Countries should have a science driven agenda-Dr Swarup

Dr Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology on Tuesday said that countries should have a science driven agenda and focus on the importance of globally common themes of translation, generation and application of knowledge. In her inaugural address of the sixth edition of the BRICS Young Scientists Forum (BRICS YSF), she highlighted the importance of cooperation, collaboration and connections for science to move forward.

Dr Swarup encouraged the participation of youth in data generation, data analysis and application. She requested scientists to concentrate on precision medicine, genomic tools and biomarkers to help with early detection of key diseases. Dr Swarup appealed to the global community to engage through innovation and incubation hubs for data generation, analysis and application. The forum saw the participation of 125 scientists from the different countries. The delegations from Brazil, Russia and India were headed by Mr. Carlos Matsumoto, Ms. Albina Kutuzova, and Dr. Arvind Kumar respectively the delegations from China and South Africa were headed by Ms. Li Wenjing, and Dr Stanley Maphosa.

The BRICS-YSF summits were first hosted by India in 2016, followed by China in 2017, South Africa in 2018, Brazil in 2019, and Russia in 2020. This year the four-day conclave started on 13 September 2021 would end on 16 September. The best young scientist with an idea on innovation would be awarded at the BRICS-YSF 2021. Young innovator prize has been one of the focuses of the BRICS-YSF and the award is supported by the DST, Government of India. The next conclave would be organized by China in 2022.