Extramural Fellowships

NCBS Fellows, candidates for NCBS Fellows positions and others who are eligible are encouraged to apply for competitive funding from external agencies. These activities will be coordinated by the Academic Office in conjunction with the Research and Development Office (RDO). Research projects will be in close collaboration with the host laboratory, which will provide resources and space, with the possibility of additional support, as needed.

Preliminary application (Academic Office Lead)

Applicants will be expected to identify a host laboratory and submit a preliminary application written in conjunction with the host faculty member.

The preliminary application package to NCBS should include

Up-to-date CV,
Brief research proposal (not more than one A4 page)
Three letters of recommendation including one from the head of the host laboratory at NCBS.

The preliminary application should be submitted to postdocprogram at ncbs dot res dot in for evaluation by the NCBS post-doctoral committee. Specific calls for this purpose will be issued by the Academic office. The subject line should clearly state “Application to Extramural funding schemes”. Applicants may be asked to present their research work in a seminar and the final decision to support an application for an extramural fellowship will be communicated to the applicant and host laboratory soon thereafter.

Full application (RDO lead)

Following this, applications to funding agencies will be coordinated and routed via the RDO (http://ncbs.res.in/rdo) at NCBS. If awarded funding, NCBS will provide limited bridging support in the form of a salary and house rent allowance as per the norms of NCBS till the activation of the award. Following the award, resources to the applicant will generally be as per the terms of the award for each funding agency.

"For queries on funding schemes, eligibility and application process to the extramural funding agencies please contact the Grants Advisor, Vineetha Raghavan (vineethar at ncbs dot res dot in)"

The following is an alphabetical list of extramural postdoctoral fellowships that can be availed for research in NCBS. A more comprehensive listing of these and other funding opportunities for postdoctoral researchers can be accessed at the RDO webpage (http://ncbs.res.in/rdo/grants_for_junior_researchers). Information on the RDO website is regularly updated.

1. DBT-Research Associateship Programme in Biotechnology and Life Sciences

The purpose of the fellowship programme is to train scientists in frontier areas of research in Biotechnology at institutions in India engaged in major biotechnological research activities. Under this programme, funds are provided for salary support and contingency for a period of 2 years. Only Indian nationals with a Ph.D. degree / M.D. or M.S. degree in any area of medicine with research interests in Biotechnology and Life Sciences, a good academic record and below the age of 40 years (relaxable by 5 years for women) may apply. These fellowships are awarded twice a year. The scheme is administered via the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The coordinator for this programme is Prof. K. Muniyappa. The next deadline for submission of applications is To be announced.

2. DST-FAST track Fellowship for young scientists

The Department of Science and Technology, through the Fast Track Scheme provides research funding to young scientists to undertake independent research in newly emerging and frontier areas of science and engineering. The fellowship provides funds for salary support, minor equipment, consumables and a contingency for a period of three years. The fellowship is open to Indian nationals below the age 35 years. Applications are accepted throughout the year.

3. Dr D S Kothari Postdoctoral fellowship (UGC)

This scheme offers fellowships for full time postdoctoral research tenable at Science departments (including Medical & Engineering Sciences) at Indian Universities. The fellowship awards funds for salary support and contingency for up to 3 years. This fellowship is open to young scientists below the age of 35 years (relaxable by 5 years for women, SC/ST/OBC) who have received their Ph.D. Degree or have submitted their Ph.D. thesis. There are no nationality restrictions on this fellowship and candidates from developing and neighbouring countries are encouraged to apply. Applications are accepted throughout the year and results are usually announced within 6 weeks of submission.

4. EMBO Long term Fellowship

The EMBO Long-Term Fellowships are awarded to support post-doctoral research visits to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. Candidates from EMBC member states can apply for holding this fellowship in a non-member country or vice-versa. The candidates must be within 2 years from obtaining their PhD and should have at least one first authorship publication either published or in press. This fellowship is awarded for upto 2 years. Applications are accepted twice a year. The next deadline for this scheme is 15 Aug, 2011. The results of this competition are usually announced 3-4 months from the closing date.

5. HFSP Postdoctoral Fellowships

HFSP offers postdoctoral fellowships to encourage early career scientists (0-3 years post PhD) to broaden their research skills by moving into new areas of study while working in a new country. HFSP fellows may choose to stay for up to three years in the host country or use the last year of their fellowship to return to their home country and start their own laboratory. There are no nationality restrictions for applicants wishing to conduct their research at NCBS. The fellowship provides funds for living expenses, research, travel, child allowance and relocation charges. Application for this scheme is online. The deadline for online registration is i25 Aug, 2011 with application submission deadline on 8 Sep 2011. There are two schemes under this fellowship.

i) Long-Term Fellowships (LTF)

i) Long-Term Fellowships (LTF) are intended to encourage applicants with a Ph.D. in a biological discipline to embark on a new project in a different field of the life sciences. Preference is given to applicants who propose an original study in biology that is significantly different from their previous Ph.D. or postdoctoral work.

ii) Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships (CDF)

ii) Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships (CDF) are intended for postdoctoral fellows with a Ph.D. degree in the physical sciences, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and computer sciences who wish to receive training in biology. Applicants for the CDF should propose a significant departure from their past research.

6. ICAM-I2CAM Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter (ICAM) awards fellowships for postdoctoral appointments tenable at ICAM branch member institutions. These awards are intended to catalyze research and research collaborations on complex adaptive matter, by supplementing existing postdoctoral appointments. NCBS is an ICAM branch member and therefore can host candidates from other ICAM branch members. Fresh call for this fellowship will be announced by Oct, 2011 with deadlines for submission of applications estimated to be in Dec, 2011.

7. Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award

Department of Biotechnology (DBT) offers this award to promising young scientists with innovative ideas and desirous of pursuing research in frontier areas of biotechnology. The award supports salary for scientists without regular employment or a cash award for those with regular employment in addition to funds for travel, equipment, consumables and contingency for a period of 3-5 years. Awardees not in regular employment can be attached to a senior scientist (Mentor) in a research organization, provided the mentor agrees to provide laboratory space and other facilities. The fellowship is open to Indian nationals below the age of 35 years with a good academic record. The next deadline for this scheme is estimated to be in Dec, 2011.

8. Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowships for Career Development (IOF)

This scheme allows researchers from EMBC Member States and Associated Countries to visit partner institutions in countries such as India for 12-24 months to acquire new skills and bring them back to their host institution for a mandatory 12 months, to allow for knowledge transfer. Applicants need to possess a PhD degree. The fellowship provides funds for salary support, research-related costs and overhead costs to the host institution. This is an annual competition. The 2011 call is estimated to be announced in March 2011, with deadline for submission of application in 11 Aug 2011 followed by results in early Jan 2012.

9. Wellcome Trust-DBT India Alliance - Early Career Fellowships

This scheme provides a unique opportunity for the most promising postdoctoral researchers moving to India or within India, to make a start in developing their independent research career. Young investigators within the first four years post PhD of any nationality with a good publication record and a strong proposal in the field of biomedical research are eligible to apply. It is mandatory for the candidate to be sponsored by an eligible institution in India that will administer the fellowship for the full duration of the award. There are no nationality restrictions provided majority of the proposed research work is conducted in NCBS. The fellowship includes salary support, research expenses and travel and overseas subsistence for scientifically justified visits of normally up to 24 months. This is an annual competition with selection at three levels, preliminary application deadline on 17 Aug, 2011, followed by full applications (if invited, Oct) and Interview (Early Feb) for fellowships which will be tenable from early 2012.