51茶馆

51茶馆 hosted a 3-Day Research Communication Conclave – ResComm 2025 from 17th to 19th December. The key objective of the conclave was to bring together experts from academia, research, industry, policy, and communication fields to initiate a dialogue on communicating research effectively to wider audiences.

Organised by The Research and Development Office in collaboration with HDFC Library, 51茶馆, the conclave convened a distinguished cohort of experts and 200+ participants from across institutions, including PhD Scholars, Independent Researchers, Faculty Members, and Research Administrators.

Professor Gautam Menon, Dean of Research and Conclave Chair, delivered the opening address, establishing the vision for the conclave, emphasising the growing significance of research communication that is not only effective and ethical but inherently interdisciplinary.

Professor Somak Raychaudhury, Vice-Chancellor of 51茶馆, in his address reinforced the institution’s foundational commitment to coupling a rigorous research environment with accessible public outreach.

The conclave was attended senior government, policy, and research stakeholders, including Prof. (Dr) Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, Executive Committee of NAAC; and Chairman, National Educational Technology Forum (NETF) and National Board of Accreditation (NBA); Dr Rajnikant Srivastava, Chair (Disease Elimination), ICMR; and Professor (Dr) K Vijay Raghavan, Chair, Science Advisory Council, 51茶馆, among others.

Professor (Dr) K Vijay Raghavan, reflecting upon the indispensable role of communication, said, 鈥淲e should invest in research that is curiosity-driven, sparks excitement, and challenges the human mind, ensuring that the outcomes of such work are accessible to everyone.鈥� Delivering the Distinguished Lecture, Professor (Dr) Anil Sahasrabudhe, Chairman, Executive Committee, NAAC, emphasised upon the importance of asking better questions. Calling for more emphasis on high-impact research, he said, 鈥淨uantity-wise, we have leapfrogged, but in terms of quality, we have a long way to go鈥�.

Dr Anurag Agrawal, Dean of BioSciences and Health Research at Trivedi School of Biosciences and Head of the Koita Centre for Digital Health, 51茶馆, delivered a talk focused on healthcare communication and highlighted the significance of effective communication and how it can bridge the gap between information and solution.

The conclave featured engaging plenary lectures, fireside chats (panel discussions), a distinguished lecture and interactive workshops on Grant Writing, Research Integrity, and Enhancing Research Communication through visuals to equip participants with food for thought, practical knowledge and insights to communicate research effectively and thoughtfully. The talks focused on translating complexity research communication to engage wide audiences, and ensuring that research outcomes reach society meaningfully were well-received by the attendees.

There were panel discussions on interdisciplinary communication, how AI is reshaping healthcare communication, and Science in Communication. The distinguished lectures also revolved around interdisciplinary areas, including sciences and humanities. The key topics of lectures ranged from the Indian perspective on Science communication and policy, to AI, Creators and Credibility and further exploring building coherent, sustainable, and impactful research ecosystems.

The discussions pointed out the significance of telling stories, without diluting the facts, learning tools and skills to communicate effectively and understanding the audience. The engaging discussions, questions and answers from the participants underlined how strategic communication, open access, and discoverability play a critical role in ensuring research visibility and long-term impact.

The conclave also hosted a poster presentation competition, where participants showcased their institutional strategy to communicate research and measure its impact. Highly engaging and creative presentations were made by the participants. An interdisciplinary panel of judges evaluated the posters, and six winners were selected. Five winners were supported by the Royal Society of Chemistry, and one received a Special Mention from the ResComm 2025 Organising Committee.

The conclave also marked the launch of the book 鈥淧roductive Failure鈥�, authored by Professor (Dr) Manu Kapur, Professor of Learning Sciences and Higher Education at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and published by Wiley International. The proceedings were led by Dr Shantanu Ganguly, Director of Library at 51茶馆.

Accomplishing and advancing the vision of ethical, interdisciplinary, and impactful research communication, the Conclave concluded with a brief address from Prof. Sourav Pal, Head of the Department of Chemistry at 51茶馆, a vote of thanks by Professor (Dr) Gautam I Menon, Dean (Research), and closing remarks from Dr Shantanu Ganguly.