National Pharmacy Teachers Training Programme Begins at PU

Purnoor Chandigarh April 9, 2019

A one week faculty training school, on “Innovation and Entrepreneurship” from 8 to 13 April 2019 was inaugurated today at University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Panjab University Campus, for Pharma faculty participants across the country under the initiative of UGC Networking Resource Centre (NRC)with an aim to sensitize and train the human resource to acquire the key skills for being a successful entrepreneur – Critical thinking, problem solving, negotiation, collaboration, flexibility, teamwork, communication, and leadership.

Professor Indu Pal Kaur, Course Coordinator of the training school welcomed the participants and briefed them about the accomplishments of UGC-NRC programmes. She further summarized about the course content to the participants and Dr Vandita Kakkar, Joint Course Coordinator of the course, took charge of the proceedings of the event.

The function was inaugurated by Professor Hirendra N Ghosh, Director, Institute of Nano Science and Technology, Mohali, who was the Chief Guest. He emphasized the importance of Research as the basis for all Innovation. He highlighted how small countries like Korea are doing great due to high investments in research.

Professor Karamjeet Singh, Registrar, Panjab University, presided over the function. He described the key attributes of a successful entrepreneur.

Subsequent session started with an informative talk on Start-ups Ecosystem by Dr Rohit Sharma, Chief Coordinator & Project Leader, Cluster Innovation Centre in Biotechnology & BioNEST, Panjab University, Chandigarh, followed by interaction with various start-ups working at BioNEST. His lecture initiated a very healthy discussion among the participants.

The afternoon deliberations included a popular lecture by Dr Jatinder V Yakhmi, Ex-Associate Director, Physics Group, and Head, Technical Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai on the topic “When Talents in Fine Arts Helped Creativity and Innovations in Science.” He gave examples of Leonardo da Vinci, Le Corbusier, van Gogh, Sir Anish Kapoor, Nobel Laureate Eric Kandel how they were artists who excelled in Science. He described the ‘Neuron Doctrine’ by Cajal.

It is pertinent to add that the UIPS is the first and the only Pharmacy Institute in the country selected by MHRD for creating UGC Networking Resource Centre to promote and foster research and academics in the field of Pharmaceutical Sciences by training young pharma trainers, selected across the Nation.

A total of 20 participants have been selected for training, hailing from various Colleges/Universities, representing 10 different states of India.