ASEAN-INDIA RESEARCH TRAINING FELLOWSHIP (AIRTF)

1. Applicant must be holding nationality of any of the ASEAN Member State.
2. Possess at-least a Masters Degree in any Natural Sciences or an equivalent degree in Technology / Engineering / Medicine / allied disciplines.
3. Applicant should be working / studying and / or affiliated to any national R&D or academic institution in his/ her home ASEAN Member State. The application should be endorsed by the Head of his/ her institution confirming that if selected, he/ she will be sanctioned leave for the Fellowship period and will join his/ her duties back in the institution on completion of the Fellowship in India.
4. The upper age limit for the applicant is 45 years as on date of submission of application.
5. Fluency in the English language.
6. Applicants who have availed of any fellowship scheme of Govt of India during the last 5 years are not ELIGIBLE to apply.
7. The proposed research work in India must be linked/connected and add value to any of the ongoing research projects/schemes of the Indian host Institute.

Stated amount: 60,000 A consolidated Fellowship amount of Indian Rupees (INR) 60,000 per month (non-taxable) for accommodation, meals, and other miscellaneous.​​​​​​​ Fifty (50) fellowships per year shall be awarded to young scientists and researchers from ASEAN-Member States to get affiliated with Indian academic and R&D institutions.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Areas in which fellowships are available The area/ topic of research for availing AIRTF must be ASEAN centric and must be aligned with the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI). The fellowship is offered for working in research topics under any of the following broad disciplines:

1. Agricultural Sciences
2. Biological and Medical Sciences
3. Chemical Sciences & Engineering
4. Computer Science & Engineering
5. Physical Sciences and Mathematics
6. Ocean, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences
7. Engineering Sciences
8. Materials, Minerals and Metallurgy
9. Science Policy / IPR Management / Technology Transfer & Commercialisation
10. Other multi-disciplinary areas of Science, Technology and Innovation in alignment with APASTI.

No Application Fees. The applications are to be submitted only ONLINE. Hard copies of the application are neither required. The applications submitted through any other form or channel shall not be considered.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ How to apply online: For online submission of the application the following points may be noted: Step 1: Applicants should first register in ASEAN online portal click here to register Step 2: After log-in, applicants are required to fill all the mandatory fields in Profile Detail section under User Profile, which includes Bio data, photo, Institute Address, etc. Step 3: Some of the details of proposal like Project Title, Project summary, Keywords, Objectives of project, Expected output and outcome of the proposal etc have to be entered at the time of proposal submission. Step 4: Other relevant information of the proposal has to be uploaded as a single PDF file, not more than 10 MB The Applicant should submit the application online along with the following enclosures:

1. C.V. of Applicant
2. C.V. of Indian host
3. Copy of relevant pages of valid Passport
4. A copy of the the endorsement letter from present employer in the prescribed format
5. A copy of the acceptance letter from any Indian scientist/ institution for hosting the applicant, if selected

Securing a prior consent from an Indian institution/ scientist does not guarantee the selection of an applicant. All applications received shall be scrutinised scientifically by DST. DST shall make the final decision based on the quality of the research proposal submitted by the applicant, applicant's academic merit and available slots in the Fellowship scheme. Other Info Financial and other terms & conditions

1. Full financial assistance will be provided to the selected Fellows which include the following:- a. Round trip international airfare by lowest economy class and by shortest route from the international airport in the home country of the applicant to the international airport nearest to the host institution in India; visa fees, overseas medical insurance etc. b. A consolidated Fellowship amount of Indian Rupees (INR) 60,000 per month. c. One-time grant of INR 40,000/- as research contingency expenses, airport transfers, domestic travel for attending scientific /events and field-trips within India. d. Institutional overhead charges @ Rs. 2,500/- per month. e. The allowance as in (a), (b) and (c) will be released to the host institution in India for disbursement to the Fellow. The host Institution will arrange appropriate accommodation for the Fellow on payment basis.
2. The selected Fellow is advised to take an appropriate policy for health insurance coverage for the period of stay in India. The cost for obtaining overseas insurance policy is covered and reimbursable under AISTDF.
3. Individual Fellow, or his/ her government / institution, is required to bear the following costs: a. All expenses in the home country incidental to travel abroad, including expenditure incurred to obtain passport and visa and for medical examinations and vaccinations as may be required as well as other miscellaneous expenses such as internal travel to/ from the international airport of departure in the home country. b. Salary and other related allowances in the home country, if applicable, during the Fellowship period.
4. Neither the AISTDF nor the host institution in India will assume any responsibility whatsoever for the following expenditure of the Fellows during the tenure of the Fellowship: a. Compensation in the event of death, disability or loss of personal belongings or compensation for damage caused by climatic or other conditions. b. Travel and other costs incurred by the dependents, who might accompany the Fellows.