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Lifesciences scientists are of the opinion that the Union government’s Research Infrastructure Sharing Ecosystem (P-RISE) move on structured research infrastructure sharing and access policy will maximize lab capacity and capability of expertise. The policy document by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Department of Research Health (DHR) is an effort to share and effectively utilize these research laboratories constructed with public funds, for scientists in the lifesciences space across the country.
From across multidisciplinary research centres in the country like Indian Institute of Science to National Centre for Biological Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), an initiative supported by Department of Biotechnology, in life sciences and Bangalore Life Science Cluster (BLiSC) have lauded the DHR-ICMR Research Infrastructure for Integrated Healthcare Approach.
P-RISE, which highlights India’s need for a Central Instrumentation Facility, had DHR to issue the document formulated to provide guidance on appropriate sharing and responsible management of research infrastructure available in ICMR institutes.
Dr DB Anantha Narayana, chief scientific officer, Ayurvidye Trust said Union government’s move on structured research infrastructure sharing and access policy which is an online system where all labs will sign up for providing details of what all testing can be done brings in systematized overview for sharing of advanced research facilities across ICMR laboratories in every nook and corner of India.
Noting that state-of-the-art infrastructure and advanced instrumentation exists across ICMR labs yet these lie unused, Dr Narayana told Pharmabiz that the reality is long drawn approvals, cumbersome paperwork with bureaucratic barriers. It is here DHR’s P-RISE move on structured research infrastructure sharing to maximize lab capability is a step in the right direction.
But the concern is that it should be simple and workable. The heads of these labs should be opened to allow to that these facilities need to be opened and actually use it for allowing comprehensive testing to be carried out. Testing is which needs to be done everywhere at a reasonable nominal amount to even those lifesciences researchers out of the ICMR circle, he added.
No doubt most ICMR labs in the country house highly sophisticated instrumentation for research but there is no information and lack of clarity on this. Investments are made on identical or similar instruments when many of them exist and probably unutilized at many facilities. Therefore, the policy on research infrastructure sharing system could enable maximising investment and capability of experts to use the advanced equipment. However all permissions should be fast and short time period permissions.
While the policy is devised to facilitate access to sophisticated instrumentation to researchers working in institutions with limited infrastructure, to enable them to perform good research, it also encourages research outreach and networking. This will improve quality data in health research, ensure cost-effective research outcomes, and it should work in a time bound manner and prevent replication of research infrastructure, said Dr Narayana.
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