On the occasion of "National Science Day" India announced the launch of the Vaibhav Fellowship scheme for the Indian Diaspora on February 28, 2023. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science and Technology, Dr Jitendra Singh launched the Fellowship, aimed at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions.
Speaking at the event, Singh said, “The Vaibhav Fellowship aims at improving the research ecosystem of India’s higher educational institutions by facilitating academic and research collaborations between Indian Institutions and the best institutions in the world through the mobility of faculty/researcher from overseas institutions to India.”
According to Singh, the fellowship will bring together the best of the best of Diaspora minds and domestic minds to deliver world-class projects and products.
The eligibility criteria for the fellowship requires the applicant to be a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), Person of Indian Origin (PIO) or Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and to have obtained Ph.D/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized University.
The applicant must be a researcher engaged in an overseas academic / research / industrial organization with a proven track record and plan to work for a minimum of 1 month to a maximum of 2 months a year in a research institution / academic institution in India.
In his address at the event, Singh enumerated his government’s achievements in the science and technology sector. “Today India is among the top three countries in the world in terms of PhDs and among the top three countries in the world in terms of the start-up ecosystem,” he concluded.
