British Council brings world’s largest science competition ‘FameLab’ to India

New Delhi [India]: Underscoring the significance of India’s strong scientific heritage and its potential for technological innovations, British Council is inviting applications from scientists, engineers, mathematicians and researchers for FameLab India 2017 – world’s largest science communication platform that it launched in India earlier this year.

The competition is aimed at presenting scientific concepts in an interesting and innovative manner to the non-science audience. Open to applicants aged over 20 to 40 years as on 1 June 2016, the competition requires students to fill in an application form and submit a three-minute video of their ‘Science Talk’ in a unique format.

The winner of the national FameLab competition will get an opportunity to represent India and compete with contestants from over 27 countries at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival in the UK in June 2017. The last date for applying to FameLab India is 30 October 2017.

“In India, our key focus is in three areas: education and science, culture and promoting the English language. India is on the cusp of digital and technological revolution. Through FameLab, we would like to work with the next generation of young Indians to help them present useful science in an interesting and innovative manner. Scientific information is becoming an essential and integral part of people’s daily lives,” said OBE Director British Council India, Alan Gemmell.

“We want to create a platform that promotes a culture of science and improve people’s understanding of science and science related information,” added Gemmell.

FameLab works towards encouraging scientists to inspire and excite the public’s imagination with a vision of science in the 21st century. The competition will provide a platform for researchers to put forth their ideas to the public in an interesting manner; enhance their communication and presentation skills; and engage with like-minded individuals and alumni network besides.

Shortlisted applicants from each region will get an opportunity to attend a fully funded science communication workshop jointly delivered by UK and Indian trainers in each region. The FameLab finalists will also get an opportunity to attend a science communication master class lead by the best UK trainers.

Cheltenham Festivals began FameLab in the UK in 2005 but, with British Council involvement since 2007, the programme is now truly international, taking place in 27 countries in 2016. National FameLab programmes currently run in Australia, Brazil, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, UK, USA and Vietnam.

There is growing, unprecedented global FameLab network of 5000 multi-disciplinary, multi-national, early-career researchers, connected with research, industry and education networks, that are helping to address the issues of diversity and mobility (including social mobility) to support the future growth of the STEM pipeline and the wider social economic benefit this delivers.

More than 200 local partners including ministries of education, ministries of science, universities, science foundations and academies already support FameLab, underlining its importance to science communication across the world.

The UK is the world leader in the area of science communication – there are academic programmes in the field and a number of annual, exciting science festivals. Science Communication is a recognized profession and the UK’s experience in science communication has changed the way the media report on scientific topics. (ANI)