Research Promotion & Guidance

• Research promotion activities at the RDC-NFSC should be aligned with the mandates of various National Missions, Start-up India leading to a Self-Reliant India (Atma-Nirbhar Bharat).
• Research Guidance from RDC-NFSC will aim to encourage faculties to conceive ideas through enhanced industry-academia interactions and prepare research proposals for funding from various agencies.
• Organizing events like capacity- building programs (Research Methodology and Research Techniques) and specific research theme-based workshops and Research Internships will motivate the end-users (students, scholars, and faculties) to participate actively in the process of ideation and innovative research in emerging areas.

(a) Research Thrust and Clustered Areas

• Thrust areas for Research in an RDC-NFSC should be identified, underpinning the societal needs and the availability of key resources, including in-house human resources, faculty research competencies, and support systems. This would enable RDC-NFSC to consider establishing a Center of Excellence (CoE) in Fire and Safety research.
• Research Clusters and/or Regional Research Consortia prompted/formed by RDC-NFSC to bring all researchers, faculty, students, scholars, and Post-Doctoral Fellows for joint high value (interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary) research projects to avail national and international funding opportunities. Shared infrastructure and expertise will enable cross-fertilization of ideas and mobilization of resources. Further, forming Regional Research Consortia adds a synergistic advantage in finding solutions in inter-disciplinary, trans­disciplinary, and multidisciplinary areas.
• CoEs' can serve as Incubation Centres to transform innovative ideas into processes and products administered and monitored by the proposed RDC-NFSC. RDC-NFSC could also provide an avenue for community talent with prior learning/expertise to engage in research and innovation activities.

(b) Research Incentives and Recognition

• Incentives play a significant role in triggering and catalyzing research interest among scholars and faculties. Incentivizing quality publications and patents by students and faculty will have an enduring positive impact.
• Institution of Excellence Awards for accomplishments/achievements in the form of impactful quality research and/ or research-based teaching will further stimulate and invigorate the research and innovation activities.
• RDC-NFSC should also develop a policy focusing on identifying specific intensives for research faculty and develop a unique Research Career ladder for strengthening the mission "Research".

(c) Technology Development and Business Centered Facility

• The Technology Development and business-centered facility will be a hub for strategic partnerships/ collaborations, industry-institute interface, sponsored or contract research, new knowledge generation, IPR, and patent services, venture capital, trade/market portfolio, technology transfer, and commercialization of research to facilitate innovation, incubation, entrepreneurship and start-up ventures.

(d) Finance

• RDC-NFSC can facilitate resource mobilization and create a Corpus for research and development from government, industry, and other funding agencies and channelize Corporate Social. Responsibility (CSR) funds for sustainance and furtherance of research activities. Apart from creating a Corpus fund exclusively for R&D, RDC can explore venture capitalists and angel investors for funding in research and innovation.
• It needs to liaise with funding agencies, and track funding opportunities from industrial consortia. The RDC-NFSC may make provision for research in the annual budget subject to the availability of funds.
• The corpus created for research could also support the seed funding for freshly recruited faculty for developing research facilities, publications and patenting.