New Delhi- IIT Delhi has launched the Research Communications Award (RCA) for its PhD Scholars to support their communication skills and help them become more independent researchers.

The first batch of winners received a certificate and a cash award of Rs. 25,000 each for winning various research communication-related competitions such as Research Story Writing and a 3-Minute Thesis competition. The winning stories were published on the official website of IIT Delhi.

The Research Story Writing Competition required PhD scholars to write a short story derived from their research, which was tailored to a general audience. The three-minute thesis competition (3MT) involved PhD students explaining their research to a general audience within three minutes.

The award aims to create a platform for research scholars to enhance their communication skills and present their research findings to a wider audience. This initiative is part of IIT Delhi's efforts to strengthen the research environment and promote independent research.

In a statement, Prof. Dhanya CT, Associate Dean, PG Research, IIT Delhi, said, "Our goal is not only to strengthen the research environment at IIT Delhi but also to enrich the scholars and help them become independent researchers. While our curriculum already provides enabling platforms to encourage scholars to step out of their labs and participate in debates, seminars, and competitions, we also initiated the 'Research Communications Award' as a co-curricular activity with an aim to create and provide our society with more independent and efficient researchers and engineers."

The students who won the awards expressed their appreciation for the initiative and said it is a great platform for them to enhance their communication skills and present their research findings to a wider audience.