Deadline: 15 September 2022

The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) of the Ministry of Science and Technology in India, and UNESCO-TWAS established a fellowship programme for foreign scholars from developing countries who wish to pursue research towards a PhD in biotechnology.

I. Programme details

• TWAS-DBT Postgraduate Fellowships are tenable at key biotechnology research institutions in India for a period of up to five years.
• Applicants may be registered for a PhD degree in their home country, or may enroll 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.
• SANDWICH Fellowships (for those registered for a PhD in their home country): The Fellowship may be granted for a minimum period of 12 months and a maximum period of 2 years.
• FULL-TIME Fellowships (for those not registered for a PhD): The Fellowship is granted for an initial period of up to 3 years.  Such Fellowships may then be extended for a further 2 years, subject to the student’s performance.  Candidates will register for their PhD at a university in India. DBT will confirm any such extensions to both TWAS and the candidate.
• 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.
• The language of instruction is English

II. Eligibility

Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:

• Be a maximum age of 35 years on 31 December 2022.
• 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.
• 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); OR
• 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 that can be downloaded below or included in the application form). N.B. Requests for acceptance must be directed to the chosen host institution(s), and NOT to DBT.
• Provide a research proposal outline based on the format of the sample that can be downloaded below.
• Provide evidence of proficiency in English, if medium of education was not English;
• Provide evidence that s/he will return to her/his home country on completion of the fellowship;
• Not take up other assignments during the period of her/his fellowship;
• Be financially responsible for any accompanying family members.

III. How to apply?

• Applications for the TWAS-DBT Postgraduate Fellowship Programme can ONLY be submitted to TWAS via the online portal HERE 
• 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 form).
• Applicants should submit the Acceptance Letter from an Indian biotechnology institution to TWAS when applying online. Without preliminary acceptance, the application will not be considered for selection.
• Reference letters must be on letter-headed paper and SIGNED by the referee. The subject line must contain the name DBT/PG/ and the candidate’s surname. N.B. Only signed reference letters can be accepted.  
• Should you have applied to or availed any Indian fellowships (especially INSA JRD TATA and JNCASR-CICS) in the current or previous year this must be clearly specified in the application form.

Results of the fellowship selection should be available toward the end of 2022 or early 2023, and selected candidates will be able to start their fellowship NO earlier than beginning of 2023.