About Us- Research

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Bangalore Speech and Hearing Trust, in June 2018, the members of Trust decided to start a research centre, under the Trust, to promote research activity in the area of Speech and Hearing. With the generous contribution of Mr. B. N Gupta, and other trustees, a corpus fund was constituted to start the research centre and it was named B N Gupta Research Centre. 

It was renamed as Bangalore Speech and Hearing Foundation on… with a resolution passed at the trust meeting held on. This was done to keep research center in line with the aims and objectives of trust.

The Centre was inaugurated on 14^th June, 2018, by Sri. B. Krishna, Janmabhoomi Press Trust, Bangalore, in the presence of Mr Venkatesh, chairman of BSHT, Lion Shantavadan, Treasurer, CA, D.L Suresh Babu, Secretary of BSHT and Dr Nagaraja MN. Three faculty level Researchers at the level of two Associate Professors, one Assistant Professor and a Biostatistician were appointed for BNGRC. The centre officially started functioning from the month of August 2018.

The objective of the center

Objectives of the Centre:

• To initiate and undertake research appropriate to Hearing, Language, Speech and Communication disciplines, including processes, development, disorders of hearing, language and speech and related areas, assessment techniques and tests, therapeutic intervention and remedial processes across human lifespan.
• To develop intramural and extramural, collaborative, interdepartmental research projects in the area of Hearing, Language and Speech and its disorders.
• To work in coordination with other entities of Bangalore Speech and Hearing Trust, like Institute of Speech and Hearing, Clinical Services and School for the hearing impaired.
• To create database by proper documentation, data storing and retrieval systems.
• To undertake relevant publications/ Journal/ monographs/ Compendiums/ handouts and booklets related to Hearing, Language, Speech and its disorders.

Guidelines

The following guidelines were drawn to make BNGRC functional:

1. The Research Centre shall constitute a group of eminent scholars with requisite academic accomplishments and established research career having a broader focus, often interdisciplinary in nature, recognized nationally and internationally in the academic disciplines to provide needed guidance and the goals and objectives of the Centre. Therefore, the following three committees were constituted.
2. An Advisory Committee headed by none other than Honorable Retired Chief Justice of India, M. N. Venkatachaliah and the members as given in Annexure 1. The responsibility of the Advisory Committee is to

• Deliberate and discuss on the policies of research related issues to be undertaken by the Centre.
• To overview the taken up projects and their achievements.

2. A Research Technical Committee chaired by Dr. N. Shivashankar, Former Profesoor (SLP) and Associate Dean, Neurosciences, NIMHANS, Bangalore, and current Director – Clinics, Dr. SRCISH, comprising of members (reconstituted) as listed in Annexure 2. The responsibility of Research Technical Committee is to

• Decide on the merits and demerits of the projects to be undertaken.
• To guide and monitor the progress made and to monitor the following up progress including ethical issues.

3. An Ethical Committee chaired by Dr. Indira Jaiprakash and comprising of members as listed in Annexure 3. The responsibility of Ethical Committee is to

• See whether the projects proposed cross the ethical limits of human dignity, gender based biases, exploitation of animal or subjects in any way, for the purpose of carrying out research surpassing human rights while making declarations on the findings of research outcome.
• Medico-legal aspects that may land the Centre and the Trust in difficulties.
• Forcing opinion on unrelated issues, etc.
• . As per the decision of the Research Advisory Committee meeting held on 06-06-2018 (Annexure 5) the Director of the Centre has to be appointed or till such time Dr. M. N. Nagaraja, CEO will be entrusted to initiate the working of the Centre.
• The Trust (BSHT) shall provide space and infrastructural facilities for the Research Centre and encourage research activities, conferences, seminars, training courses and workshops.    
• The Centre shall bring together a critical mass of scholars, from all departments either within the Institute or across two or more Institutions for collaborative work in a clearly defined area over an extended period of time beyond the life of one specific project, towards the Vision of the Institute.
• The research staff appointed for the Research Centre may be employed as full-time or as contract staff for a specific period for which the research is funded, either by the Trust or any other funding agency. Such staff may co-supervise doctoral / PG research students as support to the academic activities.
• The Centre shall strive to sustain nationally and internationally by excelling in relevant research activities through publications in terms of originality, rigour and impact. In this connection a publication division, comprising of Editor in chief, and Editorial Board has to be constituted.
• The Centre shall provide an institutional platform to apply for grant support for projects, develop post-doctoral research opportunities and establish groups of postdoctoral scholars. 
• The Centre shall provide a means for collaboration with external partners at other universities and with community and private sector research centres. 
• The Centre shall organize lectures, conferences, colloquia and workshops through sponsors.
• The Centre shall make efforts to attract academic visitors, those on research leave from elsewhere and other scholars and researchers.
• The Centre should be able to attract research grants that are significant with respect to national norms for the thematic focus of the Centre.
• The Research Centre may also be involved in other appropriate activities, such as working with professionals and commercial or governmental organizations to improve professional practice and publishing reports, proceedings or monographs.
• Setting up community based rural research centres to function as pipelines of unmet needs, which may be incubated in the research centre to create socially relevant deliverable end products/processes/ paradigms.
• Build a virtual platform of resources (people and equipment) which are easily accessible for research scholars. 
• Creation of Intellectual Property (product and process patents).