Launched in 2008, Research Councils U.K. (RCUK) India works to bring the best researchers in India and the U.K. together. RCUK facilitates a sustainable partnership between the two countries. It focuses on promoting high-impact research that not only establishes strong academic and business links between both countries, but also improves the lives of the citizens.
Sukanya Kumar-Sinha, acting director, RCUK, has been working with RCUK India since its launch in 2008. She worked with U.K. Visas and Immigration at the British High Commission, New Delhi as Team Leader - Visa Support Officer. She has also worked with a widely-circulated Indian daily. In this interview, she talks about options for funding research, positives outcomes from the partnership between the U.K. and India, and more.
You were in the country for the U.K.-India TECH Summit. What was the main aim of RCUK at the TECH Summit?
The U.K.-India TECH Summit was announced last year during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s landmark visit to the U.K. It’s a celebration of the unbeatable combination of the U.K. and India, and provides a forum to showcase future technology and discuss emerging themes for collaboration.
For RCUK India, the TECH Summit provides an opportunity to showcase our substantial collaborative research partnership with Government of India. Since 2011, Research Councils U.K., Government of India and third parties have together invested over £200 million in co-funded research programmes. We have facilitated a portfolio of over 100 high-quality, high-impact U.K.-India research projects, involving over 90 industry partners. Through these research programmes, RCUK India enables a strong, strategic and mutually beneficial partnership with India.
RCUK participates in a lot of research. How do you monitor the quality of research that is conducted?
The research conducted under us is of the highest quality. We follow Haldane Principle for monitoring research work. According to the Haldane Principle, the decisions related to research should be taken by researchers, and not by the government. We appoint researchers who look at these projects and tell us what is needed, to get funding. They make the final call and take the decision. So, all the research-related decisions are taken by experts and, therefore, there is no compromise on quality.
Does RCUK provide financial aid to research students in India?
RCUK is the biggest funder of research here. We work in partnership with research funding bodies in India to develop a truly collaborative (equal partnership) approach to research funding as this enables us to select high-quality, high-impact research, through competitive peer review. Indian agencies fund Indian researchers and U.K. agencies fund U.K. researchers. We do not fund Indian students directly, but some U.K. research councils have co-investigators schemes open to international collaborators.
You have worked in India as well as the U.K. Do you find any differences in the research quality that India can work on?
Things were different eight years ago. There is a big cultural difference. However, both countries have learnt something from each other. The U.K. has learnt that it is okay to relax sometimes as things will happen eventually. Similarly, India has learnt that things can happen in simple ways also. I feel India has always been receptive and quick to learn. So, that is a huge benefit that India possesses.
In terms of research, we have found that the U.K. and India working together has had a positive effect on the impact that the programmes can achieve.
What are your expectations from this collaboration?
There was very little structure in this partnership eight years ago. Things are changing now. Both countries are working on global challenges now. We want the U.K. to be India’s partner of choice for research. We are aiming to be world leaders together.
