From Academia to Industry and Innovation: iRISE Workshop Broadens Career Horizons for Researchers in Nashik

A three-day iRISE Capacity Building Workshop at VLC Hall, K.T.H.M. College, Nashik, held from 23–25 February 2026, brought together 53 early career researchers—26 female and 27 male participants—from diverse disciplines. Organised by the iRISE Early Career Researcher Development Strand in collaboration with M.V.P.S. KTHM College, Nashik, the workshop took a broad view of researcher development, spanning industry readiness, pedagogy, science communication and entrepreneurship.

The programme opened with Dr. K.M. Ahire, Principal, M.V.P.S. KTHM College, and Dr. Ramnath Andhale, Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology and local coordinator, alongside Dr. Manawa Diwekar-Joshi, Senior Technical Officer, iRISE, IISER Pune, and resource person Dr. Tejas Borwankar.

A distinctive feature of the workshop was its emphasis on the transition from academia to industry. Dr. Tejas Borwankar, Program Manager at Gennova Biopharmaceuticals, introduced participants to the differences between academic and industrial environments and discussed the skills currently valued by industry, using the healthcare and pharmaceutical sector as a context. Participants were encouraged to reflect on the capabilities developed during their PhD and consider roles aligned with their interests and strengths.

The teaching component moved beyond conventional classroom practices. Dr. Manawa Diwekar-Joshi introduced Inquiry-Based Learning, the three domains of learning and constructive alignment, while hands-on inquiry activities helped participants consider how such approaches could be integrated into classrooms and laboratories. Concept-map lesson planning and discussions on formative and summative assessment further connected educational theory with practice.

Science communication was addressed through games and activities designed to help participants recognise communication barriers and refine their approach to communicating scientific ideas. The final component, led by Dr. Milind Choudhari, transformed entrepreneurship into an immersive startup simulation. Participants acted as founders and team members, dealing with customers, prototypes, vendors, investors, production and unexpected business challenges before presenting their products and analysing profit and loss.

The workshop concluded in the presence of Dr. N.D. Gaikwad, Vice Principal and Professor of Chemistry, KTHM College, with certificates presented to participants.