VAIBHAV Fellowship: Application and Selection Process for NRI Researchers

VAIBHAV Fellowship is a fellowship program that will be focusing on the development of a research environment for the people who are currently pursuing higher education in scientific institutions available in India. The fellowship will be promoting academic and research collaboration between Indian students and institutes. The Indian Institute will be partnering with top-rated institutes around the world. The fellowship program will provide opportunities so that the faculty and researchers from abroad can collaborate with the faculty available in India. There will be an exchange of knowledge and development opportunities available for the students who have participated in scientific programs in India. This program will definitely increase the number of people who are participating in scientific programs in India. People will be able to explore different opportunities and will be able to extend their knowledge by meeting people from different backgrounds and different countries.

Importance Of VAIBHAV Fellowship

The VAIBHAV Fellowship program will provide a great array of benefits to the students. You can check out the importance of the program here: 

• Research collaborations will be provided through the development of this fellowship program in which year the Indian Institutes will be partnering with the International Institute to provide an exchange of knowledge to the Indian students. There will be innovative research Technology introduced to the students that will help them with their research projects.
• Experts from top Institutions will be coming to Indian institutions in order to get the opportunity to interact with Indian students and the Indian students will be able to communicate with the International experts. Indian researchers will be able to learn new techniques and they will be able to gain exposure.
• The research output of the Indian students will be extended when they are collaborating with institutes from abroad. 
• There will be new innovation and technology through the development of the collaboration and the people will be able to solve the challenges with the help of experts from abroad. 

Also Check: IITTNiF CHANAKYA Post Doctoral Fellowship

Objective Of VAIBHAV Fellowship

There are a lot of objectives that will be fulfilled through the development of this Fellowship and some of them are given below:

• The main objective is to provide a positive collaboration between Indian Institute and the institutes which are situated outside India. The researchers will be able to talk to each other and provide great output.
• The researchers will be able to travel to other countries and they will be able to talk to people with different backgrounds that will help them in their research. 
• The Indian researchers will be able to encourage other people to also take up research technology in the universities in India due to this extended platform.
• The researchers will be able to get exposure to technologies which are relatively new.
• The program will also improve the quality and quantity of research output in Indian institutions. Research excellence will be provided to the people. 
• There will be an increase in creativity of the Indian Scholars through the development of this scheme.

The VAIBHAV Fellowship is a proper fellowship provided to NRI, PIO, and OCI researchers. The Indian researchers will be able to talk with well-known individuals and they will be able to foster greater results. 

Eligibility Criteria 

• Scientist eligibility criteria:
  • The applicant must currently reside abroad and be a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Person of Indian Origin (PIO), or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI).
  • The applicant must hold a Ph.D/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized university.
  • The applicant should be a researcher working in an overseas academic/research/industrial organization that is listed among the top 500 QS World University Ranking and should have a proven track record of research and development.
  • The applicant should plan to undertake research work for a period of one to two months per year, for a total of three years, in an academic/research institution in India.
  • Each applicant can only submit a proposal once per calendar year.
• Institution eligibility criteria:
  • Higher educational institutions/universities that are ranked among the top 200 in the NIRF overall rankings and have NAAC ‘A’ grades (3.0 and above) are eligible to participate in the program, as well as scientific institutes.

Document Required 

The following documents are required in order to successfully fill out the application form for this fellowship program: 

• Bio-data of Applicant
• Age Proof Certificate
• Qualification Certificate
• Undertaking Certificate by the applicant and NOC from their parent institute
• Endorsement Certificate from Host Institute
• Plagiarism undertaking 

Features and Benefits

The fellowship is applicable only to recognized academic institutions, national laboratories, and other R&D institutions in India. The host institution must provide adequate administrative and infrastructural support to the fellow. The fellowship is for a duration of 1-2 months per year, for a period of three years. The fellows are eligible to receive the following grants:

• A fellowship amount of USD 5000 (in equivalent Indian currency).
• Business-class international travel from their institute to the place of work in India.
• Accommodation in a 3 or 4-star hotel.
• A contingency amount of Rs 1,00,000 per year.
• Domestic travel for academic purposes, up to two stations per year.
• The host institute will receive Rs 10 lakh per year for providing office/lab accommodation and facilitating various infrastructure support for the scientist.

Selection Criteria

The selection procedure for the VAIBHAV Fellowship program is as follows:

• Applications are invited twice a year, with deadlines on July 31st and January 31st.
• The applicant must identify an Indian institution or university where they intend to conduct their research.
• The selection process is based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee, which is constituted by the DST.
• The Expert Committee will assess the applications and select the candidates based on their research proposals, academic achievements, and the quality of the proposed research work.
• The selected candidates will be notified via email or through the DST website.
• The fellowship is tenable only in India and can be implemented in any recognized academic institution, national laboratories, and other recognized R&D institutions.
• The host institution should provide the necessary administrative and infrastructural support to the fellow.
• The fellowship is for a duration of 1-2 months per year, for a period of three years.
• Fellows are entitled to receive various grants such as fellowship amount, international and domestic travel, accommodation, and contingency funds, and the host institution will receive Rs 10 lakh per year for hosting the scientist and providing office/lab accommodation and facilitation for various infrastructure support.

Also Read: Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship

Application Process Under Fellowship 2023

The application procedure for the VAIBHAV Fellowship is as follows:

• You will first have to visit the VAIBHAV website of the fellowship by clicking on the link given here

• The home page will open on your screen
• You have to click on the option called Vaibhav Fellowship

• A new page will open on your screen where you can download the official notification of the fellowship program and apply for the fellowship accordingly.

• Applications invite twice a year and end on 31st July and 31st January.
• The applicant must submit the application form online, along with a research proposal highlighting the objectives of the research work to undertake.
• The applicant must identify an Indian Institution/University/Research Laboratory for carrying out their research.
• The selection will be on the recommendations of an Expert Committee that will constitute by the DST.

Termination of the Fellowship

The scholarship will terminate by the authorities on the basis of the following termination conditions presented in the official notification:

• In case a fellow wants to terminate the fellowship, they must inform the DST.
• The implementing institute should not spend any money from the date of project termination or PI resignation. The institute should also arrange for the submission of necessary documents.
• DST has the right to terminate the fellowship at any stage if it believes that the fellow has not made appropriate progress or has not used the grant appropriately.

In conclusion, the VAIBHAV Fellowship is a unique opportunity for NRI, PIO, and OCI researchers to collaborate with Indian institutions and improve the research ecosystem of the country. The fellowship program provides financial support, international and domestic travel, and other facilities to the fellows. 

Contact Details 

• Shri S K Varshney
  • Advisor and Head
  • International Cooperation
  • Division
  • Technology Bhawan
  • Department of Science and
  • Technology
  • New Delhi-110016
  • Email: skvdst@nic.in
• Shri Sujit Banerjee
  • Scientist-F
  • International Cooperation
  • Division
  • Technology Bhawan
  • Department of Science and
  • Technology
  • New Delhi-110016
  • Email: sujit@nic.in 
• Dr Charu Agarwal
  • Scientist-C
  • International
  • Cooperation Division
  • Technology Bhawan
  • Department of Science and
  • Technology
  • New Delhi-110016
  • Email: c.agarwal@gov.in 

VAIBHAV Fellowship FAQs