STARTING IN 2017 APPLICATIONS CAN ONLY BE SUBMITTED VIA THE ONLINE PORTAL- PLEASE USE THE "APPLY NOW" BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE TO START YOUR APPLICATION.

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 enrol 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

Eligibility

Applicants for these fellowships must meet the following criteria:

• Be a maximum age of 35 years on 31 December of the application year.
• 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 included in the application form). N.B. Requests for acceptance must be directed to the chosen host institution(s), and NOT to DBT.
• 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.

Submitting your application

• The deadline for receipt of applications is 25 July 2017.

• No applications will be accepted after the deadline. Therefore, it is recommended to submit your electronic application as early as possible.

• Applications for the TWAS-DBT Postgraduate Fellowship Programme can ONLY be submitted to TWAS via the online portal and copy of the submitted application must be sent to DBT by email.

• 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.

Contact details

• TWAS Fellowships Office
ICTP Campus, Strada Costiera 11
34151 Trieste, Italy
Phone: +39 040 2240-314
E-mail: fellowships@twas.org
Fax: +39 040 224559

• Centre for International Cooperation in Science (CICS)
Shri.B.S. Balachandran
Head (Acting)
2, Gandhi Mandapam Road
Chennai 600 025, India
Phone: + 91 44 24430228, 24901367, 24419466
Fax: +91 44 24914543
E-mail: dircics@gmail.com