India Research Tour 2025 reaches IIT Kharagpur — Fostering innovation, inclusivity, open science

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Kharagpur, Oct 30: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur hosted the India Research Tour 2025, an initiative by Springer Nature India in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Government of India and the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR). The tour aimed to strengthen India’s research ecosystem through the promotion of Open Access, Open Science, innovation, and inclusivity.

Launched on October 6 at ICSSR Headquarters in New Delhi, the India Research Tour is travelling across seven states, covering 29 institutions in 15 cities until November 13, 2025. After visiting key academic centers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, the tour reached IIT Kharagpur and will continue to Kolkata, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

The event at IIT Kharagpur began with a Ceremonial flag-off and tree plantation, reflecting values of sustainability, growth and knowledge sharing. Faculty members, students and researchers participated in interactive discussions on research integrity, ethics and technological innovation.

Among the distinguished attendees were Prof. Kamal Lochan Panigrahi, Dean (Administration) & In-charge Director, IIT Kharagpur; Capt. Amit Jain (Retd.), Registrar, IIT Kharagpur; Venkatesh Sarvasiddhi, Managing Director, Springer Nature India and Dr. B. Sutradhar, Librarian, IIT Kharagpur, along with several deans, faculty, and students.

Prof. Panigrahi emphasized the importance of such initiatives, stating, “The India Research Tour provides a valuable platform for collaboration and academic exchange. It strengthens our collective vision of building a research environment that is open, inclusive, and globally relevant.”

The India Research Tour 2025 was envisioned as a national movement to empower India’s researchers, enhance research quality and accelerate the nation’s journey toward a ‘Viksit Bharat.’

Key objectives of the tour:

Promote awareness about Open Access and the One Nation, One Subscription (ONOS) initiative; encourage discussions on research ethics and the role of Artificial Intelligence in publishing; advance diversity and inclusion through programs like Her Research, Our Future and the Research Ambassador Program; support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by ensuring equitable access to knowledge.

Recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) since 2019, IIT Kharagpur continued to pioneer advancements in research and innovation, contributing significantly to India’s growth and the global scientific community. (w/gsd)