Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Call for Proposal: Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative (OSI)

Call for Proposal: Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative (OSI)

Introduction
The University Grants Commission, India, announces an open competition for the "Obama-Singh 21st Century Knowledge Initiative (OSI)". The OSI, which is a joint initiative of Indo-US Government, aims and focuses on the formation of higher education partnerships between US Institutions and Institutions of Higher Learning in India. The said joint initiative also aims at the development and enrichment of junior faculty at Indian Institutions of Higher Learning. The Indian Institutions recognized u/s 2(f) and 12B of UGC Act, 1956 and Institutions of National Importance may submit their proposals with a view to encourage mutually understanding and economic development through education cooperation in the field of Higher Learning.

Program Overview
To encourage mutual understanding educational reform and economic development the OSI enables Indian Higher Education Institutions to pursue objectives through exchange visits of faculty, administrators, post graduate Indian students, and US graduate students who can demonstrate the ability to work independently.

Project Objectives
The proposals should explain in detail how the project will enable the participating institutions to achieve specific institutional changes that will support the goals of the OSI. The proposals should outline a series of activities for meeting specific objectives for each participating institution. The benefits of the project to each of the participating institutions may differ significantly in nature and scope based on their respective needs and resource bases.
Project objectives may include the development or revision of courses, curricula, and programs of study at participating institutions to support mutual understanding, educational reform and economic development. Particular areas of interest include Indian junior faculty development programs in respective fields. The proposals may outline the parameters and possible content of new courses; new teaching specializations or pedagogic methodologies; collaborative research; new or revised curricula; and new programs for outreach to educators, professional groups, or the general public. Proposals may also describe strategies to promote administrative reform through faculty or staff development.
In most cases a limited number of related thematic objectives at each institution will be more feasible to achieve than a larger number of unrelated objectives.
The following fields are eligible:
  • Energy Studies
  • Sustainable Development
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Studies
  • Education and Educational Reform
  • Community Development and Innovation

Eligible Institutions
The Universities/Institutions recognized under Section 2 (f) and 12 B of UGC Act are eligible to receive the grant.

Last date for the receipt of proposals is 1st November, 2011.

Call for Registration:: WIPO Distance Learning/ Online Courses on Intellectual Property Rights

DL-101 General Course on Intellectual Property
Summary: This course covers the main areas of intellectual property, namely copyright, related rights, patents, trademarks, geographical indications, industrial design, plant breeders' rights, unfair competition and international registration systems.
Tutored: Yes   Duration: 50 hours    Cost: Free of Charge   
Next Session:  October 1 to November 17, 2011 (Final exam: November 16 and 17)
Enrollment: July 1 to August 31, 2011
 
Advanced Courses
DL-201E Copyright and Related Rights
Summary: This advanced course covers the basic principles of international Copyright Law, international treaties, and recent developments and trends in the area of international copyright.  It also covers the role of WIPO in the worldwide protection of copyright.
Tutored: Yes   Duration: 100 hours   Cost: Fee-based
Next Session: Starting week of October 17, 2011
Enrollment: July 14 to August 14, 2011
    
DL-204E Biotechnology and Intellectual Property
Summary: This advanced course aims to illustrate how you can use the current IP system to protect and commercialize your biotechnological invention. After completing the study of this course, you should be able to develop a sound knowledge of the different legal instruments related to protection of your biotechnology invention and execute a strategy for commercializing your invention.
Tutored: Yes   Duration: 100 hours   Cost: Fee-based
Next Session: Starting week of October 24, 2011
Enrollment: July 14 to August 14, 2011

DL-302E Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications
Summary: This advanced course is intended to provide training material online to cover intellectual property aspects which are closely related to trade and competition in the globablized market.  Additionally, the course is intended to educate and raise awareness of some of the complex issues that surround the protection and management of intellectual property for branding.
Tutored: Yes   Duration: 100 hours   Cost: Fee-based
Next Session: Starting week of October 31, 2011
Enrollment: July 14 to August 14, 2011

DL-318E Patent Information Search
Summary: The intention of this distance learning course relating to patent information searching is to introduce you to, and illustrate the concepts, of searching patent information.
Tutored: Yes   Duration: 100 hours   Cost: Fee-based 
Next Session: Starting week of November 7, 2011
Enrollment: July 14 to August 14, 2011

DL-401E Managing Intellectual Property in the Book Publishing Industry
Summary: This course is intended to provide a basic guide to publishers who wish to increase their understanding of how to manage intellectual property (IP) rights in a business context. Based on conventional practices of publishing houses, it offers practical information to help publishers both to exploit IP rights as economic assets and to avoid infringing the rights of others. It focuses primarily on publishers of trade books. The concepts covered are equally relevant to publishers of other printed literature, such as textbooks, newspapers, magazines and corporate literature.
Tutored: Yes  Duration: 100 hours   Cost: Fee-based
Next Session: Starting week of November 7, 2011
Enrollment: July 14 to August 14, 2011

DL-450E Intellectual Property Management
Summary: The course, Intellectual Property Management, focuses on intellectual property from the perspective of 'why' and 'how' for participants who have already covered the basics of 'what' Intellectual Property is.  In the first three modules, it teaches about the economic significance of IP. Using management examples and established industry methodologies, it elaborates on IP asset identification, IP incubation, IP commercialization, IP valuation, and IP taxation. In the last three modules it offers an in-depth look at commercial activities in the digital area by looking at e-commerce and IP, digital management of creative works, and the strategic management of IP.
Tutored: Yes   Duration: 100 hours   Cost: Fee-based 
Next Session: Starting week of November 7, 2011
Enrollment: July 14 to August 14, 2011


CfP:: 3rd International Conference on Mobile Communication for Development (M4D2012), 28-29 Feb; Ghaziabad

3rd International Conference on Mobile Communication for Development (M4D2012)

28-29 February 2012

Ghaziabad, India

Institute of Management Studies (Ghaziabad, India) in cooperation with HumanIT (Karlstad University, Sweden) invite you to the 3rd International Conference on M4D - Mobile Communication for Development, following the inaugural conference in Karlstad, Sweden in 2008 and second conference in Kampala, Uganda. M4D2012 aims to provide a forum for researchers, practitioners and all those with interests in mobile communication for development. M4D2012 will combine two days of workshops, discussions, demos, plenary, paper and panel sessions. The conference activities will take place at a reputed hotel in the National Capital Region of Delhi and the campus of Institute of Management Studies, Ghaziabad.
 
Call for Papers
M4D2012 strives to create an inclusive event where all types of actors and formats are included. If you wish to present a paper, demo or poster you submit either to the practitioner or the research track. The research track has a traditional academic conference design while in the practitioner's track industry, NGOs, and public bodies can discuss experiences, ideas and disseminate knowledge. However, this conference is not only for paper presenters but also for all who have an interest in areas of mobility, communication, social change and their intersections. It is our explicit aim to make room for extensive discussions and interaction between all participants throughout the conference. We therefore also invite the ideas of different kinds workshops, panels, demos and discussion formats. All topics that relate to mobile communication and development are welcome.
The suggested Topics (but not limited to) include:
  • Social implications of mobile communications
  • Mobile health
  • Mobile communication and political participation/ change
  • Agriculture, rural development and mobile communication
  • Economic development and mobile communication such as mobile banking and mobile money
  • Mobile learning
  • Mobile communication and community awareness / development
  • Mobile communication and disaster management
  • Mobile communication and corruption fighting
  • Mobile communication and election / government monitoring
  • Mobile communication and community awareness / development
  • Mobile communication and disaster management
  • Mobile communication and climate control
  • Challenges to the proliferation of mobile technology
  • Mobile communication and women empowerment
  • Mobile communication and surveillance
  • Innovative applications for mobile communication
Important Dates
Paper/poster/demo submission     July 31,2011
Acceptance/review note         Sept 30, 2011
Travel grant application    Oct 15, 2011
Final paper submission        Nov 15, 2011  

Monday, July 11, 2011

Training Course on Research Methodology in Social Sciences; CSD, New Delhi; September 12-23

Training Course on Research Methodology in Social Sciences


September 12-23, 2011

Organized by : Council for Social Development, New Delhi

 

Aims and Scope

A common challenge faced by almost all social science researchers is that of choosing an appropriate methodology for their research and evaluation work i.e. Selection and formulation of the problems; review of relevant literature; conceptual framework; selection of research design; formulation of research questions/ hypothesis and testing of hypothesis; selection of sampling methods and its techniques; preparing of interview schedules, questionnaire and other relevant tools for data collection; collecting data from the field and field management; choosing suitable techniques of data analysis; using computer and information technology for data collection  analysis & report writing;  interpreting the data and reporting on the findings of the research study.

This training course has been designed keeping these problems in view. It aims at enhancing the knowledge of, and skills in, some of the widely applied survey research methods, basic statistical techniques and scientific report writing. The course addresses the needs of academic researchers and of the practitioners of development in the field.

 

Course Objectives

The objectives of the course are to:

  • Explain the difference between social and natural science; pure and applied science and pure, applied & action research;
  • Formulate and test a research questions/hypotheses;
  • Describe different types of sampling techniques;
  • Discuss the techniques of data collection, processing and analysis through the following methods:
  • Participant Observation, Focused Group Discussion (FDG), Case Study, Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA);
  • Questionnaire & interview techniques and Statistical methods;
  • Computer Applications – Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) and Geographical Information System (GIS);
  • Indicate the implications of social science researches in formulation, planning and implementation of various socio-economic development programmes and schemes; and
  • Discuss the major sections/ chapters to be included in scientific report or thesis writing.

 

Target Participants

Research students/ academicians/ professionals from any social science background coming from universities, research institutions, government departments and Non-Governmental Organizations.


Methodology

Interactive class-room sessions, lectures and demonstrations by experts from the field, exercises, assignments, case studies, preparation & testing of questionnaire, interview schedule/guide, field visits, conducting pilot studies, report writing in small groups and presentation of research findings.

 

Expected Outcome

At the end of the programme, the participants will have enhanced capacity to carry out social science research projects on a scientific basis, to articulate their findings and conclusions in an effective manner, and to make suggestions and recommendations for policy changes in the desired direction.

 

Duration: Two weeks


Course Contribution

Participant's contribution for attending the training course will be Rs. 2500 (Rupees two thousand and five hundred only)


Important Dates:

Duly completed details of candidates should reach by: July 31, 2011

Selected candidates will be intimated by : August 8, 2011

Contribution of selected candidates should reach by : September 1, 2011

 

(Demand Draft should be made in the name of Council for Social Development, New Delhi)

 

Participant should send their details by Post/ Courier/ Hand or E-mail (preferably) to Ms. Purtika Kalra, Research Assistant at (researchmethod@csdindia.org; purtika@csdindia.org)

Announcement and proforma for participant details can be downloaded from www.csdindia.org

 

Note: Though CSD does not provide any accommodation facilities for outstation participants, we can try to arrange the same at moderate rates if request is received by the participant at least one month in advance.

 

Course Director

Dr.(Ms) M.K.Jabbi

Senior Fellow

Email: researchmethod@csdindia.org; purtika@csdindia.org


Further Details

Applications Invited for the New India Foundation Fellowships 2011

Applications Invited for the New India Foundation Fellowships 2011

The New India Foundation now invites applications for the sixth round of its fellowships. Applications as per the guidelines on the website may be submitted before 31st July 2011.

The core activity of the New India Foundation are the New India Fellowships, awarded to scholars and writers working on different aspects of the history of independent India. The duration of the fellowships is twelve months. Fellows are paid Rs. 70, 000 a month. Each year, a mix of young and experienced candidates are selected.

The New India Fellowships are open only to Indian nationals, including those currently living abroad. Fellowship holders are expected to write original books. Their proposals should be oriented towards final publication, and outline a road map towards that destination. The Foundation is ecumenical as regards genre, theme, and ideology: the only requirement is that the proposed works contribute to the fuller understanding of independent India. Thus Fellowship holders may choose to write a memoir, or a work of reportage, or a thickly footnoted academic study. Their books could be oriented towards economics, or politics, or culture. They could be highly specific-an account of a single decade or a single region-or wide-ranging, such as a countrywide overview.

The books that result from the New India Fellowship will convey original research in an accessible manner to different constituencies. To that end, each book will be published by a prestigious publishing house. The Trustees have wide experience of publishing with leading firms (Oxford University Press, University of Chicago Press, Blackwell, Penguin) in India and abroad.

Candidates for the New India Fellowship are Candidates for the New India Fellowship are sought through select advertising in leading journals. The Trustees shall assess the proposals and make a short list from the submissions. The shortlisted candidates will be called for an interview, before a jury consisting of eminent people from the worlds of scholarship, business, and social service.

How to Apply
Applicants for the New India Fellowships are invited to submit the following:
  • CV with contact details (email ID mandatory)
  • Book proposal
  • Writing sample of at least 5000 words (published or unpublished)
Entries may be sent by post or courier to the following address. Email applications will not be entertained.
To
The Managing Trustee,
The New India Foundation,
22 A Brunton Road,
Bangalore 560025.

Deadline: 31st July 2011

Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Unexamined Society... by David Brooks; New York Times

The Unexamined Society

by David Brooks

The New York Times; July 7, 2011

Over the past 50 years, we've seen a number of gigantic policies produce disappointing results — policies to reduce poverty, homelessness, dropout rates, single-parenting and drug addiction. Many of these policies failed because they were based on an overly simplistic view of human nature. They assumed that people responded in straightforward ways to incentives. Often, they assumed that money could cure behavior problems.
Fortunately, today we are in the middle of a golden age of behavioral research. Thousands of researchers are studying the way actual behavior differs from the way we assume people behave. They are coming up with more accurate theories of who we are, and scores of real-world applications. Here's one simple example:
When you renew your driver's license, you have a chance to enroll in an organ donation program. In countries like Germany and the U.S., you have to check a box if you want to opt in. Roughly 14 percent of people do. But behavioral scientists have discovered that how you set the defaults is really important. So in other countries, like Poland or France, you have to check a box if you want to opt out. In these countries, more than 90 percent of people participate.
This is a gigantic behavior difference cued by one tiny and costless change in procedure.
Yet in the middle of this golden age of behavioral research, there is a bill working through Congress that would eliminate the National Science Foundation's Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences. This is exactly how budgets should not be balanced — by cutting cheap things that produce enormous future benefits.
Let's say you want to reduce poverty. We have two traditional understandings of poverty. The first presumes people are rational. They are pursuing their goals effectively and don't need much help in changing their behavior. The second presumes that the poor are afflicted by cultural or psychological dysfunctions that sometimes lead them to behave in shortsighted ways. Neither of these theories has produced much in the way of effective policies.
Eldar Shafir of Princeton and Sendhil Mullainathan of Harvard have recently, with federal help, been exploring a third theory, that scarcity produces its own cognitive traits.
A quick question: What is the starting taxi fare in your city? If you are like most upper-middle-class people, you don't know. If you are like many struggling people, you do know. Poorer people have to think hard about a million things that affluent people don't. They have to make complicated trade-offs when buying a carton of milk: If I buy milk, I can't afford orange juice. They have to decide which utility not to pay.
These questions impose enormous cognitive demands. The brain has limited capacities. If you increase demands on one sort of question, it performs less well on other sorts of questions.
Shafir and Mullainathan gave batteries of tests to Indian sugar farmers. After they sell their harvest, they live in relative prosperity. During this season, the farmers do well on the I.Q. and other tests. But before the harvest, they live amid scarcity and have to think hard about a thousand daily decisions. During these seasons, these same farmers do much worse on the tests. They appear to have lower I.Q.'s. They have more trouble controlling their attention. They are more shortsighted. Scarcity creates its own psychology.
Princeton students don't usually face extreme financial scarcity, but they do face time scarcity. In one game, they had to answer questions in a series of timed rounds, but they could borrow time from future rounds. When they were scrambling amid time scarcity, they were quick to borrow time, and they were nearly oblivious to the usurious interest rates the game organizers were charging. These brilliant Princeton kids were rushing to the equivalent of payday lenders, to their own long-term detriment.
Shafir and Mullainathan have a book coming out next year, exploring how scarcity — whether of time, money or calories (while dieting) — affects your psychology. They are also studying how poor people's self-perceptions shape behavior. Many people don't sign up for the welfare benefits because they are intimidated by the forms. Shafir and Mullainathan asked some people at a Trenton soup kitchen to relive a moment when they felt competent and others to recount a neutral experience. Nearly half of the self-affirming group picked up an available benefits package afterward. Only 16 percent of the neutral group did.
People are complicated. We each have multiple selves, which emerge or don't depending on context. If we're going to address problems, we need to understand the contexts and how these tendencies emerge or don't emerge. We need to design policies around that knowledge. Cutting off financing for this sort of research now is like cutting off navigation financing just as Christopher Columbus hit the shoreline of the New World.

[A version of this op-ed appeared in print on July 8, 2011, on page A23 of the New York edition with the headline: The Unexamined Society...]
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/opinion/08brooks.html?_r=1

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Anup Kumar Das
Centre for Studies in Science Policy
School of Social Sciences
Jawaharlal Nehru University
New Delhi - 110067, India
www.anupkumardas.blogspot.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

CfPs:: International Conference on Management of Intellectual Property Rights and Strategy (MIPS2012) at IITB

1st International Conference on Management of Intellectual Property Rights and Strategy (MIPS2012)

2–5 February 2012

Organized by Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB), India

THEME: IP for Development: The emerging Paradigm

Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Bombay through the support of the Ministry of Human Resources Development IPR Chair Project, Government of India, is hosting the 1st International Conference on Management of Intellectual Property Rights and Strategy MIPS 2012 at IIT Bombay, India. The core focus of this conference is to provide a suitable and conducive platform to discuss, debate and present contemporary research in the area of Intellectual Property Rights and its management.

Theme of the Conference:
The theme for the conference is "IP for Development: The emerging Paradigm". Following are the Track of interest identified, but are NOT limited to:
  • Economics of commons – managing technology, knowledge transfer and spillovers, standardisation and pooling through IPR
  • Identification, Decisions and Strategic management of IPR – IP Informatics and analysis
  • Missing IP management in strategy
  • Myths and realities in IP Quality, Valuation and its branding
  • Navigating the Digital jungle – IPR as the compass
  • Public institutions, requirements and intergenerational equity of IP
  • Rationales and Paradigms in the role of IPR
  • The Public – Private Dichotomy under TRIPS Flexibility and Maximum standards
  • Tripping open innovation – Does IP close the opening of collaborative innovation models?
Early Call for Papers/ Submissions
The submissions are through the online mode only. Register and upload your extended abstract online at towards the submission and review process. The extended abstract would be limited to 750 words [including the keywords]. Workshop / Tutorial proposals <500 words related to IPR are also invited. Full papers are expected by October 1, 2011. Selected and reviewed submissions would be accommodated in Research / Practitioners / Case study stream. Full papers are a must to be eligible for the research papers stream and the related grants. Practitioners' series can be an extended abstract of 3 pages.

Submission Types
The conference attempts to truly balance the academician researcher and the industrial practitioner. This conference has three different modes of presentation for the selected papers – Research Stream, Practitioners Stream and Case study stream.

Conference Awards
In order to enhance, expand and acknowledge the quality of IPR research occurring in the country, the conference is proposing two sets of awards to be presented. The first set of awards is towards the recognition of the top two research, practitioner and case papers under Indian and foreign category.
The second set of awards is for the best thesis in the area of IPR, being defended under Indian and foreign category. Further information on the nomination and application process / guidelines will be released shortly.
Select submissions will be invited for potential publications in two journals – International Journal of IP management and International Journal of Technology Transfer and commercialisation, both by Inderscience Publishers.

Student and Researchers' Support
The conference is in the process of finalising travel support for shortlisted students from India who present their research work and partial travel support for shortlisted international students [especially developing nations] who present their research work.

Important Timelines

  • Extended Abstracts DUE: July 08, 2011
  • Review status: August 16, 2011
  • Workshops / Tutorials Proposals: July 08, 2011
  • Full Paper for Review: October 1, 2011
  • Full paper review and selection status: December 1, 2o11
  • Early Registration: November 15 – December 31, 2011
  • Regular Registration: December 11, 2011 onwards
  • Camera Ready Paper: January 01, 2011
  • Conference Dates: February 2-5, 2012

Conference Components
The conference provides the ideal opportunity for emerging researchers in the IPR domain to interact with experts and practitioners through doctoral colloquium, themed tracks and keynote sessions. Separate workshops and tutorials are also being planned as part of the pre conference event. To enable the industry and practitioners participation, the conference has separate case study tracks across the various industries and also application style papers which apply the various research models into reality. Proposals for workshops, tutorials and sponsorship are welcome.

MIPS 2012 conference Secretariat
IPR Chair Office
SJMSOM, IIT Bombay, Powai
Please contact us at mips2012[at]som.iitb.ac.in
IPR Chair Project: Prof. Karuna Jain, iprchair[at]som.iitb.ac.in
IPR Chair Office: iprchair.office[at]som.iitb.ac.in

Inlaks Research Travel Grants

INLAKS RESEARCH TRAVEL GRANTS

The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation has been supporting innovative work in research and scholarship for more than three decades. The "Inlaks Research Travel Grant" is geared to assist registered PhD. students of Indian universities to undertake short-term visits to universities abroad to collect material, use facilities and consult experts.

WHAT DOES THE AWARD OFFER?
"Inlaks Research Travel Grant" offers financial support for a maximum of 3 months at a university/institution/library abroad. The Grant will cover:
  •  Discounted air fare
  •  Maintenance expenses at a modest rate
  •  Funds for buying material and books, and making copies of relevant literature.

WHO CAN APPLY?
 The applicants must
  •  hold confirmed Ph.D registration for at least two years but for not more than four years.
  •  have a first class degree at either Bachelor's (Honours) or Master's level, preferably both.
  •  be under 35 years of age on 31 December in the year of applying.

SUBJECTS FOR WHICH THE GRANT IS AVAILABLE: Humanities and Social Sciences

WHAT MUST THE APPLICANTS SUBMIT?
 Fully filled form for "Inlaks Research Travel Grant". The forms may be downloaded from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation website.
  • Sample of written work (3000-5000 words) on the subject of the candidate's research. This should preferably be a draft (with full annotation and documentation) of a chapter of the PhD thesis along with details regarding the reading list, surveys, or any other work done towards the thesis.
  • Evidence of having communicated with concerned persons or institutions abroad and having received a positive response.
  • A written and signed statement from the applicant's supervisor stating:
  • The candidate's ability, focus and progress in the work done under her/his supervision
  • The candidate's need to go abroad
  • That the funds for the visit cannot be obtained from any other source
  • The fully filled in forms and other enclosures must be sent by post to the following address: 86/87 Atlanta, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021.
LAST DATE OF RECEIVING APPLICATION FORMS September 30, 2011.

IMPORTANT CONDITIONS
  • Any material collected by the selected candidates (books, copies, instruments etc.) must become the property of the candidate's institution for wider use by future scholars.
  • All this material must carry a statement regarding the support received from the Inlaks Research Travel Grants
  • The grants must be utilized within nine months of the date of award.
  • The students must furnish vouchers/evidence for major expenses like lodging, library fees, buying books, etc.

SELECTION PROCEDURE
  • The candidates will be expected to go through a two-tier selection procedure.
  • First round: short-listing on the basis of the written record submitted by the candidate.
  • Second and final round: Personal interview of the short-listed candidates.
  • (NOTE: The candidates short-listed for the interview will be informed by early November 2011. The final interviews will be held by early December 2011).