Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India awards fellowship to deserving scientists in the field of biological sciences. Tata Innovation Fellowship will be awarded to 5 deserving candidates. The age limit to apply is 55 years. Also Indians who have been residing in the country for past 5 years can apply. The fellowship amount awarded is Rs. 25000.

Tata Innovation Fellowship is awarded to 5 candidates in order to encourage innovation in the field of biological science. This includes areas like agriculture, health science, biotechnology and other life science areas. It is awarded by Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.

Nature of Support

The candidate will be eligible for fellowship amount of Rs. 25000 per month. This is in addition to the salary drawn from the place of employment. To cover the expenses incurred towards research purpose the candidate will be paid a contingency amount of Rs 6 lakhs. The contingency expenses include expenses incurred on manpower, equipment, travel including international and domestic etc. Incase the candidate is employed with a foreign institute then they are eligible for the contingency amount only.

On receiving the fellowship the candidate will continue to work for the organisation where they are currently employed. All the necessary requirements for the candidate to continue the research will be arranged at the work place.

Duration of the fellowship

The minimum duration of the fellowship is 3 years. It is extendable for a period of 2 years. A fresh appraisal will be carried out for the same.

Academic Qualification requirement

Candidates with any of the qualifications mentioned below can apply

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Medical Sciences
• Master’s degree or equivalent degree in Biotechnology or related areas
• Ph.D degree in any of the areas like Agriculture, Life Sciences, Veterinary Science

Other requirements

• The candidate must be an Indian National and should be residing in India.
• The candidate should be residing in India for at least 5 years at the time of applying for the fellowship.
• The age of the candidate as on 21st November 2013 should not be above 55 years.
• The candidate must be employed in the field of research and development. He/She must have a regular post in the organisation, institute or university they are employed in. Also having several years of research experience is a must.

Candidates who are availing other fellowship are not eligible to apply. They can apply only if they opt out of the other fellowship programmes.