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Desai leads establishment of National Data Innovation Centre in New Delhi

Far-reaching program will stimulate research, support graduate student development in India and U.S.
Desai leads establishment of National Data Innovation Centre in New Delhi

Overview of NDIC Project

Faculty Associate and Professor of Sociology Sonalde Desai has received an award from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to collaborate with National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) of India and the University of Michigan to set up a National Data Innovation Centre (NDIC) in New Delhi. The award, coupled with a parallel grant to NCAER (of which she also is PI) provides a unique opportunity to train the next generation of data scientists in India and at the University of Maryland.

Desai and her team have proposed an integrated set of activities that include:

  • ongoing data collection in and around New Delhi (Delhi Metropolitan Area Study) in which UMD students will be able to participate and gain hands-on experience;
  • tuition for Indian participants to take online courses at the Joint Program in Survey Methodology (JPSM, UMD & UMich); and
  • fellowship opportunities for visiting social scientists.

The program is advised by an advisory panel that consists of very well-known Indian academics as well as Secretary, Statistics and Secretary, Skill Development, Dr. Desai said. It also brings together scholars from different units within the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences, one of MPRC's fundamental goals. These include Sociology, JPSM and Geography.

The diagram (inset, click to enlarge) outlines the breadth of the project envisioned during the next five years.

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