EChO Network is a national program made to develop cross-disciplinary leadership in the country. EChO network was launched on 19 December 2019 to increase the research knowledge and awareness of Indian ecology. The EChO network helps create a new generation to develop the Nation by reducing the problems in medicine, agriculture etc.

The EChO network program was introduced under the guidance of Prof. Shannon Olsson, who is the director of the EChO Network. The foundation partners for this program are RoundGlass, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Ashoka Trust, India Climate Collaborative for Research in Environment and Ecology and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms.

EChO Network is a National Program

EChO Network is a national program launched to catalyze cross-disciplinary leadership in the country. It will help train students and people in an interdisciplinary manner to increase the Nation’s growth in the fields of research, knowledge, and awareness of Indian ecology and the Environment. The network aims to identify the gap in knowledge regarding the Environment and train the students in this field. EChO Network is a national program that provides guidance for cross-disciplinary leadership in the country that mainly focuses on increasing research knowledge and developing the Nation via caring for Indian ecology. 

How does it work?

1. The first step is to identify the research gap of knowledge regarding the Indian ecology and Environment. The gap is found by selecting a topic and conducting a study with the people. It helps to find their level of knowledge.
2. The program then trains the postdoctoral leaders in Research and outreach on the topics given to them. The topic includes all problems faced by the Environment these days. The program also incorporates current public and private efforts into a national network.
3. The postdoctoral leaders will establish nationwide awareness of the issues mentioned through public discourse and by educating the citizens, industry, government, and schools to make them all understand the importance of those problems. The information regarding the issue is exchanged with people of all education levels.

Need for EChO Network in India

• To promote ecological and environmental Research. The promotion includes solving all the problems faced by ecology and the Environment. This helps in increasing the research skill of the students in that field
• Lack of Trained Scientists with good skills. Even though India is a developing nation, the field of research is not complete. Only a few people engage in the research field, and due to this, there are only a few scientists with interdisciplinary skills and a collaborative mindset in the Nation
• Educators and students need a lot of training to identify the problems in ecology. They require a good idea about the problems to find their solutions. EChO network can help them get the necessary ideas and needs for doing their job

Cross-Disciplinary Leadership

Cross-disciplinary leadership is a 15-hour minor for students who want to acquire more knowledge and understand the perspectives of various fields of the research study. The student can choose to select a specific course of their wish from the coursework given to them. Building leadership involves the study of leadership, mainly the leader’s personality. Leadership is also incorporated in schools and colleges.

Skills required for Cross-disciplinary leadership

Communication skills involve:

• Clarifying doubts
• Asking questions to probe
• Make your audience understand your topic and words
• Checking assumptions

Good communication skills help in making a better understanding and inspire the people. Listening, straight-talking, stress management, and emotional control are the qualities of a good leader.

• Planning and design skills

The design skills include your capability to design and hold meetings and how to scope, plan, and produce necessary outcomes. Planning skill is the ability to think about and successfully manage all the activities of a meeting with the help of available resources to achieve a certain goal. The important things required for this purpose are time management and the ability to organize things.

• Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills show your ability to manage group dynamics.

• Decision-making skills

Ability to make certain decisions based on time and reason.

Cross-disciplinary leadership also includes team-building skills, the ability to share your goals, and understanding.

Ecology and Environment

Ecology is the study of organisms, the study environment, and how the organisms interact with each other and their surroundings, including all living things. Ecology helps you to understand how organisms live with each other.

Ecology consists of two components.

• Abiotic factors include all non-living things like a house, stone, etc
• Biotic factors include all living things, including animals, plants, birds, insects, bacteria, and all other life forms on this planet

The Environment is the circumstances, objects, and living conditions around any living thing. It also includes other living things and their state of living. The living conditions include climate, soil, and living things.

Conclusion

EChO Network is a mission of hope for the development of India in the field of Research. The purpose of this network is to share knowledge and give opportunities in science. The EChO system needs leaders who are well trained to take over the mission and achieve the goal. Thus, EChO Network will bring a new era of life and technology to the Nation.