Vaishvik Bhartiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Programme

• The Government has launched a new fellowship programme to connect the Indian STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Medicine) diaspora with Indian academic and R&D institutions for collaborative research work leading to sharing of knowledge, wisdom, and best practices in the frontier areas of science & technology.

ABOUT VAIBHAV FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME:

• The VAIBHAV Fellowships Programme is designed to promote collaboration and research engagement between outstanding scientists and technologists of Indian origin residing outside of India and Indian institutions.
• The fellowship is open to NRIs (Non-Resident Indians), OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India), and PIOs (Persons of Indian Origin) who are actively involved in research activities in their respective countries.
• VAIBHAV Fellows is required to identify an Indian institution for collaboration and can spend up to two months per year for a maximum period of three years in India.
• Funding provided by the government for the fellowship amounts to INR 4,00,000 per month for the entire duration.
• The primary aim of the programme is to enhance the research ecosystem in Indian higher educational institutions by facilitating collaborations between Indian institutions and renowned global institutions.
• The programme achieves this by promoting the mobility of faculty and researchers from overseas institutions to India.
• To be eligible for the fellowship, researchers must be affiliated with institutions ranked in the top 500 of the QS World University Rankings.
• Applicants must hold a Ph.D., M.D., or M.S. degree from a recognized university.
• A total of 75 fellows will be selected and invited to work in 18 identified knowledge verticals, including quantum technology, health, pharmaceuticals, electronics, agriculture, energy, computer sciences, material sciences, and more.
• The implementation of the VAIBHAV Fellowships Programme is overseen by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science and Technology.