Dr. Shikha Mishra
Top science leaders underline the power of collaboration, AI, local innovation and science communication during visit to UCOST
Lead Reporting
Dehradun: Uttarakhand’s growing scientific ecosystem received a significant boost with a high-level visit to the Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology (UCOST) by some of the country’s leading figures in science, research and innovation. The visit brought together Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood, ANRF Chief Executive Officer Dr Shivkumar Kalyanraman, IIT Roorkee Director Prof. K.K. Pant and Padma Bhushan awardee and HESCO founder Prof. Anil Prakash Joshi, highlighting the increasing importance of connecting scientific institutions, research and innovation with society.
A key focus of the interaction was UCOST’s innovative science-communication initiative Vigyan Vani 88.8 MHz, which was appreciated by the visiting experts for its effort to take scientific knowledge beyond laboratories and academic institutions and make it accessible to ordinary citizens.
From scientific institutions to a ‘Whole-of-State’ ecosystem
Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood described Uttarakhand as a scientifically rich state because of the presence of several prominent research and academic institutions. He emphasised that the next challenge is to bring their expertise together through a “Whole-of-State” approach, allowing scientific knowledge, technologies and institutional capabilities to address real-world needs across the state.
The idea is particularly relevant for Uttarakhand, where science has a direct role to play in areas ranging from mountain agriculture and disaster resilience to water security, biodiversity conservation, healthcare, tourism and climate adaptation.
Rather than allowing research institutions to operate in isolation, a coordinated ecosystem could enable laboratories, universities, government agencies, startups and communities to work towards shared objectives.
Prof. Sood also stressed the importance of a broader “Whole-of-Nation” approach, under which scientific achievements and technological interventions taking place across India can be connected more effectively with society.
Making research more accessible through AI
ANRF CEO Dr Shivkumar Kalyanraman outlined the organisation’s role in strengthening India’s research and innovation ecosystem. He highlighted various initiatives aimed at promoting scientific research and ensuring wider dissemination of information about research activities taking place across the country.
A particularly noteworthy initiative was ‘Saral AI’, which seeks to harness artificial intelligence to make research processes simpler and more accessible.
The growing integration of AI into research could potentially transform how scientists search, analyse, communicate and apply knowledge. For institutions in geographically challenging regions such as Uttarakhand, digital technologies can also help bridge distances between researchers, policymakers and communities.
Local innovation with global ambition
IIT Roorkee Director Prof. K.K. Pant highlighted the importance of strengthening the spirit of “Vocal for Local” by taking locally developed knowledge, technologies and innovations to national and global markets.
He referred to the ongoing collaborative initiatives between UCOST and IIT Roorkee, while encouraging young people to explore entrepreneurship and startups as pathways for converting scientific ideas into practical solutions.
IIT Roorkee, he said, can provide technical guidance and institutional support to young innovators seeking to develop startups and technology-based enterprises.
This emphasis is significant for Uttarakhand, where local knowledge and innovation can potentially generate solutions tailored to the state's distinctive Himalayan geography. The larger challenge is to provide innovators with the research infrastructure, mentoring, investment and market access required to transform promising ideas into scalable enterprises.
Prof. Pant also praised UCOST’s Vigyan Vani 88.8 MHz initiative, reinforcing the importance of communicating science in formats that can reach audiences beyond conventional academic circles.
Science communication as a bridge
UCOST Director General Prof. Durgesh Pant presented the council’s achievements and future plans, highlighting the importance of taking research, innovation and scientific accomplishments to society through simple, effective and engaging communication platforms.
This emphasis on science communication is increasingly important in an era when misinformation and pseudoscience can spread rapidly. Scientific institutions must therefore not only generate knowledge but also explain it in language that communities can understand and use.
Vigyan Vani represents one such effort: transforming science communication from a one-way academic exercise into a bridge between researchers and citizens.
Himalayan science and the future of Uttarakhand
The visiting experts also toured the Science Centre at UCOST, including its Himalayan Gallery, and appreciated the work of UCOST officials and employees.
The visit assumes wider significance because Uttarakhand provides a unique natural laboratory for scientific research. Its Himalayan terrain, fragile ecosystems, biodiversity, rivers, glaciers and climate-sensitive communities make the state an important setting for research into some of India’s most pressing environmental and developmental challenges.
The interaction at UCOST therefore points towards a larger opportunity: using Uttarakhand’s scientific institutions not merely as centres of research, but as interconnected engines of innovation, public awareness and sustainable development.
The emerging model combines scientific research, AI, local innovation, entrepreneurship and public science communication. If effectively integrated, the Whole-of-State approach could help ensure that knowledge generated within laboratories reaches farms, communities, enterprises and government programmes.
For a Himalayan state confronting complex environmental and socio-economic challenges, that connection between science and society may ultimately prove as important as scientific discovery itself.
