Africa & Science – Afrika & Wissenschaft – Afrique & Science

Nr. 00265- 9th Jan. 2024 – Weekly Newspaper devoted to Science & Technology in Africa ** Pour la promotion de l'esprit scientifique en Afrique

Post-Doc for African Scientists: Fully sponsored Biomedical research in India: Why not?

You should normally have between four to seven years of post-PhD or equivalent clinical research experience. It is not essential for medical or veterinary degree holders to have a PhD. Due allowance will be given to an applicant whose career has been affected for personal reasons.

You must have made intellectual contributions to research that have been published in leading journals, and be able to demonstrate your potential to carry out independent research.

You do not have to be an Indian national, of Indian origin or be resident in India at the time of application. However, it is expected that your research will be based at an Indian host institution and that your long-term aim is to pursue a career in India.

You may apply even if you already hold another Fellowship. However, please note that if awarded, you will be required to make a choice between your current Fellowship and the India Alliance Fellowship. The India Alliance does not permit Fellows to overlap their India Alliance Fellowship with any other national or international Fellowship.

You may not apply for more than one programme fellowship scheme at any one time.

The Fellowship must be started within one year from the point at which the decision has been communicated, typically a week after the interview.

Sponsorship

You must have an eligible sponsoring host institution in India that will administer the Fellowship for the full duration of the award. In addition, the following individuals will have a role on your application:

Sponsor: Established senior researcher at the host institution; normally the head of department or director of the sponsoring host institution. They should:

  • be in a position to guarantee space and resources at the institution/ department for the duration of the grant;
  • hold a contract of employment that extends beyond the grant;
  • Sign up to the Award Conditions & Policies.

They would have to provide a letter of support that indicates:

  • if an award is made, you will be granted the status and prerogatives of other academic staff of similar seniority.
  • you will not have to spend more than eight hours per week on activities unrelated to the fellowship (e.g. teaching duties).
  • What resources the host institution intends to provide to meet your research goals and how they will support your career development.

It is not mandatory for you to have a sponsor at the preliminary application stage, but if invited to make a full application you will have to provide information from and about your Sponsor.

External Sponsor(s): The individual in whose laboratory you wish to utilize the “Work outside the host institution” provision. They should be able to guarantee that you will have access to the facilities required and provide the required scientific support.

Current Supervisor: Established researchers who have mentored the candidate for a significant period of time recently or under whom the applicant is currently employed. They should be able to provide signed letters commenting on the candidate’s intellectual independence. They may be the candidate’s Postdoctoral supervisor or the head of the department in case the candidate already has a faculty position.

Note: If the candidate has recently moved to the host institution (within last one year), an additional letter of recommendation would be encouraged. This could be from an established researcher who has mentored the candidate for a significant period of time in his/her previous position. Please also note that there is no restriction on the number of letters of recommendation that can be provided on an application.

Collaborator(s): Scientific/medical/academic colleagues associated with a research proposal and named in the body of the application. Typically these are individuals who will supply reagents, assist in specific protocols, provide resource services etc. They should be able to provide signed consent letters detailing the extent of their participation towards your research program, for the full application.

Resubmission Policy

Regardless of your previous applications to the India Alliance, all applicants have to make a preliminary application to every competition.

If you are not short-listed at the preliminary application stage, you may apply to the same scheme, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria for the scheme.

Resubmission after consideration of a Full application is not permitted in any scheme. If the Full application has been reviewed by the India Alliance’s Selection Committee, and it was unsuccessful at eitherthe short-listing or interview stage, the applicant may not re-apply to the same scheme. This implies that applicants would have only one opportunity to compete per scheme, once they are into the full application stage. Therefore, it is very important for applicants to carefully consider the timing of their application.

Deadline:

Next Competition

  • Preliminary application launch: October 2012
  • Preliminary application deadline: December 2012
  • Invited full application deadline: February 2013
  • Selection Committee review: April 2013
  • Interviews for short-listed candidates: June 2013

Application process


  • You should complete and submit a preliminary application through IASys by the published deadline.
  • Your preliminary application will normally be assessed within one month of the submission deadline.
  • If successful, you will be invited to submit a full application.
  • Full applications are considered twice a year by the appropriate Selection Committee. If successful, you will be short-listed for interview.
  • Short-listed candidates will be notified two weeks before the interview date.


Application advice


  • You are expected to write your own application for support of an independent project, which should normally be hypothesis-driven.
  • You should give careful thought to the choice of sponsor and host department/research location. Sponsors are encouraged to view their support and mentorship of you as part of a longer-term commitment to help you realise your career aspirations in research.
  • Mobility is encouraged during this award and candidates may apply to spend time in other high-quality laboratories in India or overseas for a total period of no more than 12 months. The final year of the fellowship must be spent in the host institution in India.


Reviewers typically assess:

    • The calibre of the candidate
    • The scientific merit of the proposed project
    • The significance of the research
    • The suitability of the sponsor and host environment for the candidate’s development as an independent researcher.
Source of the Indian flag: Indianchild.com

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