day Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on “Empowering Faculty through Research Grant Writing: From Concept to Funding” held from 25 to 29 November in hybrid mode. Nearly 200 faculty members from universities and institutions across the country participated enthusiastically in the technical sessions, discussions, and hands-on modules conducted during the programme.
Inaugurating the FDP, the Vice-Chancellor of SBSU, Prof (Dr) J Kumar, emphasised the growing importance of competitive research grants in advancing institutional innovation and contributing to national development. He noted that grant writing has become an essential academic competency and reaffirmed SBSU’s commitment to continuously upgrading faculty skills for enhanced academic performance. The Director, IQAC, Dr Veerma Ram, also underlined the relevance of the programme in the rapidly evolving research landscape, stressing the need for faculty to understand funding ecosystems, evaluation criteria, and the essential components of high-quality proposals.
The five-day programme featured distinguished international and national experts who delivered in-depth lectures on proposal development, budgeting, societal relevance, and interdisciplinary research design. Key speakers included Dr Serge Savary, Chief Editor Food Security and former Senior Scientist, IRRI; Dr Laetitia Willouquette, Scientist, INRAE, Toulouse; Dr Prasada Raju, former senior official, DST-SERB; Dr Anant Ram, former UGC official and CEO, HE&R Trust; Dr Neeraj Dilbaghi, Professor and Dean (R&D), GJU Hisar; and Dr Deepak Kumar Semwal from Uttarakhand Ayurved University. Their sessions covered global research priorities, SERB funding mechanisms, proposal structuring, digital tools, budgeting, and biomedical project development.
During the valedictory session, the Convener, Prof (Dr) Anupama Singh, expressed satisfaction over the successful conduct of the programme, noting the active participation of the attendees, the high quality of expert deliberations, and the effectiveness of the hybrid format. She acknowledged the guidance of the Vice-Chancellor, the support of IQAC, and the efforts of the coordinating and technical teams in ensuring the smooth execution of the event.
The FDP forms part of SBSU’s ongoing initiative to strengthen faculty competencies, foster a robust research culture, and enhance the university’s overall academic excellence and societal impact.
