Topping India’s science and research terrain and ranking 84th globally as per Nature Index 2024, Kolkata now has another crowning achievement with The British Council, the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, announcing the launch of a research and publication section at its Kolkata library. This would help the city move a step further towards advancing research and knowledge-sharing in diverse fields, including arts, culture, education, and much more. The event was graced and inaugurated by Prof Nimai Chandra Saha, Director of Public Instructions, Education Department, Government of West Bengal, who expressed his delight at how this research and publication would help the students of Kolkata and beyond.

After the inauguration, a panel discussion took place on ‘From Evidence to Impact: How Research in Culture, Arts, and Education is Shaping Our Future.’ The panel discussion was chaired by Debanjan Chakrabarti, Director of British Council, East and Northeast India, and featured Swati Guha, Director, Institute for Language Studies and Research (ILSR); Sohini Chakraborty, Secretary and Founder Director of Kolkata Sanved; Dr Amit Ghose, Urologist, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital, Kolkata, and lead of the medical council of IBSA (Indo British Scholars’ Association) and Prof. Amlan Chakrabarti, Professor and Director, A.K. Choudhury School of Information Technology, University of Calcutta, an expert on quantum computing and AI. The leaders from the diverse fields of academia, AI, healthcare, and culture explored the role of evidence-based research in shaping policies, driving impactful societal change, and advancing educational and cultural development as well as the future of research.

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Debanjan Chakrabarti, who is also one of the South Asia Research Champions of the British Council, said, “The launch of this research and publication section is an important step to spotlight all the research the British Council does across arts, English, and education, and how that drives the work that we do. Our work in research across the globe fosters collaboration and helps researchers, educators, policymakers, and cultural practitioners drive meaningful progress in education, creativity, and social development.”