Program Overview

Introduction to the Certificate of Excellence in Research

The Certificate of Excellence in Research (CER) is a unique opportunity for professionals with doctoral degrees, MD/MS (in clinical specialties) degrees to be recognized for cutting-edge, collaborative research. This program is designed to help individuals realize their dream of pursuing research ideas.

Program Overview

The CER program is open to bright professionals in India and abroad with doctoral degrees, working in industry or research institutions, with a desire to pursue impactful research in academia and be recognized globally. The program allows participants to develop a research proposal in collaboration with the faculty at IIT Kharagpur, while continuing their present professional engagement.

CER for Clinical Specialists

IIT Kharagpur is determined to contribute to the domain of diagnostics and therapy through collaborative work towards cutting-edge healthcare solutions. The School of Medical Science and Technology, IIT Kharagpur, jointly with Medical Institutions, envisions launching the CER program particularly for training and accomplishments of clinical specialists in the domain of clinical oncology, radiomics, affordable health, diagnostics, and therapy.

Certificate of Excellence Award

The Certificate of Excellence Award is granted based on the following criteria:

• Publication of two papers in SCI-indexed journals with affiliation to IIT Kharagpur and co-authorship with IIT Kharagpur faculty.
• Grant of a patent jointly with IIT Kharagpur will be considered equivalent to a publication.
• The candidates are supposed to work from their workplace with close interaction with the Host Faculty Member, including visits for discussion/experimentation, whenever needed.
• The research work cannot be included in any other academic program.

What We Offer

The CER program offers:

• Collaboration with a Host Faculty from IIT Kharagpur.
• The Certificate of Excellence in Research will be awarded during the Convocation of the Institute.
• The candidates enrolled in this program can join the Global Initiative for Academic Networks, Continuing Education Programme, Knowledge Dissemination Programme, and postgraduate level micro-credit courses.
• External candidates will be able to access the host faculty laboratory, centralized research, and other experimental and computing facilities, and libraries of the Institute.

Duration

The CER program is a 2-6 years non-residential research program.

Process of Application, Selection, and Registration

The process involves:

• Application through ERP with a Project Proposal, Resume, and Name of the host faculty member.
• Selection will be made by the Department, and recommendation will be made to the Institute.
• Selected candidates will be intimated, and a Registration ID number will be generated in the ERP after the payment of the registration charge.
• The selected candidate is required to sign an Agreement/MoU with the Institute before joining.

Eligibility

The eligibility criteria include:

• Post-Doctoral researchers from IIT Kharagpur and other academic/research/industry (visiting fellows) are eligible for this program.
• Institute and externally funded PDFs and Research Associates in sponsored research projects with a Ph.D. degree can voluntarily register for the Program.
• Visiting fellows (from India and abroad) from academia, R&D laboratories, and industries can join the CER program.
• Foreign postdoctoral researchers working in collaboration with a host faculty under an International project or institute level MOU are also eligible.

Eligibility Criteria for CER for Clinical Specialists

• Researchers with an MD/MS degree in clinical subjects from a recognized university/institution, working at IIT Kharagpur and/or collaborating institute as visiting fellows are eligible to apply for this program.
• Clinical researchers of Foreign country and/or Academia/Industry origin working in collaboration with a host faculty under an international project or institute level MoU are also eligible to apply.

Programme Fee

All candidates need to register and pay a semester registration fee of Rs. 20,000/- in every semester for the entire duration of the program.

Evaluation

The evaluation process involves:

• Every semester, the candidate needs to submit a progress report and give a presentation to a Committee constituted by the Department.
• The Committee will award a letter grade, a record of which will be in the ERP.
• Once the candidate is eligible for submission of the dissertation based on the set criteria, they will submit the final report and give the final presentation.
• The dissertation will be evaluated by internal/external experts.

Award of Certificate

The Certificate of Excellence in Research will be awarded during the Convocation of the Institute. No degrees or diplomas will be awarded to the candidates under the CER program.

Key Research Areas

The key research areas include:

• Digital Convergence
• Advanced Manufacturing
• Medical Technology and Affordable Healthcare
• Clinical oncology
• Radiomics
• Diagnostics and therapy
• Transportation Technologies
• Innovative Infrastructure
• Geoscience for Future of Earth
• Information and Communication Technology
• Any other area of mutual interest

Responsibilities and Liabilities of the Institute

The Institute's responsibilities include:

• Selection of a suitable host faculty (in case no previous interaction is there)
• Conducting the evaluation every semester
• Final evaluation and award of CER
• The Institute will have no financial or residential commitments and any legal liability for the visiting fellows enrolled in the program
• The Institute will not be responsible for any damage to the third party caused by the research work of the candidate.

IPR

All candidates who register for this program will be covered by an agreement that all IPR arising out of the research leading to the CER will be the property of IIT Kharagpur. The inventor will be named in the IP filing and will receive a share of commercialization proceeds of the IP and favorable usage rights for own entrepreneurial activity as per the prevailing IPR policy of IIT Kharagpur.