Annual Report 2007-2008

Infrastructure Development

Fund for Improvement of S&T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (FIST) Program

"FIST"- Fund for improvement of S&T infrastructures in universities and higher educational institutionsscheme was started way back in the 2000 for augmenting PG teaching and research activities in all science departments of Universities, Colleges and other academic Institutions in the country. The Scheme has been conceptualized with an objective of augmentation of science departments either engaged in imparting PG teaching or actively involved in research activities so that more students can be attracted to pursue their carrier in higher studies in new and emerging areas of science.

Financial support is provided to acquire state-of-art equipment besides basic equipment, renovation of existing infrastructure, augmentation of facilities available in the department and setting up of Computer centre in the department. The Program generally extends support in six broad subject areas of S&T i.e. Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences & Mathematical Sciences through two levels of support.

Since inception of the FIST scheme, during last 7 years more than 1100 departments spread over to 204 academic institutions have been identified at a total support of about Rs 740 crores. Financial support to the projects (221 nos.) identified in the year 2000 have been completed and except few, most of the departments have completed the process of acquiring equipment, renovation of the existing laboratories and setting up of computer laboratories. The FIST 2000 supported departments have been asked to submit Project Completion Report (PCR) as their tenure of 5 years is over.

For the purpose of Review of the projects, all these projects are broadly classified in three categories viz Category ‘A’ (support of more than Rs 50.0 lakh), Category ‘B’ (support of in between Rs 26.0 lakh and Rs 49.0 lakh) and Category ‘C’ (support of less than Rs 25.0 lakh). All 221, 238, 189 & 120 projects supported under FIST-2000, FIST-2002, FIST-2003, FIST-2004 respectively have been already reviewed. The similar exercise would be used for reviewing 91 projects of FIST 2005.

Under this scheme, many departments have been able to acquire some of the state-of-art equipment such as Confocal Microscope, Spectro-Flurometer, Squid Magnetometer, Bioreactor, Flow Cytometer, Real Time PCR, Dyanomill, Protein Purification System, Phaco Emulsication Unit, Osometer, Soxthem, DNA Sequencers, Articulograph, System for Genome Typing, DSC-TGA, 100 kN UTM, RTOS, Cross Compiler, Microwave Vector Analyzer, Echo Sounder, Thermal Analyzer, Image Capture Station with Sensor Mast, Mobile Robot with Workstation, Particle Size Analyzer, Automatic Particulate Monitor, Automatic Weather Monitor, etc. Apart from this, many of the departments in various universities, colleges and academic institutions have also established a Central Computer Laboratory in their department which is being extensively used by students, research scholars and faculty members for computational and other activities. Besides this, many of the departments are able to restore their Departmental Library by acquiring latest books in the relevant areas of their interest.

In the current year, the process of identification of departments for support under FIST-2007 scheme has been completed. 147 departments were identified at a cost of Rs. 220 crores.

In a proactive measure, the Department has announced a special package for North East Region for Strengthening Science and Technology education and research at a total budgetary provision of Rs. 70 crore for 5 years. The package focuses on the following:

A. Augmentation of S&T education infrastructure: Under the initiative, total of 50 colleges would be identified and selected based on considerations of potentials for excellence in science education. Rs. lakh per college for 5 years is envisaged.

B. Enrichment of research efforts through exchange fellowships

• Visiting Professorships for short term attachment to the universities in NER: Total of five visiting professorships for each university are proposed. This would amount to total of 70 such professorships. Each professorship would carry costs of travel plus an honorarium of Rs 25,000.
• Visiting fellowships to research students from NER for work in other regions: Total of 100 visiting fellowships for research scholars from NER for supporting attachment to institutions outside the NER would be formulated and provided. These fellowships would carry to and fro travel costs plus a monthly compensation of Rs 8000 pm for three months. The host institution would also be provided a contingency grant of Rs 10,000 pm for the fellowship period for supporting the scholars.
  
• Faculty Assistance programs for young researchers: Under the scheme, young researchers from NER desirous of collaborating and carrying out research in other locations in the country for short periods of time would be provided a visiting fellowship program for a period not exceeding one month per year. This visit could be used also for the preparation of research proposals for competitive bidding under SERC mechanism. The fellowship would carry to and fro travel costs plus Rs 8000 towards contingency and other expenditures.
  
  

C. Special FIST assistance to universities in the region: Support would be extended to University (as Unit) upto Rs 1.5 crores for teaching related support (not for research activity).

D. Strengthening of physical infrastructure in universities: One time support not exceeding Rs 50 lakhs per university for improving the uninterrupted and stabilized power supply.

E. Major Facility Support: Two units would be supported at a total cost of Rs. 10 crore in the region for acquiring major Facilities like SEM/ NMR/ Single Crystal Facility etc

F. Summer School / Winter School for UG & PG Students: A number of summer/winter schools are planned in the area relevant to the region

G. Focus R&D Support: Research having relevant to NER region like bio-diversity, disaster management, flood control etc. is proposed to be supported in consortium mode.

Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (Saif)

Sophisticated analytical instruments are vital for pursuing research in many areas of modern science and technology. Many institutions in the country do not have such instruments. These instruments are expensive and cannot be provided through individual project mechanism. The Department of Science & Technology has set up Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SAIFs) in different parts of the country to provide the facilities of sophisticated analytical instruments to the research workers in general and specially from the institutions which do not have access to such instruments through its Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SAIF) programme to enable them to pursue R&D activities requiring such facilities and keep pace with developments taking place globally. At present the Sophisticated Analytical Instrument Facilities (SAIFs) are being supported by DST at IIT, Chennai; IIT, Mumbai; CDRI, Lucknow; Panjab University; Chandigarh; NEHU, Shillong; Nagpur University; Nagpur; IISc., Bangalore; AIIMS, New Delhi, Gauhati University, Guwahati; IIT, Roorkee, CVM, Vallabh Vidyanagar; and Sophisticated Test & Instrumentation Centre (STIC), Kochi.


Analytical Instrument Facilities Available at the SAIFs

The SAIFs are equipped with sophisticated analytical instruments such as Scanning Electron Microscopes, Transmission Electron Microscopes, Electron Probe Micro Analyzer, Mass Spectrometers, ICP, NMR,

EPR Spectrometers, X-ray Diffractometers, Thermal Analysis Systems etc. to meet the needs of research workers in various areas of science & technology. Some of the major instrument facilities installed at the SAIFs during the year are: 500 MHz FT-NMR Spectrometer at the SAIF, Chennai (Figure 3.1); Laser Ablation ICP-Mass Spectrometer and LC-Mass Spectrometer at the SAIF, Mumbai; LC-MS/MS (Figure 3.2) and Powder X-ray Diffractometer (Figure 3.3) at the SAIF, Chandigarh; and 400 MHz FT-NMR Spectrometer at SAIF, Shillong. The following instrument facilities are further being added to the existing SAIFs to strengthen them: Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometer at SAIF, Mumbai, Electron Probe Micro Analyzer at SAIF, Roorkee, SEM with EDAX at SAIF, Kochi, 400 MHz FT-NMR Spectrometer at SAIF, Bangalore and LC-MS/MS at SICART, Vallabh Vidyanagar. The SAIFs over the years have acquired the capabilities of repair and maintenance of instruments and majority of the instruments with them are being maintained in-house.

Figure 3.1:500 MHz FT-NMR Spectrometer at SAIF,Chennai	Figure 3.2:LC-MS/MS at the SAIF, Chandigrah

• A wide range of sophisticated analytical instrument facilities/techniques are being provided by the SAIFs to the research workers. The instrument facilities at the SAIFs are meeting the analytical needs of scientists including qualitative/ quantitative elemental, molecular/compound analysis/characterization, structure determination, surface topographic studies etc., and enabling them to pursue research in various frontline areas of S&T.
• Facilities and assistance for sample preparation are being provided to the users. Testing of quality of raw material and end-products is also being done for industries/users.
• Consultancy services like solution to analytical problems including development of analytical methods for specific needs, sampling problems, spectrum analysis and interpretation of results etc. are also being offered by the SAIFs.
• The facilities at the SAIFs facilitated research in various areas of Science & Technology. Some of these include synthesis of organic/organometallic compounds, drug intermediates, extraction/study of natural products/screening for their biological activities, drugs & pharmaceutical research, study of biomolecules and their structure elucidation, R&D in material science, nano science & technology, studies related to crops/seeds, insecticides, various diseases etc.
  
• About 11,800 scientists/users from all over the country utilized the facilities during 2006-07. These included research workers from almost all the universities in the country. About 80% of the users were from academic sector.
  
• More than one lakh samples were analyzed at the Facilities during 2006-07.

• A new method for polarization transfer between heteronuclei for static oriented samples as an alternative to the well known Hartmann-Hahn Cross-Polarization (HHCP) scheme (with NMR) has been developed at SAIF, Bangalore.
• A method to speed up the two dimensional computing schemes by using Hadamard spectroscopy in indirect dimension, (with NMR) has been developed resulting in a scheme which is faster at SAIF, Bangalore.
• A method has been developed to reconstruct a solid state high resolution heteronuclear J-resolved 2D spectrum from 1D experiments (with NMR) at SAIF, Bangalore.
• Using two dimensional HSQC experiments (with NMR), it has been shown that spectra of each rare spin coupled to protons can be selectively detected. 1H-1H, 1H-15N and 1H-13C dipolar coupling have been determined in their natural abundance for the molecules pyrazine, pyrimidine and pyridazine oriented in liquid crystal. rá structures of molecules have been determined at SAIF, Bangalore.
• NMR spectroscopy technique have been used to study the secondary structure inter- conversion between helix and â-hairpin in designed peptide sequences in a systematic manner by manipulating central amino acid residue segments at SAIF, Bangalore.
• Methods to determine traces of Ag, As, Br, Cd, Ce, Cs, La, Mn, Mo, Nd, Sb, Sc, Sm, Tl and V were established with XRF at SAIF, Guwahati.
• Methods were established to determine heavy metal contents in Ayurvedic drugs with ICP-AES at SAIF, Kochi.
• Methods were developed for analysis of biological extracts for detection of trace elements with ICPAES at SAIF, Kochi.
• Accurate diagnosis of biphenotypic leukemia and further classification of acute leukemias was facilitated with the help of TEM at SAIF, New Delhi.