INNOVATIVE YOUNG BIOTECHNOLOGIST AWARD (IYBA)

2. Eligibility The applicant should have an excellent academic career and a track record of high impact peer reviewed publications or should have invented technologies evident by granted Indian and/or International patents. The proposed research project must be of very high scientific quality, should clearly reflect innovative thinking, clear objectives and execution methodology. The following mandatory criteria are needed for applications to be considered: i. The applicant should be an Indian Citizen. ii. The applicant should have secured First Class in all academic degrees from the graduate level onwards. iii. The applicant must have a PhD in any branch of Life Sciences, Computational Sciences (applied to Biotechnology, Medicine or Biological Sciences), Veterinary Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciencesand Agricultural Sciences. Master degree holders in Medicine or Dentistry (MD/MS/MDS or IMC designated equivalent) and Engineering/Technology (M.Tech or AICTE designated equivalent) are also eligible to apply. iv. Cumulative publication of 6 as first or corresponding author or two granted Indian patents or one granted International patent. iv. Age limit: Up to a maximum of 35 years at the time of submission of the application. Fresh PhD’s are strongly encouraged to apply if they meet the mandatory requirements. Age relaxation of 5 years is made for candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC, Women and Physically Handicapped Category. v. The proposed project has to be carried out in any recognized research institution/university in India having adequate facilities to carry out for its implementation. A consent letter signed by the proposed mentor stating that all laboratory facilities will be provided for implementation of the proposed project must be provided. The application has to be forwarded by the head or duly designated competent authority of the host Institution or University.
 3. Award The award shall cover both non-recurring and recurring financial grants for performing and executing the innovative research plan proposed by the awardee. This includes equipment, computational and communication facilities, consumables, contingencies and travel will be covered as required for the research project. In addition a fellowship of Rs. 75,000/- per month will be admissible for awardees who do not have regular employment or are not drawing any other fellowship. If during the course of the project, the awardee finds a regular employment or receives any other fellowship, the awardee should immediately inform the fact to the DBT and the monthly payment of fellowship from the subsequent month onward will be discontinued. In this situation the awardees will receive Rs. 1.00 lakh cash award per annum similar to the awardees those are in regular employment. Awardees having a regular employment will receive a cash award of Rs. 1.00 lakh every year during the course of the project in addition to the equipment and other recurring grants except the fellowship amount.
4. Duration The duration of the project will normally be for a period of three years subject to satisfactory progress. In cases where very significant and exciting results have been obtained that require further elucidation, the committee of experts can recommend the duration of the project to be extended by two more years and thus a maximum period of five years.
 5. Mode of Selection 1. Eligible candidate must submit an application in the prescribed format. 2. The applications will first be screened for all prescribed mandatory requirements described in Paragraph 2. Applications without the mandatory requirements will be rejected. 3. All such applications that meet these mandatory requirements will have the proposed research project peer reviewed for innovative thinking as well as scientific originality and merit. 4. Projects that are recommended after this peer review will be shortlisted and such applicants will be invited for making a scientific presentation. Each candidate will be given 20 minutes to make the presentation before the expert committee. Based on scientific merit the expert committee may recommend up to a maximum of 25 such applications for the IYBA.

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