2016/2017 Research Training Fellowship in India for Developing Country Scientists (RTF-DCS) (Fully Funded)

Application Deadline: Friday, 17th June 2016.

The Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) is presently implementing a Fellowship programme titled ‘Research Training Fellowship for Developing Country Scientists (RTF-DCS)’ to provide opportunity to young researchers of the developing countries for their capacity building in science and technology through their affiliation with premier academic and research institutions in India to carry out short-term research work.

Under the programme, full financial support is provided to the research fellows for their international travel, subsistence allowance, research contingency, domestic travel in India, etc. The RTF-DCS programme has been sponsored by the Government of India, Department of Science & Technology (DST), Ministry of Science & Technology.

The RTF-DCS programme that was initiated in 2012-2013, was successfully implemented in

the last four years with the selected scientists having completed their research work in the

respective host institutions in India. Considering the persistently high demand from the researchers from developing countries and the keen interest shown by the Indian research institutions in implementing this programme, the number of Fellowships was increased from 20 to 50 per year with effect from 2014-15.

In the fifth year of implementation of the RTF-DCS scheme, the NAM S&T Centre invites

applications from the eligible researchers of the developing countries for the Fellowship for the financial year 2016-17 (1st April 2016 to 31st March 2017).

Objectives:

Number of Fellowship

• Fifty (50) scientists and researchers from the developing countries will be selected this year under the RTF-DCS Scheme to get affiliated with Indian academic and R&D institutions.

Duration:

• The Fellowship will be for a period of six months, but minor variation in the duration may be allowed with prior approval of the NAM S&T Centre depending upon the actual requirement of the research project as mutually agreed between the Fellow and the host institution.
• Therefore the interested applicants must be sure about their availability for six months if selected for this Fellowship.

Priority Area:

India has a vast and excellent infrastructure for Education and Research in Science,

Technology and Engineering. There are 744 universities and extensive networks of more than 5700 S&T Institutions, including several of national importance. Most of these are Government supported and cover virtually every branch and facet of science, technology and engineering. Fellowship will be offered for working in research topics under any of the following broad disciplines:

1. Agricultural Sciences

2. Biological and Medical Sciences

3. Chemical Sciences

4. Physical Sciences and Mathematics

5. Earth Sciences

6. Engineering Sciences

7. Materials, Minerals and Metallurgy

8. Multi-disciplinary and Other Areas

Eligibliity Requirements

• Applicant should possess at least a Post Graduate Degree in any Natural Science subject or an equivalent degree in Technology / Engineering/ Medicine / allied disciplines.
• Applicant should be working in a national R&D or academic institution in his/her home country. The application should be endorsed by the Head of his/her institution confirming that if selected, he/she will be sanctioned leave for the Fellowship period and will join his/her duties back in the institution on completion of the Fellowship in India.
• The upper age limit for the applicant is 40 years as on 1st January 2016.
• Indian nationals are not eligible for the Fellowship.

Fellowship Worth:

• Round trip international airfare by excursion/economy class and by shortest route from the international airport in the home country to the international airport nearest to the host institution.
• A consolidated Fellowship amount of Indian Rupees (INR) 35,000 [about US$525 at the current exchange rate] per month (non-taxable) for accommodation, meals and other miscellaneous expenses.
• One-time grant of INR 30,000 [about US$450 at the current exchange rate] for research contingency expenses and domestic travel for airport transfers and visiting research institutions, attending scientific /events and field-trips within India.
• The allowance as in (b) and the actual expenditure as in (c) will be released to the host institution for disbursement to the RTF-DCS Fellow.
• The host Institution will arrange appropriate accommodation for the Fellow on payment basis.
• The host institution will also be suitably compensated for its services for implementation of the programme.
• The selected Fellow will take an appropriate policy for health insurance coverage for the period of stay in India. The cost for taking the insurance policy is not reimbursable by the NAM S&T Centre.
• The NAM S&T Centre will purchase the air ticket for his/her travel to India only after receiving the insurance policy document of the selected Fellow.
• The selected Fellow must take vaccinations (such as Yellow Fever, Polio etc.), as may be required under Government of India guidelines.
• Individual Fellow, or his/her government / institution, is required to bear the following costs:

• Visa Fee.
• Insurance, medical bills or hospitalisation fees.
• Compensation in the event of death, disability or loss of personal belongings or compensation for damage caused by climatic or other conditions.
• Travel and other costs incurred by the dependents, who might accompany the Fellows.

Application for the award of the Fellowship should be submitted to the NAM S&T Centre in the enclosed format along with the following enclosures:

i. Curriculum Vitae ( in MS Word format, not more than two Pages), including Professional and Research Experience and a list of latest publications ( Not more than five)

ii. Research Proposal with Objectives, Scope of Work, Plan of Action, Methodology and Deliverables ( in MS Word format).

iii. Recent Passport size Photograph.

iv. Copy of Relevant Pages of Passport

v. Copy of an endorsement from present employer, duly filled in and signed, along

with Signature of the applicant. Take a print out of the format of ‘Endorsement of Present Employer’ appended at the end of this Announcement and attach a scanned copy of the appropriately filled up document along with the application form).

vi. A copy of the letter / e. mail ( if obtained) from any Indian scientist/institution with consent to accept you to work with them, if you get selected by the NAM S&T Centre (Please refer to Para – VIII. 2). The application form must be filled up only in typed script (

NOT HAND WRITTEN). Incomplete and illegible applications will be rejected.

 All the enclosures as above must be submitted along with the application. Applications without any of the enclosures as mentioned at i. to v. above will be rejected.

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