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University Grants Commission (UGC) approves 'Scheme for Trans-disciplinary Research for India's Developing Economy' (STRIDE) to boost research culture and innovation in colleges and universities, that will help students and faculty to contribute towards India's developing economy with collaborative research.

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• STRIDE will provide an opportunity to build multi-sectorial linkages between university-government-community-industry for national development and wellbeing of people.
• To encourage high quality high impact research in humanities, there is a provision to identify experts and invite them to develop a proposal.
• UGC also set up an Advisory Committee under the chairmanship of Bhushan Patwardhan to oversee the entire scheme. UGC is also proposing to provide a grant of Rs 2 lakh for developing proposals.

STRIDE components

• Component-1
• It will endeavour to identify the motivated young talents with research and innovation aptitude in universities and colleges.
• The scheme will provide research capacity building in diverse disciplines by mentoring, nurturing and supporting young talents to innovate pragmatic solutions for local, regional, national and global problems.
• This component is open to all disciplines for grant upto 1 crore.
• Component-2
• It will be mainly to enhance problem-solving skills with the help of social innovation and action research to improve the wellbeing of people and contribute to India's developing economy.
• Collaborations between universities, government, voluntary organizations, and industries are encouraged under this scheme.
• This component is open to all disciplines for grant upto 50 lakh – 1 crore.
• Component-3
• It will fund high impact research projects in the identified thrust areas inhumanities and human sciences through a national network of eminent scientists from leading institutions.
• Disciplines eligible for funding under this component include philosophy, history, archaeology, anthropology, psychology, liberal arts, linguistics, Indian languages and culture, Indian knowledge systems, law, education, journalism, mass communication, commerce, management, environment and sustainable development.
• Grant available for this component is upto 1 crore for one HEI and upto 5 crores for multi institutional network.

STRIDE Objectives

• To identify young talent, strengthen research culture, build capacity, promote innovation and support trans-disciplinary research for India's developing economy and national development
• To fund multi-institutional network high-impact research projects in humanities and human sciences.

STRIDE will support

• Research projects those are socially relevant, locally need-based, nationally important and globally significant.
• Research capacity building as well as basic, applied and transformational action research that can contribute to the national interest.
• Creation, development, and integration of new ideas, concepts, and practices for the public good and strengthening civil society.
• Trans-disciplinary research between humanities and human sciences, which will boost quality research on Indian languages and knowledge systems.
• New conceptual, theoretical, methodological innovations that integrate and transcend beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem.

UGC

• It is an apex organisation that caters for the higher studies in India.
• It is a statutory organization established by an Act of Parliament in 1956 for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education.
• Apart from providing grants to eligible universities and colleges, the Commission also advises the Central and State Governments on the measures which are necessary for the development of Higher Education.
• It functions from New Delhi as well as its six Regional offices located in Bangalore, Bhopal, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Pune.