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DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1760084
Options of Funding and Ethical Clearance for Medical Researchers in India
Abstract
Research forms an integral part of present world development and interest. It is the primary source of speculation and outcome-based decision making. Medical research work proves to be a big challenge in low- and middle-income countries due to the constraint of resources and capacity building. The disparities in the distribution of resources, inadequate policy implementation, and lack of prioritization of research make the research challenging. There has been an increase in medical research in India but it is not adequate when compared to other countries or areas. Medical researchers face multiple issues, mainly funding and ethical approval and are stunted by the unacceptance in high-indexed journals. In this paper, we have compiled the options for funding and ethical options and ways available for researchers in India. This will help and encourage researchers pro-actively by providing some guidance on the issues related to finance and ethics required for conducting scientific research.
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Introduction
Research is the creation of new knowledge and/or the use of existing knowledge to develop new concepts, methodologies and to broaden our understandings.[1] It is a stepwise process which uses collected information to increase our understanding of a topic or issue.[2] Medical research (research related to health) is the stepping stone towards making people healthier and providing quality care. It can be related to the disease trends and risk factors, outcomes of treatment or public health interventions, functional abilities, patterns of care, health care costs and use, and drug or vaccine efficacy and adverse effects.[3] It helps the decision-makers in keeping up with the struggle of rapidly evolving scientific knowledge and applying it to healthcare practice, organisation, and policy. It involves the uptake of clinical procedures, technologies, and organisational models to achieve the best possible healthcare outcomes and to stop practices that are no longer supported by evidence to be beneficial.[4]
The research output from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as India compares poorly with that of high-income countries.[5] There has been an increase in the medical research in India but it is not adequate when compared to other countries or areas.[6] [7] This phenomenon, dubbed the ‘10/90 gap’ by the Global Forum for Health Research, refers to the fact that of the over $ 70 billion spent worldwide on health research each year, only about 10% is invested in research into 90% of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD).[8] The inequality rises from macroeconomic, power imbalances and resource drainage to perceived better prospects.[9] Majority of research work in India takes place in the major teaching hospitals wherein the caseload is too high to dedicate a respectable amount of time to genuine research or for discussions. In such a scenario, there is a drill culture, where instead of coming up with better or more efficient ideas, healthcare workers are forced to stick to the norms. Risk-taking is not a viable option for the majority of healthcare professionals in India as such initiatives are often seen with suspicion and mistrust, and often lead to communication breakdown. The output of good-quality medical research from India is grossly inadequate, and there is a need for strategic planning. There is a gross low relative research output in several health conditions in India that have a high burden.[10]
A researcher can be affiliated with an academic (or other) institute/organisation or unaffiliated (independent). Affiliated researchers conduct research by using the facilities of their university, libraries, or by collaboration. Unaffiliated researcher (Independent researcher) is not affiliated with any institute/organisation.[11] [12] He/she is motivated toward the research by personal interest or passion over the topic. An affiliated researcher can be limited by time constraints, lack of motivation and most importantly independence or freedom. It becomes important in many scenarios wherein an institution or its policies may keep many ideas in check, for the fear of disturbing the homeostasis of the societal fabric. In such a situation, independent research can be the ideal combination for an effective change agent. The independent researcher has the education, expertise, and motivation. He/she can be a change agent, or effective advocate, for an idea or cause.[13] Both types of researchers can face several hindrances in conducting research. One of the major issues is the availability of funds and ethical clearance.[10] There is also a lack of willingness for strategic collaboration, undermining the value of both research and its projected outcome.[14] In such a situation it becomes difficult for the researcher to carry out research effectively and this, in turn, leads to a vicious cycle of losing out in the race for good quality research and study. In this article, we discuss the opportunities and options available for medical researchers in India in terms of funding and ethical clearance. This will ease the process of conducting research and will encourage researchers pro-actively by focusing on the issues related to finance and ethics faced by them.
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Funding Options
Not all the studies require funding. Many studies have been done in the past without any financial support. It can be done by utilising the available infrastructure and resources or with the help of volunteers. However, most of the studies require financial support. The majority of the research, if undertaken under the purview of an institution, can be funded by the institute itself (intramural) or from outside the institute (extramural). Researchers who are not affiliated with any institute may face several challenges. The common funding options for an unaffiliated researcher can be through fellowships, grants or awards.
The ways to avail of funding for medical research are enumerated below:
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Fellowships – Fellowships usually pertain to aids for research in a particular area. Fellowship may refer to just a position and may not include a financial component.
-
Grants – They usually cover expenses related to specific research. There is a funding opportunity followed by applications and decisions regarding the award of the grant. Details are provided in [Table 1].
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Awards – An acknowledgement or appreciation of the achievements in the respective field. It can be monetary and it can be used for the research.
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Funding from the Ministries /organisation in India can be obtained under the projects/schemes. Most of this funding is availed through affiliating with the NGOs /associations/societies/bodies /institutes. A list of funding organisations is provided in [Table 2].
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Availing through registered organisations/societies/trust– Under this, organisations working on the related topic can be approached and research can be initiated in collaboration. Most of the registered organisations get funding for the research or they can apply for grants at various portals. For an independent researcher, working with an organisation makes it easier to get funds for research. From the funder's perspective, the accountability and transparency of the fund are relatively higher in the organisation. Various private companies in India try to invest more in Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
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Partnership with the other group of researchers who are working on the same area of interest.
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Professional societies/associations/trust of medical professions can also be approached; e.g. Indian Medical Association (IMA), Indian Association of Dermatologists, Venereologists and Leprologists (IADVL), Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP), Indian Radiology and Imaging Association (IRIA), Indian Association of Preventive and Social Medicine (IAPSM), Indian Public Health Association (IPHA), Association of Physicians of India.
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Ethical Clearance
Details about when to approach an Ethics committee have been shown in [Figure 1]. For a researcher affiliated with an institution, any research taken up is addressed by the Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) of the particular institution. In case of collaboration with any other institute, the Ethics Committee of the collaborating institute can be approached for a get-go from their side. For an independent researcher, one of the major challenges faced is getting ethical clearance for their research. Due to the lack of affiliation to an institute /organisation or lack of ethics committee, it becomes difficult to go start any research work. Even during the publication, ethical approval is one of the mandatory requirement.
Thus, the following are the ways for an ethical approval:
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Approaching the IEC of the affiliated institute
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An unaffiliated researcher may approach the ethics board of any institution/organisation with the request of overseeing the ethical aspect of their research process. However, in most institutional ethical committees, an independent researcher may not be entertained.
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An unaffiliated researcher may collaborate with another researcher who is affiliated with an institute (having an ethics committee) to get the ethical clearance.
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Central Ethics Committee on Human Research (CECHR) of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
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Independent ethics committees – There are several independent ethics committees in India that a researcher can approach for ethical clearance. Details in [Table 3].
-
Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) – An NGO/society/trust can have its ethics committee which can be registered with National Ethics Committee Registry for Biomedical and Health Research (NECRBHR).
S.No. |
Funder |
Fellowship/ award/ grants |
Eligibility |
Duration |
Website |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Based in India |
|||||
1 |
Lady Tata Memorial Trust |
Young Researcher Award |
Indian Nationals < 40 years with a PhD with 10 years' experience |
3 + 2 years based on the review of progress |
|
2 |
DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance |
Margdarshi Fellowship |
Strong scientific leadership with more than 10 years' experience running an independent lab |
5 years |
|
3 |
DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance |
Team Science Grants |
A minimum of three investigators (investigators should have PhD/MD/MBBS-MS/MPH or equivalent, with at least 5 years of experience in running an independent research group or lab). |
5 years |
|
4 |
DBT-Wellcome Trust India Alliance |
Clinical and Public Health (CPH) Fellowships |
Under three categories of early, intermediate and senior category |
5 years |
https://www.indiaalliance.org/fellowshiptype/clinical-and-public-health-research-fellowships |
5 |
Science and Engineering Research Board |
Start-up Research Grant |
Indian citizens less than 40 years with a PhD degree |
2 years |
|
6 |
Human Frontier in Science Program (HFSP) |
Young Investigator's grants |
Junior Independent PI, within 5 years of obtaining an independent position |
3 years |
|
7 |
Human Frontier in Science Program (HFSP) |
Programme grants |
Independent PI |
3 years |
|
8 |
Department of Science & Technology (DST) |
INSPIRE Faculty Fellow |
Indian citizens less than 32 years with PhD degree with more than 60%in all exams since class 12. |
5 years |
|
9 |
Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) |
National Postdoctoral Fellowship |
Indian citizen less than 35 years with PhD /MD degree |
2 years |
|
10 |
Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) |
Ramanujan Fellowship |
Indian scientists and engineers working abroad and below the age of 40 years. |
5 years |
|
11 |
Council Of Scientific And Industrial Research (CSIR) |
Fellowship / Associate-ship |
Indians less than 35 years with PhD degree/M.D. with one publication in a recognized journal. |
1 year |
|
12 |
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) |
Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship |
Indians working overseas with less than 45 y of PhD or MD and 3 years of PG experience. |
5 years |
|
13 |
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) |
Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award |
Scientist with PhD less than 35 years of excellent academic career with a PhD and First Class in all academic degrees, along with a track record of high impact peer-reviewed publications |
3 years |
|
14 |
Sir Ratan Tata Trusts, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Access Health International |
India health policy & systems research fellowships (HPSR) |
At least 3 years of research experience in any public health or health systems domain. |
18 months |
|
15 |
ICMR-DHR |
ICMR-DHR International Fellowship Programme for Indian Biomedical Scientists |
Applicant should possess an M.D/M.S/Ph.D degree with 3 to 15years of experience |
Short term (2wks – 3months) or long term (6 to 12 months) |
|
16 |
Research Grant in the area of Biological Sciences |
Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation (SreePVF) |
Universities, R&D institutions, medical centres and recognized non-profit research organizations in India with PhD/MS/MD |
3 years |
https://www.lvpei.org/events/2020/sree-ramakrishna-paramahamsa-research-grant/index.html |
17 |
Research Associate Fellowship programme |
ICMR |
PhD/MD/MDS |
3 years |
|
18 |
Fellowship Programme for Young Scientists |
Department of Health Research (DHR) |
MD/ MS/MDS/ or PhD in biomedical sciences |
3 years |
https://dhr.gov.in/schemes/human-resource-development-health-research-hrd |
19 |
Fellowship Programme for Women Scientists |
Department of Health Research (DHR) |
M.D./ M.S./ M.D.S. or MBBS/ BDS/ MVSc./ M.Sc./ M.Pharma/ M.Tech with Ph.D. |
3 years |
https://dhr.gov.in/sites/default/files/Fellowship%20Program%20for%20Women%20Scientist%20.pdf |
Based Outside India |
|||||
1 |
Alexander Humboldt Foundation |
Fellowship for experienced researchers |
Independent PI (Assistant Professor/ Junior Research GL) with < 12 year of experience |
6-18 months, can be divided into 3 blocks of a minimum of 3 months each in 3 years. |
|
2 |
HHMI/ Gates/ Wellcome Trust/ Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation) |
International Research Scholars Program |
Applicants have outstanding scientific training records and exceptional potential for significant in their independent careers and are trained in the United States or the United Kingdom at the doctoral, medical, or postdoctoral level for at least 1 year. |
5 years |
https://www.hhmi.org/programs/biomedical-research/international-programs |
3 |
Royal Society, UK |
International Exchange Scheme |
Postdoc or holding an independent position in a research institute/university |
Variable from 3months, 1 year or 2 years |
https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/international-exchanges/ |
4 |
Wellcome Trust (UK) |
Biomedical resource and technology development grants |
Researchers in LMIC are eligible to apply if they have a track record of Trust funding or can demonstrate a strong track record of independent research accomplishment. |
Upto 5 years |
https://wellcome.org/grant-funding/biomedical-resource-and-technology-development-grants-update |
5 |
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), USA |
Enabling translation of Science to Service to ENhance Depression CarE (ESSENCE) |
2 years |
||
6 |
International Labour Organisation (ILO) |
Fellowships and Seed Grants for Junior Researchers |
PhD degree holders, PhD students, or Master's degree holders with 5 years of relevant research and teaching experience. |
9 to 12 months |
|
7 |
An International Association for medical education (AMEE) |
Provides awards, grants and fellowships |
To be a member of AMEE, hold at least a bachelor's degree. |
– |
|
8 |
Trialect |
Provides awards, grants and fellowships |
Have citizenship in a country other than the U.S, and Hold an academic degree (earned in the U.S. or abroad) equivalent to a U.S. bachelor's degree. |
– |
https://trialect.com/international-fellowships/grant-details-brief |
9 |
Thakur Foundation |
Grants |
All applicants must have a college degree or its equivalent and publications |
3 months – 2 years |
|
10 |
Yamagiwa-Yoshida Memorial international study grants (any country overseas) |
Grants |
PhD/MD with min 2 years postdoc experience |
3 months |
|
11 |
Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI) |
Grants |
Affiliation with an organisation |
– |
Note: The list is representative, and not comprehensive.
Organisation |
Name |
Website |
---|---|---|
Ministries in India |
Ministry of Ayush |
|
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) |
||
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change |
||
Department of Scientific and Industrial Research |
||
Ministry of Food Processing |
||
Ministry of Non-Conventional Energy Sources |
||
Ministry of Power, Central Power Research Institute |
||
Ministry of Water Resources, ICID |
||
Ministry of Earth Sciences |
||
Department of Education |
||
Science and Technology: Application for Rural Development |
||
Science and Technology: For Weaker Sections. |
||
National Organisations |
University Grant Commission (UGC) |
|
Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) |
||
Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) |
||
Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) |
||
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) |
||
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) |
||
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP) |
||
Institute of Economic Growth (IEG) |
||
Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi |
||
Department of Science and Technology (DST) |
||
Department of Biotechnology (DBT) |
||
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) |
||
National Health System Resource Centre (NHSRC) |
||
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) |
||
Department of Health Research (DHR) |
||
International organisations |
World Bank (WB) |
|
International Monetary Fund (IMF) |
||
Asian Development Bank (ADB) |
||
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) |
||
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) |
||
World Trade Organization (WTO) |
||
Ford Foundation |
||
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) |
||
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) |
||
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation |
||
National Institute of Health (NIH) |
||
International Labour Organisation (ILO) |
||
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) |
||
National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) |
||
Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases (GACD) |
||
The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) |
https://www.sida.se/en/for-partners/research-partners/research-calls-and-grants |
|
Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) |
https://www.ukri.org/what-we-offer/collaborating-internationally/global-challenges-research-fund/ |
|
Centre for disease Control (CDC) |
Note: The list is representative, and not comprehensive.
Note: The list is representative, and not comprehensive.
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The Way Forward
Research today is one of the forerunners of health and development around the world. Research in India has a long and arduous way ahead in terms of galvanizing an entire cohort of Indian minds to the unexplored aspects of healthcare. The most efficient and easy option for an independent researcher is to get funding for research through collaboration with other researchers or organisations, and then apply for funding. To a certain extent, a collaboration provides certain advantages like the pooling of resources and a higher number of inputs to improve the quality of work. However, there are various challenges related to collaboration during sharing the responsibilities, credit, resolving disagreements and decision making.[15] Funding for researchers needs to be made more accessible and flexible. There are very limited organisations that fund unaffiliated researchers. Promoting unaffiliated research should be a part of the policymaking directive. For ethics, we suggest a Central Independent Ethics Review Committee which would guide the nearest ethics committee to approach for approval. Fast-tracking of the research proposal can be done by segregating the research based on types and through undertakings. Promoting free and online training programmes for researchers can be also done to enhance the quality of their research. Leveraging the technology for the digitalisation of the process will ease and motivate the researchers. A central online portal with various funding available for the research will increase the opportunities for researchers. It would provide a boost to the researchers who struggle with their ideas in the absence of monetary inputs or a chance for their original work to be recognised.
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Conflict of Interest
None declared.
Author Contributions
S.D.: Methodology, resources, data curation, and writing – original draft, and reviewing; A.C.: Conceptualization, methodology, drafting, writing – original draft, and reviewing; B.N.: Conceptualization, Writing – review and editing, supervision, and visualization
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References
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- 2 Creswell JW. Educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson; 2012: 650
- 3 Nass SJ, Levit LA, Gostin LO. Rule I of M (US) C on HR and the P of HITHP. The Value, Importance, and Oversight of Health Research [Internet]. Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research. National Academies Press (US); 2009 [cited 2022 Apr 24]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9571/
- 4 Wensing M, Grol R. Knowledge translation in health: how implementation science could contribute more. BMC Med 2019; 17 (01) 88
- 5 Soteriades ES, Falagas ME. A bibliometric analysis in the fields of preventive medicine, occupational and environmental medicine, epidemiology, and public health. BMC Public Health 2006; 6: 301
- 6 Dandona L, Raban MZ, Guggilla RK, Bhatnagar A, Dandona R. Trends of public health research output from India during 2001-2008. BMC Med 2009; 7 (01) 59
- 7 Research & Development Statistics at A Glance. 2019–20 | Department Of Science & Technology [Internet]. [cited February 12, 2022]. Available from: https://dst.gov.in/document/reports/research-development-statistics-glance-2019-20
- 8 Sitthi-Amorn C, Somrongthong R. Strengthening health research capacity in developing countries: a critical element for achieving health equity. BMJ 2000; 321 (7264): 813-817
- 9 Bowsher G, Papamichail A, El Achi N. et al. A narrative review of health research capacity strengthening in low and middle-income countries: lessons for conflict-affected areas. Global Health 2019; 15 (01) 23
- 10 Dandona L, Sivan YS, Jyothi MN, Bhaskar VS, Dandona R. The lack of public health research output from India. BMC Public Health 2004; 4: 55-66
- 11 ElSabry E. Unaffiliated researchers: a preliminary study. Challenges 2017; 8 (02) 20
- 12 Keohane-Burbridge E, Caccipuoti C. Independent Scholars Meet the World: Expanding Academia Beyond the Academy. University Press of Kansas; 2020
- 13 Stein-Smith K. The Independent Scholar as Change Agent: The Case of Foreign Language Advocacy. J Lang Teach Res 2020; 11 (05) 663
- 14 Agashe D, Maheshwary S, Pattanaik JK. et al. Career challenges for young independent researchers in India. Curr Sci 2022; 122 (02) 135
- 15 Bansal S, Mahendiratta S, Kumar S, Sarma P, Prakash A, Medhi B. Collaborative research in modern era: Need and challenges. Indian J Pharmacol 2019; 51 (03) 137-139
Address for correspondence
Publication History
Article published online:
05 April 2023
© 2023. National Academy of Medical Sciences (India). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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References
- 1 User (Squiz) U of WSR. Definition of Research [Internet]. [cited 2022 Apr 24]. Available from: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/research/researchers/preparing_a_grant_application/dest_definition_of_research
- 2 Creswell JW. Educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. 4th ed. Boston: Pearson; 2012: 650
- 3 Nass SJ, Levit LA, Gostin LO. Rule I of M (US) C on HR and the P of HITHP. The Value, Importance, and Oversight of Health Research [Internet]. Beyond the HIPAA Privacy Rule: Enhancing Privacy, Improving Health Through Research. National Academies Press (US); 2009 [cited 2022 Apr 24]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9571/
- 4 Wensing M, Grol R. Knowledge translation in health: how implementation science could contribute more. BMC Med 2019; 17 (01) 88
- 5 Soteriades ES, Falagas ME. A bibliometric analysis in the fields of preventive medicine, occupational and environmental medicine, epidemiology, and public health. BMC Public Health 2006; 6: 301
- 6 Dandona L, Raban MZ, Guggilla RK, Bhatnagar A, Dandona R. Trends of public health research output from India during 2001-2008. BMC Med 2009; 7 (01) 59
- 7 Research & Development Statistics at A Glance. 2019–20 | Department Of Science & Technology [Internet]. [cited February 12, 2022]. Available from: https://dst.gov.in/document/reports/research-development-statistics-glance-2019-20
- 8 Sitthi-Amorn C, Somrongthong R. Strengthening health research capacity in developing countries: a critical element for achieving health equity. BMJ 2000; 321 (7264): 813-817
- 9 Bowsher G, Papamichail A, El Achi N. et al. A narrative review of health research capacity strengthening in low and middle-income countries: lessons for conflict-affected areas. Global Health 2019; 15 (01) 23
- 10 Dandona L, Sivan YS, Jyothi MN, Bhaskar VS, Dandona R. The lack of public health research output from India. BMC Public Health 2004; 4: 55-66
- 11 ElSabry E. Unaffiliated researchers: a preliminary study. Challenges 2017; 8 (02) 20
- 12 Keohane-Burbridge E, Caccipuoti C. Independent Scholars Meet the World: Expanding Academia Beyond the Academy. University Press of Kansas; 2020
- 13 Stein-Smith K. The Independent Scholar as Change Agent: The Case of Foreign Language Advocacy. J Lang Teach Res 2020; 11 (05) 663
- 14 Agashe D, Maheshwary S, Pattanaik JK. et al. Career challenges for young independent researchers in India. Curr Sci 2022; 122 (02) 135
- 15 Bansal S, Mahendiratta S, Kumar S, Sarma P, Prakash A, Medhi B. Collaborative research in modern era: Need and challenges. Indian J Pharmacol 2019; 51 (03) 137-139