Frequently Asked Questions

SWATI (Science for Women-A Technology & Innovation) is a Compendium of Indian Women in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) field. The portal was announced by Dr. Renu Swarup, Former Secretary of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) on International Women’s Day in 2021, and inaugurated on October 25, 2021. The portal was launched by the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India Dr. Ajay Kumar Sood on International Day of Girls and Women in Science (11 February, 2024).

The SWATI portal is intended to serve as a Gateway to view the Expertise and Contributions of Indian Women in Science, specially to mark the 75th year of Indian Independence, in celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. In 2022, the SWATI portal was adopted for expansion by the IAP (Inter Academy panel) of the Indian science academies to cover all Indian women in STEMM.

This is a platform to:

1. Provide access to new /existing opportunities for Indian Women in Science.
2. Showcase the achievements and contribution of Indian women in STEMM subjects.
3. Contribute to data science focused on gender diversity and inclusion in India.
4. Facilitate the building of networks or collaborations among female researchers (a SWATI Sisterhood).
5. Provide a source of inspiration by highlighting female role models in SWATI.

The portal is designed, hosted and maintained by National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR), New Delhi. The initial data was collected from researchers and scientists funded by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), GoI along with the women fellows from the three Indian science academies.

The portal is online, free and open to all. It can be accessed at this link: SWATI.

The portal is designed for all Indian women in STEMM ranging from students pursuing graduate and post graduate courses in India to research scholars, post-doctoral researchers, administrative staff, scientists, science communicators, academic faculty, entrepreneurs, technical officers, lab technicians etc. in STEMM. Women working outside India can also join the portal, provided they have studied STEMM subjects in India at some point. Unemployed and independent Indian women are specially encouraged to join the portal if they have previously studied STEMM subjects in India.

joining SWATI is very simple, and can be done by scanning the QR code or clicking the Link:join SWATI.

Scan the QR code below to join SWATI portal:

Yes, the information in the profile can be edited by the individual herself. This can be done via the link. Please note that no other person, including the portal maintenance team can modify any data on the portal.

The information displayed on the portal can be edited from the link provided at the end of the profile page of the individual on the website. It can also be edited from here: Click to edit your information.

It may take up to two weeks for any changes to reflect in the portal as the data is updated regularly.

No, you cannot edit others' information, but you can contact the support team if you find any incorrect information, and we will get in touch with the concerned SWATI member.

We do not collect any personal information (e.g. mobile number, date of birth, marital status, home address, age etc.) on the portal and only the scientific/ professional information provided by you will be displayed on your profile page. To check this, please feel free to browse SWATI.

No, the portal is free and open to all Indian women in science.

Yes, the portal is free to Browse and Search. To effectively search within the portal, follow these steps:

1. Locate the search bar at the top right corner of the homepage or any other page of the portal. It is marked with a magnifying glass icon.
2. Click inside the search bar to activate it and type in the keywords or phrases related to the information you are seeking. Keywords can include the names of scientists, affiliations, subjects, awards or any relevant terms.
3. Click on the search button.
4. Review the search results that appear. The results will include the list of people who are related to the query term.

The portal has a user-friendly interface with a navigation menu that includes sections such as Home, about, Pioneers, Faculty, PostDocs, Students, Communicators and Industry. The different sections are based on the current role of the individual. You can also use the search bar to find specific information.

As the data is collected using google form, it does not allow multiple entries from single email id. However, the SWATI Team regularly performs manual checks to ensure that the portal remain professional scientific platform.

If you have any questions, feedback, or need assistance, please feel free to contact our support team. E-mail: swati@nipgr.ac.in

To ensure that the data collected through Google Forms, including Google email addresses, is protected, we have implemented several measures:

1. All data collected via Google Forms is encrypted in transit using HTTPS, ensuring that the data is secure during transmission.
2. Data stored in Google cloud infrastructure is encrypted at rest. This provides an additional layer of security to protect the data from unauthorized access.
3. Google Forms is part of the Google Workspace suite, which is compliant with industry-standard security certifications such as ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2/3, and GDPR. These certifications demonstrate that Google adheres to stringent security practices.
4. We regularly review and update our security policies to stay ahead of potential threats.

The data is not available to the public for bulk downloads. It can be accessed upon request and approval by the Inter academy panel (IAP) of the Indian Science Academy for research purpose only. However, this data analysis is also being done by our support and maintenance team.

Thank You for asking!!

To ensure nationwide representation and expansion so that every girl and woman in Indian Science becomes part of SWATI, we request you to help us in any of the following ways:

1. Share this flyer in your circles, so that your friends, colleagues and/or students may join SWATI.
2. Use this ppt slide as the last (or second last) slide in your work presentations, to enable wider outreach, so that more people can get to know about SWATI and join the initiative.
3. If you come across any new opportunities for WiS, please contact us and we can spread the message among all SWATI members by uploading on the website and sharing with all SWATI members.
4. If you would like us to visit your organization to give a talk or do a SWATI related event, please let us know.

Sharing this message with all Girl Students and female staff/faculty members in STEMM subjects so that they can join the portal. You may also request your colleagues to please share this message with all female students and staff team members. Include a slide of our flyer in your presentation and discussion.