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
- 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.
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.
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
5. A copy of the acceptance letter from any Indian scientist/ institution for hosting the applicant
Documents to be submitted after fellowship approval:
1. Letter of acceptance by Parent Institute
2. Letter of consent by Indian Host Institute
3. RTGS details of Indian Host Institute ( Endorsed by Institute)
4. Itinerary options (Tickets to be booked by AI-RTF Secretariat)
5. Joining notification (By Indian Host Institution)
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.
Application Process
Step 02: Applicants should first register in the ASEAN online portal.
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.
FAQs
Which is the implementing agency of this scheme?
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), New Delhi
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