TWAS-DBT Postgraduate Fellowships for Foreign Scholars from Developing Countries

TWAS-DBT Postgraduate Fellowships for Developing Countries

Course(s) Offered: Biotechnology
Course Level: Graduate (PhD, research, fellowship)
Provider: TWAS Italy; DBT India
Country to Study in: India, fellows country

Scholarship Description
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology, India, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy have instituted a postgraduate fellowship programme for foreign scholars from developing countries who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in Biotechnology, tenable at key biotechnology research institutions in India for a period of up to five years.

The language of instruction is English.

Each year, the TWAS Fellowship Programmes, which operate under agreements with governments and national organizations in developing countries, offer a number of fellowships to young scientists from developing countries to carry out postgraduate research in developing countries other than their own.

Eligibility
Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:

• Be a maximum age of 35 years on 31 December of the application year.
• Be nationals of a developing country (other than India).
• Must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in India or any developed country.
• Hold a Master's or equivalent degree in science or engineering.
• Be regularly employed in a developing country and hold a research assignment there.
• For SANDWICH Fellowships: Be registered PhD students in their home country and provide the "Registration and No Objection Certificate" from the HOME university (sample is included in the application form).
• For FULL-TIME Fellowships: Be willing to register at a university in India.
• Be accepted at a biotechnology institution in India (see sample Acceptance Letter included in the application form).

Eligible groups
Nationals of ANY developing country (other than India)

Participating Institutions
Key biotechnology research institutions in India.

Applicants may be registered for a PhD degree in their home country, or may enrol in a PhD course at a host laboratory/institute in India. To help candidates in their choice of a suitable host institution a list of biotechnology institutes in India is available here: List_Biotechn_India.pdf. However, candidates are free to choose an Indian biotechnology institution that does not appear on the list.

Fields of study
Courses in Biotechnology.

Number of awards
Not specified but several are available

Sponsorship duration
Tenable at key biotechnology research institutions in India for a period of up to five (5) years

Scholarship benefits
DBT will provide a monthly stipend to cover for living costs, food and health insurance. The monthly stipend will not be convertible into foreign currency. In addition, the fellowship holder will receive a house rent allowance.

Method of Application
Download the PG Application Form and PG Application Guidelines from the official website (link to it is below).

Before applying it is recommended that you read very carefully the application guidelines for detailed information on eligibility criteria, deadlines and other key requirements of the application procedure.

Submitting your application:
For SANDWICH Fellowships (only if already registered for a PhD in the HOME country) applicants should ensure that the Vice-Chancellor or Registrar of the university sends a signed copy of the "Registration and No Objection Certificate" on institutional headed paper to TWAS (see sample included in the application form).

Applicants should submit the Acceptance Letter from an Indian biotechnology institution to TWAS when applying or by the deadline at the latest. Applicants will have until the deadline to submit the Acceptance Letter to TWAS. Without preliminary acceptance, the application will not be considered for selection.

Reference letter: Referees must send signed letters as attachments via e-mail directly to TWAS. The subject line must contain: DBT/PG/candidate's surname. Alternatively, letters should be sent by post in sealed envelopes.

Applications for the TWAS-DBT Postgraduate Fellowship Programme should be sent to TWAS and CICS (by post, fax or email).

DEADLINES:
The deadline for receipt of applications is 31 August of each year.

PLEASE NOTE:
The information on this page is an integral part of the information given here: TWAS Fellowships for Postgraduate Research.

Applicants should be aware that they can apply for only one fellowship per year. With the exception of the fellowships "for research collaboration", all other fellowship programmes offered by TWAS and TWOWS that are mutually exclusive.

For further queries and contact details:
TWAS Fellowships Office
ICTP Campus, Strada Costiera 11
34151 Trieste, Italy
Phone: +39 040 2240-314
E-mail: fellowships@twas.org
Fax: +39 040 224559

Or;
Dr. (Mrs.) A. Amudeswari, Director
Centre for International Cooperation in Science (CICS)
2, Gandhi Mandapam Road
Chennai 600 025, India
Phone: + 91 44 24430228, 24901367, 24419466
Fax: +91 44 24914543
E-mail: dircics@gmail.com

Application Deadline: 31st August 2013
Open to International Applicants: Yes (ONLY developing country students)

More Scholarship Information and Application