Details
The “ASEAN-India Research Training
Fellowship (AI-RTF)” is a fellowship scheme initiated by the Department of
Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. The scheme is launched as
an initiative under the ASEAN-India Science & Technology Development Fund
(AISTDF) to support young talented researchers/scientists of ASEAN member
countries (namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) to carry out research
at any of the Indian research/academic Institution.
Objectives:
The AI-RTF scheme is a fellowship
scheme with the following objectives:
- To promote the mobility of scientists and researchers from the ASEAN-Member Countries to India and provide them the opportunity to work at Indian R&D/ academic institutions to upgrade their research skills and expertise.
- To facilitate the exchange of information and contacts between the scientists and researchers of India and ASEAN Countries and create a network for building research collaborations.
As a spin-off, the Fellowship
awardees may also have the opportunity to get co-supervisors from India for
their research projects for Ph.D. or Master’s degrees on their return to their
home countries.
Number of fellowships:
Fifty (50) fellowships per year shall
be awarded to young scientists and researchers from ASEAN-Member States to get
affiliated with Indian academic and R&D institutions.
Duration of fellowships:
The duration of the Fellowship will
be for a period of two to six months. No request for extension \ reduction in
the duration period shall be entertained after the award of the fellowship.
Management & execution:
ASEAN-India Research Training
Fellowship (AI-RTF) program shall be managed and coordinated by the Federation
of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), New Delhi.
Areas in which fellowships are
available-
The area/topic of research for
availing AI-RTF must be ASEAN-centric and must be aligned with the ASEAN Plan
of Action on Science, Technology, and Innovation (APASTI). The fellowship is
offered for working on research topics under any of the following broad
disciplines:
• Agricultural
Sciences
• Biological
and Medical Sciences
• Chemical
Sciences & Engineering
• Computer
Science & Engineering
• Physical
Sciences and Mathematics
• Ocean,
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
• Engineering
Sciences
• Materials,
Minerals and Metallurgy
• Science
Policy/IPR Management/Technology Transfer & Commercialization
• Other
multi-disciplinary areas of Science, Technology and Innovation in alignment with
APASTI.
Note: The fellowship is available in
all fields of natural & engineering sciences, including mathematics &
statistics, except humanities and behavioral sciences.
Benefits
1.
Full financial assistance will be provided to the selected Fellows which
includes the following:-
a) Round trip international airfare
by lowest economy class and by the shortest route from the international
airport in the home country of the applicant to the international airport
nearest to the host institution in India; visa fees, overseas medical
insurance, etc.
b)
A consolidated Fellowship amount of Indian Rupees (INR) 60,000/- per month.
c) One-time
grant of INR 40,000/- as research contingency expenses, airport transfers,
domestic travel for attending scientific /events, and field trips within India.
d) Institutional overhead charges @
INR 2,500/- per month.
e) The
allowance as in (a), (b) & (c) will be released to the host institution in
India for disbursement to the Fellow. The host Institution will arrange
appropriate accommodation for the Fellow on a payment basis.
2. The
selected Fellow is advised to take an appropriate policy for health insurance
coverage for the period of stay in India. The cost of obtaining an overseas
insurance policy is covered and reimbursable under AISTDF.
3.
Individual Fellow, or his/ her government/institution, is required to bear the
following costs:
a) All expenses in the home country
incidental to travel abroad, including expenditure incurred to obtain passport
and visa and for medical examinations and vaccinations as may be required as
well as other miscellaneous expenses such as internal travel to/ from the
international airport of departure in the home country.
b) Salary
and other related allowances in the home country, if applicable, during the
Fellowship period.
4. Neither
the AISTDF nor the host institution in India will assume any responsibility
whatsoever for the following expenditure of the Fellows during the tenure of
the Fellowship:
a) Compensation in the event of
death, disability, or loss of personal belongings or compensation for damage
caused by climatic or other conditions.
b) Travel
and other costs incurred by the dependents, who might accompany the Fellows.
Eligibility
- Indian nationals are not eligible for the Fellowship.
- Applicant must be holding the nationality of any of the ASEAN Member Countries.
- Applicant should possess at least a Master’s Degree in any Natural Sciences or an equivalent degree in Technology/Engineering/Medicine / allied disciplines.
- Applicant should be working/studying and/or affiliated with any national R&D or academic institution in his/her home ASEAN Member 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 45 years as of the date of submission of the application.
- The applicant should be fluent in the English language.
- ASEAN applicants who have availed of any fellowship scheme of the Government of India during the last 3 years are not ELIGIBLE to apply.
- The proposed research work in India must be linked/ connected and add value to any of the ongoing research projects/schemes of the Indian host Institute.
Note 01: It is strongly advised that the
applicant, in his/ her interest, should make prior contact with an Indian
institution, where work is in progress in his/her area of interest, or with a
concerned scientist in India, and obtain consent that the applicant, if
selected for the Fellowship, will be accepted to work in the institution on the
proposed research project. A copy of such consent letter should be enclosed
with the application.
Note 02: In this connection, a suggestive
list of Indian academic and R&D institutions has been enclosed with this
Announcement to help the applicant, but the applicant is free to contact any
other institution in India for his/her affiliation.
Note 03: Securing prior consent from an
Indian institution/scientist does not guarantee the selection of an applicant.
All applications received shall be scrutinized scientifically by DST. DST shall
make the final decision based on the quality of the research proposal submitted
by the applicant, the applicant's academic merit, and available slots in the
Fellowship scheme.
Obligations of the AI-RTF fellows:
- The Fellows will observe the regulations and procedures stipulated below. If they fail to do so, the Fellowship shall be withdrawn.
- During their tenures, Fellows shall not, either in or outside the host institution, infringe in any way on the human rights of others, including racial or gender discrimination or other forms of abuse.
- Fellows shall stay in India continuously during the tenure of the fellowship and concentrate on their scientific work at the host institution. Fellows shall not engage in other work, either paid or unpaid, during their tenure.
- The Fellows shall follow the rules of the host institution and shall not undertake any acts of research misconduct, e.g., fabricating or falsifying research results and misuse of research funds.
- A Fellow shall submit a fellowship completion research report to the DST/FICCI and ASEAN Secretariat on completion of his/ her tenure. (Format for AI-RTF completion report)
- Transfer of any type of biological material during the tenure of availing the Fellowship is NOT permissible.
Application Process
Online
Step 01: The applications are to be
submitted only ONLINE at www.aistic.gov.in.
Step 02: Applicants should first register in
the ASEAN online portal. Click here to register
Step 03: After successfully registration,
the applicant may login to apply for the fellowship.
Step 04: Applicants are required to fill all
the mandatory fields in the Profile Detail section under User Profile, which
includes Bio-data, photo, Institute Address, etc.
Step 05: Some of the details of the proposal
like Project Title, Project summary, Keywords, Objectives of the project,
Expected output and outcome of the proposal, etc. have to be entered at the
time of proposal submission.
Step 06: After verifying all the filled
details, the applicant may submit the application form.
Note 01: Other relevant information of the
proposal has to be uploaded as a single PDF file, not more than 10 MB.
Note 02: The hard copies of the application
are not required.
Note 03: The applications submitted through
any other form or channel shall not be considered.
For More Information About the AI-RTF
program, please contact Ms. Sadia Khan (sadia.khan@ficci.com).
Documents Required
Documents to be submitted during
application submission:
1. C.V.
of Applicant
2. C.V.
of Indian host
3. Copy
of relevant pages of valid Passport
4. A
copy of the endorsement letter from the present employer in the prescribedformat
5. A
copy of the acceptance letter from any Indian scientist/ institution for
hosting the applicant, if selected, prescribed format
Documents to be submitted after
fellowship approval:
1. Letter
of acceptance by Parent Institute (Format)
2. Letter
of consent by Indian Host Institute (Format)
3. RTGS
details of Indian Host Institute ( Endorsed by Institute) (Format)
4. Itinerary
options (Tickets to be booked by AI-RTF Secretariat) (Format)
5. Joining
notification (By Indian Host Institution) (Format)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the “ASEAN-India Research
Training Fellowship” scheme?
The scheme is launched as an
initiative under the ASEAN-India Science & Technology Development Fund
(AISTDF) to support young talented researchers/scientists of ASEAN member
countries (namely Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam) to carry out research
at any of the Indian research/academic Institution.
What is the objective of scheme?
The AI-RTF scheme is a fellowship
scheme with the following objectives: • To promote the mobility of scientists
and researchers from the ASEAN-Member Countries to India and provide them the
opportunity to work at Indian R&D/ academic institutions to upgrade their
research skills and expertise. • To facilitate the exchange of information and
contacts between the scientists and researchers of India and ASEAN Countries
and create a network for building research collaborations.
Which is the implementing agency of
this scheme?
Federation of Indian Chambers of
Commerce & Industry (FICCI), New Delhi
What are the eligibility criteria for
applying/availing the Fellowship?
• Applicant must be holding the
nationality of any of the ASEAN Member Countries. • Applicant should possess at
least a Master’s Degree in any Natural Sciences or an equivalent degree in Technology/Engineering/Medicine
/ allied disciplines. • Applicant should be working/studying and/or affiliated
with any national R&D or academic institution in his/her home ASEAN Member
Country. • The upper age limit for the applicant is 45 years as of the date of
submission of the application.
Are Indian nationals eligible for the
Fellowship?
No, Indian nationals are not eligible
for the Fellowship.
What are the areas covered under this
Fellowship?
The fellowship is available in all
fields of natural & engineering sciences, including mathematics &
statistics, except humanities and behavioral sciences- Agricultural Sciences •
Biological and Medical Sciences • Chemical Sciences & Engineering •
Computer Science & Engineering • Physical Sciences and Mathematics • Ocean,
Earth & Atmospheric Sciences • Engineering Sciences • Materials, Minerals
and Metallurgy • Science Policy/IPR Management/Technology Transfer &
Commercialization • Other multi-disciplinary areas of Science, Technology and
Innovation in alignment with APASTI
What is the nature of support for the
Fellow?
Full financial assistance will be
provided to the selected Fellows which includes the following:- 1. Round trip
international airfare by lowest economy class and by the shortest route from
the international airport in the home country of the applicant to the
international airport nearest to the host institution in India; visa fees,
overseas medical insurance, etc. 2. A consolidated Fellowship amount of Indian
Rupees (INR) 60,000/- per month. 3. One-time grant of INR 40,000/- as research
contingency expenses, airport transfers, domestic travel for attending
scientific /events, and field trips within India. 4. Institutional overhead
charges @ INR 2,500/- per month.
How many fellowships are awarded per
year under the scheme?
Fifty (50) fellowships per year shall
be awarded to young scientists and researchers from ASEAN-Member States to get
affiliated with Indian academic and R&D institutions.
What is the duration of fellowship?
The duration of the Fellowship will
be for a period of two to six months. No request for extension \ reduction in
the duration period shall be entertained after the award of the fellowship.
How to apply for the fellowship?
The applications are to be submitted
only ONLINE at (https://aistic.gov.in/ASEAN/aistdfFellowship). The hard copies
of the application are not required. The applications submitted through any
other form or channel shall not be considered.
Sources And References
Official Website CLICK HERE
Scheme Guideline CLICK HERE
DST Website CLICK HERE
International Cooperation Division CLICKHERE
Registration Portal CLICK HERE
