The Star Doctor

China has announced research grants extending up to 15 years for promising young scientists. Five years initially, with the possibility of another ten years. An interesting approach. Breakthrough research needs patience, sustained funding and freedom. India had an excellent initiative in the #Swarnajayanti Fellowships for young scientists below 40. It offered a monthly honorarium and substantial, flexible research funding. The fellowship was highly competitive and became a prestigious recognition in itself. I was fortunate to receive this fellowship early in my research career. Looking back, I cannot imagine what I would have done without that support. But there is a larger leadership #lesson here. The problem with highly selective schemes is that for every person selected, there may be ten others who are disappointed. Some of them will write to the government, question the selection process and create a narrative that something is fundamentally wrong with the scheme. These days, creating a negative narrative against anything good has become remarkably easy. Governments come under pressure. And when political leaders and senior bureaucrats are surrounded by people who tell them only what they want to hear, even excellent initiatives can become casualties. This is where #leadership matters. Our political leaders and top bureaucrats need to occasionally set aside their protocols and meet young faculty members directly in academic institutions. Not just the senior professors, award winners and institutional heads. The youngest faculty often have the most candid things to say about what is working and what is not. Throughout my academic leadership roles, I have always made it a point to speak with the youngest faculty in departments and maintain an open door policy. Some of my best insights have come from these conversations. These days, leadership is also about distinguishing genuine #feedback from organised criticism and noise. Otherwise, we will keep dismantling good initiatives simply because a few people are unhappy. Starting a good scheme requires vision. Sustaining it despite criticism requires courage and conviction. The country needs to talk to its young #faculty in academic institutions. 🙏 -------- China picks first researchers for 15-year mega grants nature.com/articles/d41586-0…