NRC-M, the Networking Resource Centre for Materials, is a UGC funded initiative hosted at the Department of Materials, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India. This talk is a quick introduction to NRC-M, its mandate, its programs, and how materials researchers in Indian universities may benefit from its programs.

1. NRC-M: The Networking Resource Centre for Materials
A UGC-Funded Centre
http://materials.iisc.ernet.in/ugc-net/
Department of Materials Engineering
Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore
8 March 2009
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2. Networking Resource Centres
A major new initiative of the University Grants Commission
Broad mandate: Rejuvenation of basic scientific research
in Indian universities.
Fields: Mathematical, Physical, Chemical,
Biological and Materials sciences
Fund centres at established departments
Training and skills development through Workshops/Schools
Capacity building through research collaboration/mentoring
Examples:
NRC-CS: University of Hyderabad
1
NRC-BS: Madurai Kamaraj University
2
NRC-M in the Department of Materials Engineering, IISc
3
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3. NRC-M: A Quick Introduction
NRC-M: hosted at the Department of Materials Engineering at
the Indian Institute of Science
Started functioning in March 2008
Coordinators: Prof. T. A. Abinandanan and Prof. S. Karthikeyan
Website: http://materials.iisc.ernet.in/ugc-net/
Brainstorming Session with Chairmen of Materials Departments in
September 2008
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4. NRC-M: The Mandate
Research collaboration
1
Hosting researchers
Joint projects
Mentoring
Summer/Winter Schools and Workshops
2
Experimental facilities
3
Information resources: Databases, Journals, Simulation Software
4
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5. Research Collaboration
The flagship programme of NRC-M.
1
Strong collaborative link between
2
One or more “Hosts” – NRC-M members at IISc, and
One or more “Partners” from partner institutions.
Partner institution: An academic department offering a degree
3
programme in Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgy,
Minerals, Ceramics, Polymers.
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6. Collaboration: The Mechanics
Partners initiate contact with a potential host at IISc through e-mail
1
/ short exploratory visits.
Formulate a collaborative research proposal.
2
The host at IISc will pilot this proposal.
3
As of early March 2009:
Three proposals have already been funded.
1
At least four more are being prepared.
2
First student is already at IISc on a six-week long visit.
3
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7. Collaboration: What Can NRC-M Do For You?
NRC-M will support:
Extended visits at IISc for the partners
1
Access to facilities
2
Access to information resources
3
A small grant for consumables
4
Shorter visits by the host to partner institutions
5
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8. Collaboration: Success Metrics
Research publications
1
Patents
2
Guidance of masters and doctoral research
3
Research proposals submitted to funding agencies
4
Long term collaborative relationship
5
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9. Research Training
Workshops, Schools,
1
Conferences
2
Discussion Meetings
3
Financial support for NRC-M partners:
4
board, lodging, travel, registration
March 2009: CMS-09
Workshop on Computational Materials Science
1
Over 70 participants: faculty, research scholars, graduate students
2
Ten lectures covering a range of sub-fields: ab initio, molecular
3
dynamics, phase field, soft computing techniques, process modelling
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10. Research Training: Summer Schools
Spread over 2 to 4 Weeks
Lectures, lecture demonstrations
Hands-on exposure to experimental and modelling methods
Participation of 20 to 40 people
Faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, research students
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11. Research Training: Workshops
Spread over 7 to 10 days
Focus on contemporary research interests
Overview lectures
Research presentations
Participation of 20 to 40 people
Faculty members, post-doctoral fellows, research students
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12. Research Training: Plans for 2009
Workshops
1
Computational Materials Science (6-8 March 2009)
Convenors: Prof. T. A. Abinandanan and Prof. S. Karthikeyan
Microstructural Engineering (25-30 May 2009)
Convenor: Prof. T. A. Abinandanan
Summer Schools
2
Biology-Materials Interface (June 2009)
Convenor: Prof. S. Subramanian and Prof. K.A. Natarajan
Structural Characterization (29 June - 17 July 2009)
Convenor: Prof. V. Jayaram
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13. Research facilities
The Department of Materials Engineering will make available all its
1
facilities for collaborative research under NRC-M.
Some of the facilities of IISc’s Nanoscience Initiative will also be
2
available.
NRC-M will also fund the following at IISc:
3
New research facilities
Upgrading existing facilities
New lab space, lecture halls, offices
A modern computational lab
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14. Computational Laboratory
Online access to journals
1
Materials databases
2
X-ray diffraction
Phase diagrams
Thermodynamics (ThermoCalc)
Diffusion (DICTRA)
Computer programs
3
First principles calculations (VASP)
Molecular Dynamics simulations (XMD, Materials Studio)
Monte Carlo simulations
FEM software (ABAQUS)
CFD software (FLUENT, FlowSolver)
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15. NRC-M: Where Do We Go From Here?
Preparations for the Winter Workshops, Summer Schools
1
Research Collaborations:
2
Exploratory visits / e-mails / telephone calls
Host-partner interactions
Research proposals
...
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