Govt. of India Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowships Biotech, Life Sciences Research 2023 applications
Are you working on a biotech or life sciences research project abroad and are looking for government financial support for scientific research in India? This article provides complete information on the Govt. of India Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship, for which the 2023-24 applications are now open. Details of the eligibility criteria, the Fellowship amount, where to take up research work, and the application procedure have been provided.
The Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Govt. of India has announced applications open for the Ramalingaswami Re-entry Fellowship (RRF) for the year 2023-24. This Fellowship is open to Indian Nationals who are working in overseas research institutions in the fields of biotechnology and life sciences and who are keen to take up a scientific research position in Indian universities/institutions. The applications have to be forwarded by the host institution.
[Image source: print advt. in the Hindustan Times, 30th December 2023]DBT RRF Features
The Fellowship program will be managed by the DBT-HRD Project & Management Unit that has been set up at the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), NCR Biotech Science Cluster, Faridabad. There are 75 Fellowships to be awarded. The Fellowship is for 3 years and, in exceptional cases, the duration of the award may be extended by an additional 2 two years after a fresh appraisal of performance.
Fellowship Amount: You will receive a Fellowship of Rs.1,00,000 per month + Rs. 18,500 per month for HRA (if applicable). You will also receive a Research Support Grant of Rs. 13,00,000 per annum to buy the required minor equipment, to cover the expenses of for domestic travel, for hiring project staff, and any other expenses that are considered to be valid in connection with the implementation of the project. The Host institute will receive Rs. 50,000 per annum towards institutional overhead costs under the project.
As a Fellow, you may also receive a regular research grant(s) through extramural and other research schemes of various Science and Technology (S&T) agencies of the Govt. of India provided that a Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) is a regular faculty member, and the concerned funding agency allows for this arrangement. Also, if there is an extension period, you will be provided with the Fellowship, Contingency/Research grant, HRA, and institutional overhead.
Place of Research Work: For your research work in India, you are free to select the Science & Technology institution. This can even be a university department or a national lab or an academic institution, provided that the institution is willing to provide the necessary facilities for R&D, administration, and other basic facilities to enable you to work on the research that you have selected.
Employment status: If you take up a permanent post, then the fellowship and HRA components of the scheme will be discontinued, but you can still avail the research grant component of the fellowship for the remaining tenure of the fellowship. Eligibility requirements
Only citizens of India can apply, with the upper age limit for applying 45 years as of the closing date of the application. Other criteria are-
Research Area: You should be working in any area of life sciences & biotechnology, bio-engineering, healthcare (human and animal), agriculture and veterinary biotechnology, bio-energy, and allied areas.
Academic Qualifications: You must have a Ph.D./MD degree or equivalent in life sciences/agriculture, bioinformatics, and allied areas or an M.Tech. in Biotechnology/allied areas/medicine, etc.
Experience: You should have at least 3 years of post-doctoral research experience in overseas research labs.
Research credentials: You should have a proven/outstanding track record as indicated through eminent research publications and recognitions.
Note- If you returned to India within one year of the closing date of the advertisement (two years for women candidates), then you are eligible to apply for the DBT RRF, but if you have secured a permanent post in India within this period then you are ineligible to apply.Application procedure
You have to register and apply for the Fellowship through the online mode only at DBT RRF portal and one hard copy of the submitted application form must be sent to the DBT-HRD Project & Management Unit at the RCB Faridabad address that is mentioned at the end of this article.
The information to be submitted in the online application includes personal details, such as address, contact numbers, etc, academic qualifications, post-doctoral and work experience, research contributions, details of Referees, the proposed research work, and the proposed host institution.
These are the documents that you need to submit during the online application process-
Important notes: You must submit the certificate from the host institute, otherwise your application will be rejected. Also, all the documents, including the recommendation letters must be uploaded directly on this portal. Referees will not be sent the link to upload the letters. Although an institute can nominate more than one person for the Fellowship, the applicant can submit his/her nomination through a single host institute only.Important dates
Applications have opened on 27th December 2023.
The last date to submit the online application is 15th February 2024, up to 11.59 p.m. (IST).Contact information
DBT HRD Project & Management Unit
Regional Centre for Biotechnology, GOI
NCR Biotech Science Cluster
3rd Milestone, Faridabad Gurugram Expressway
Faridabad-121001 Haryana, India
Email ID for applicants: dbt.rlsfellowship@rcb.res.in
Email ID for Fellows: rrf.dbt@rcb.res.in
For queries about the Fellowship Contact Ph: 0129 - 2848538/539
You can also contact for queries- Dr. Manoj Singh Rohilla, Scientist 'F', Department of Biotechnology, Block 2, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110 023. Email: manojsrohilla@dbt.nic.in
DBT Fellowship Website: https://rrfdbtindia.in/
RCB Website: https://rcb.res.in/
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