Grants & Funding

Wellcome Trust/ DBT India Alliance

Published Date: May 25, 2010

Program Information

Program Name:

Early Career Fellowships for Researchers in India

Program URL:

http://wellcomedbt.org/Funding/Fellowship-schemes/Fellowship-schemes.htm

Type of Scientists Funded:

Initial PhD Postdoc, Initial MD Postdoc

Program Description:

The Wellcome Trust/Department of Biotechnology India Alliance provides fellowships for newly qualified postdoctoral scholars to help them launch their independent research careers in India. Applicants in their final year of a Ph.D. program, or with no more than 3 years postdoctoral research experience since their Ph.D. viva date may apply. The fellowships are for 4 years and provide (1) competitive personal support for the fellow, (2) generous funding for research consumables, and (3) funding to work overseas. The preliminary application deadline is 23 July. The invited full application deadline is 8 October. For more information, please visit: www.wellcomedbt.org.

Public Contact Information

Program Award Term and Application Process

• Award Term Fixed or Variable?    Fixed
• If fixed, enter total term?    4  Years
• Award Renewable?    No
• Does an individual or institution apply to the program?    Individual
• Is there an application deadline?    Yes
• Application deadline(s):
  07/23/2010
• Deadline Comments   
  This is a biannual competition:
  
  Preliminary application deadline: 23 July 2010
  Invited full application deadline: 8 October 2010
  Selection Committee review: January 2011
  Short-listed candidate interviews: February 2011

Program FUNDS

• Stipend Information:
  
  
• Annual stipend type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Research Allowance Information:
  
  
• Annual research allowance type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Indirect Costs (Institutional Funds) Information:
  
  
• Indirect costs type:    Not Applicable
• 
  Other Costs Information:
  
  
• Other Costs type:    Not Applicable

Program Eligibility Requirements

Research Areas:

Anatomy, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Biology, Biophysics, Biostatistics, Cancer, Cell Biology, Chemistry, Clinical Research, Developmental Biology, Epidemiology, Evolutionary Biology, Genetics, Immunology, Instrumentation, Materials Science, Mathematical and Computational Biology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Nanotechnology, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, Physiology, Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, Structural Biology, Toxicology, Virology, Zoology

Application by invitation or nomination only?

No

Are awards limited to specific groups?

None provided

Must applicants be U.S. citizens and/or permanent residents?

No

U.S. geographic limits?

No

Details (specify region, state or other restrictions):

N/A

International geographic limits?

Yes

Details (specify region, state or other restrictions)?

India

Institutional limits?

Yes

Details

You must have an eligible sponsoring institution in India that will administer the fellowship for the full duration of the award.

Non-research activity allowed for postdoctoral and junior faculty awards?

If yes, specify at least one of the following: percentage time and activities allowed

• Other eligibility requirements:   
  You must be in the final year of your Ph.D. studies or have no more than 3 years of postdoctoral research experience from the date of your Ph.D. viva to the full application submission deadline. Time spent outside the research environment will be considered but has to be clearly mentioned in the application.
  
  You must have shown significant promise in your scientific career to date and the potential to become an independent researcher.
  
  It is necessary that your Fellowship research be carried out in a laboratory that is not your thesis laboratory. Exceptions would be considered however, the preliminary application would have to include a strong letter of justification from you and your thesis supervisor, explaining how continuing to stay in the thesis laboratory would help develop your independent research career.
  
  You do not have to be an Indian national and need not have undertaken your PhD in India.
  
  You may apply even if you already hold another fellowship. However, please note that if awarded, you will be required to make a choice between your current Fellowship and the India Alliance Fellowship. The India Alliance does not permit Fellows to overlap their India Alliance Fellowship with any other national or international Fellowship.
  
  Resubmission following consideration of full application is only permitted on the recommendation of the Early Career Selection Committee and is exceptionally rare.
  
  The proposed research should fall within the India Alliance's remit which is to support biomedical research that is relevant to human and animal welfare.
  
  Fellowships may not be taken up prior to PhD award. The fellowship must be started within one year of award.
  
  Sponsorship and supervision:
  You must have an eligible sponsoring institution in India that will administer the fellowship for the full duration of the award. For the application, you will require :
  *Fellowship supervisor in whose laboratory and under whose supervision, you intend to carry out your Fellowship project. He/she must have a contract of employment at the sponsoring host institution in India and have tenure beyond the duration of the proposed Fellowship. He/ She should guarantee you access to laboratory space and resources required for your project as well as provide relevant scientific guidance for the tenure of the Fellowship.
  *Thesis supervisor in whose laboratory and under whose supervision, you carried out your PhD thesis project.
  
  In addition, you may also have:
  *External Supervisor in whose laboratory and under whose supervision, you intend to carry out the parts of your Fellowship project that would be done outside the host Institution. This supervisor may be in India or overseas.
  
  If you are advised to make a full application to the India Alliance we would also require a letter of support from the head of the host institution/department, who can guarantee that
  *The institution supports your application and will administer the Fellowship in accordance with our Grant Conditions
  *The institution guarantees you access to space and resources for your project
  *If awarded, it would not expect you to perform non-research activities for more than 2 hours a week.
  
  Application process:
  *You should complete and submit a preliminary application form by the published deadline.
  *Completed forms must be submitted to info@wellcomedbt.org.
  *Your preliminary application will normally be assessed within one month of the submission deadline. If successful, you will be invited to submit a full application.
  *Your full application will be peer reviewed and considered by the appropriate Selection Committee and, if successful, you will be short-listed for interview.
  *Short-listed candidates will be notified two weeks before the interview date.
  
  Awards will be conditional upon a satisfactory performance at interview.
  
  Application advice
  *You should give careful thought to your choice of Fellowship Supervisor and External Supervisor. Appropriate individuals will possess strong track records in research, training and/or mentorship.
  *You should drive the identification of a research question and the development of the proposal. However, we expect your Fellowship Supervisor and External Supervisor to provide you with advice and support during the application process.
  *You will be expected to focus on your research for the duration of the award.
  *You may not apply for more than one Alliance fellowship scheme at any one time.
  
  Reviewers typically assess:
  *your track record
  *the importance of the research question
  *your choice of appropriate supervisors
  *the feasibility of the approach
  *your vision of how the fellowship will contribute to your career development
  *your long term aspirations
  
  The fellowship encourages mobility by allowing Indian nationals who have undertaken their doctoral studies overseas to return to India and/or by allowing part of the fellowship to be undertaken in one or more leading laboratories within India or elsewhere for a period of normally not more than 24 months.
  
  During time spent in other laboratories, candidates are encouraged to maintain strong links with their host institution and spend the final year of the fellowship in their host institution in India.

Program competition information

• Number of Applicants in Most Recent Competition Year:   
• Number of Awards in Most Recent Competition Year:   
• Institutional Award Rates   

  Category	# Applicants	# Awards
  Institutional Awards

• Awardee's subsequent careers/accomplishments tracked after end of term?   
  
• Total dollars awarded in the most recent competition year