USS R9 South Asia Council Establishment Announcement No. 1

Issued by:  United Societies of Science (USS)
Issue date:  2026-05-07
Subject: Establishment of the USS R9 South Asia Council and Launch of the Preparatory Work

1. Background and Rationale

To deepen the global academic and industrial networks of USS and promote the integration and application of scientific knowledge at the regional level, USS proposes to establish the USS R9 South Asia Council (the “Council”) under the USS framework, serving as the regional coordination platform for USS across South Asia.

South Asia is home to fast-growing scientific communities and diverse social and industrial needs. India, as the region’s largest population center and an emerging science and technology powerhouse, offers significant strengths in fields such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, space technology, and social policy. The establishment of the Council will help connect and mobilize regional resources across South Asia—including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—advancing science for regional prosperity and human well-being.

2. Positioning and Scope

• In this announcement, “South Asia” refers to Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
• The Council is the regional coordination platform for USS across South Asia, with India serving as the initial hub during the preparatory phase.
• The Council covers the full spectrum of USS disciplines and does not replace the functions of USS specialized councils.
• The Council supports disciplinary development across South Asia and promotes interdisciplinary collaboration across academia, industry, and research institutions.

Reference: https://www.usssociety.org/about/councils.html

3. Core Functions (Initial Definition)

As the official regional representative of USS in South Asia, the Council will carry out key functions including:

1. Regional Membership Development and Services: Recruit, engage, and support USS members across South Asia.
2. Interdisciplinary Regional Forums: Organize or co-host flagship annual academic events to foster multidisciplinary exchange and collaborative development.
3. International Collaboration Bridge: Connect USS Global Headquarters, other regional councils, and South Asian stakeholders; organize bilateral/multilateral cooperative projects.
4. Youth Talent Development: Establish and organize the USS R9 South Asia Young Scientists Forum and the USS R9 South Asia Graduate/Doctoral Student Forum; support early-career international exchange and joint research.
5. Policy and Societal Impact: Provide independent expert advice on science and technology strategy, research ethics, and open science.
6. Journal Launch Support: Assist regional scholars in proposing new academic journals to USS for publication.
7. Coordination of Specialized Councils: Support specialized councils in conferences, training, standard-setting, and local chapter development; recommend members for USS initiatives and awards.
8. Other Regional Functions: Fulfill additional responsibilities assigned by the USS Constitution.

4. Vision and Development Targets (2027–2032)

The Council aims to become one of the most dynamic regional hubs within the USS global network—cultivating an open, inclusive, innovative, and collaborative academic community in South Asia that radiates influence across the region.

The following indicators are the Council’s development targets for 2027–2032:

5. Preparatory Committee: Responsibilities

The Preparatory Committee is responsible for coordinating and delivering the establishment work of the USS R9 South Asia Council before the first General Assembly, including:

• Build a transparent work plan and timeline, assign workstreams, and ensure cross-workstream coordination and execution.
• Organize membership mobilization and discipline/community building, including the identification of discipline coordinators/convenors.
• Establish an India-based interim secretariat and progressively appoint national/area focal points across South Asia to ensure balanced regional participation.
• Establish and maintain official communication channels and basic operational processes (meetings, minutes, announcements, document management).
• Prepare and run the first R9 Council General Assembly, including candidate nomination procedures and election arrangements.
• Liaise with USS global governance and other regional councils to ensure alignment, compliance, and effective resource sharing.

6. Open Call: Roles and Participation

To accelerate the establishment work, applications/expressions of interest are now open for:

• Council Members (discipline and regional representatives)
• Executive Directors (coordination and execution for major workstreams)
• Discipline Coordinators / Convenors (discipline-specific coordination and community building)

7. R9 Council Membership Application

USS R9 Member Application Form: https://www.usssociety.org/membership/join.html

Please make sure you register for USS R9 South Asia Council membership through the application system above.

All members may apply via the link above. Applicants who submit their applications before 2026-08-15 may, subject to the USS Constitution and the bylaws of USS subordinate bodies, be eligible to stand for election to the 2027–2029 term positions of Chair, Vice Chair, Standing Council Members, Chief Supervisor, and Supervisors, and to serve as delegates to the First R9 Council General Assembly.

8. Roadmap (Planned Milestones)

9. Preparatory Committee Roster (Interim, India-based Secretariat)

• Conveners: Dr. Prabagarane N; Dr. Kishore R
• Secretary: Dr. Kishore R

National/Area Focal Points (to be appointed):

• Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Maldives; Nepal; Sri Lanka

Preparatory Committee Members (as of 2026-04-29):

1. Dr. Anandha babu Govindan — SSN College of Engineering (India)
2. Prof. Antresh Kumar Antresh — Central University of Haryana, Mahendergarh (India)
3. Dr. Basudha Dewan — Manipal University Jaipur (India)
4. Dr. Bijoy Goswami — Dept. of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering, Assam Engineering College (India)
5. Dr. Deepa T — SRM Institute of Science and Technology (India)
6. Dr. Idayachandran G — Vellore Institute of Technology Chennai (India)
7. Dr. Ishu Sharma — CGC University (India)
8. Prof. John Zothanzama — Mizoram University (India)
9. Dr. Karthik Kovuri — RIMT University (India)
10. Dr. Karthika D — Associate Professor and Head (India)
11. Dr. Kishore R — Sri Sivasubramania Nadar College of Engineering (India)
12. Dr. Kumara W.G.C.W. — University of Sri Jayewardenepura (India)
13. Dr. Nagarajan Velmurugan — Pondicherry University (India)
14. Dr. Pasan Maduranga Madduma Wellalage — University of Sri Jayewardenepura Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
15. Dr. Prabagarane N — SRM Institute of Science and Technology (India)
16. Dr. Rajesh Anbazhagan — SASTRA University (India)
17. Dr. Rajkumar R Raj — Department of Civil Engineering, Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering (India)
18. Dr. Rima Deka — KPRIET (India)
19. Dr. Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya — Assam Engineering College, Guwahati; Barak Valley Engineering College, Sribhumi, Govt. of Assam (India)
20. Prof. Saurabh Pratap Singh Rathore — Vikrant University, Gwalior (India)
21. Dr. Shalini Gambhir — School of Engineering and Technology, VUPS-TC, Delhi (India)
22. Dr. Smit Singh — Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Nagpur (India)
23. Dr. Sonali Patil — Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering, Pune (India)
24. Assoc. Prof. Sunita Mehta — Chitkara University Punjab (India)
25. Dr. Udit Mamodiya Sonu — Poornima University (India)

For privacy and data protection, individual personal contact details (email/phone) are not published in this announcement.

10. Official Contacts and Channels

• Founding Committee Contact:

  - Dr. Assoc. Prof. Kishore R, SSN

  - Email: R9@usssociety.org,kishore@usssociety.org

• USS Assistant Secretary: Ms. Jessie Song

  - Email: jessie@usssociety.org

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