Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Guidelines 2022
Recently, the Department of Science and Technology has issued Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) guidelines.
Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) entails an ethical obligation of knowledge-based personnel to contribute voluntarily to a wide range of stakeholders in society.
A knowledge worker is any worker who participates in a knowledge economy.
Knowledge based economy includes-
- Human, social, natural, physical, biological, medical, mathematical and computer/data science fields and related technical fields.
- The objective of SSR is to empower the less affluent, marginalized and exploited sections of the society. For this, an effective environment has to be created for optimum utilization of existing assets.
Key guidelines of SSR-
- Each knowledge institute will prepare its own implementation plan to achieve its SSR goals. This plan will be prepared by him in consultation with the knowledge-based institute.
- This knowledge-based institute is called Anchor Scientific Institute (ASI).
- Each knowledge-based worker is expected to contribute at least ten working days in a year to the SSR. He will make this contribution in addition to his daily/regular work.
- Individual and institutional SSR activities will be adequately encouraged by necessary budgetary support.
Benefits of SSR-
- It will expand the field of science and its benefits to the communities. This will help in increasing the scientific role in rural innovation. It will also help Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Startups and Informal Sector Enterprises to increase their overall productivity.
- This technology will also incorporate the specific priorities of Vision 2035 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) like water, ecology, health etc.
The SSR will include the following:
- Science-Society Linkage: This linkage is essential to meet the existing and emerging social needs.
- Science-Science Linkage: This linkage is essential for sharing of ideas and resources.
- Socio-science linkages: Collaborating with communities to identify needs and problems and develop scientific and technological solutions is essential.
- Lab to land (lab to farm) approach will be replaced by a “new age approach from farm (experience) to lab (expertise), and then farm (application)”.
- Cultural change: A sense of social responsibility will be created among the individuals and institutions practicing science.
Source – The Hindu
