GCI Call on Prof. M. K. Bhan Mid-Career Research Fellowship Program – India

Key Features of The Call

• The Fellowship is designed specifically for well-established mid-career researchers with at least fifteen years of work experience post-Ph.D. in global public health research and are looking for financial support to derive transformational and innovative research.
• The Fellowship is looking for excellent researchers with established track records as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals, technologies developed, patents (if any) and/or other societal impacts of their research.
• Fellows who have already established their scientific bona fides and are positioned to leverage this program to accelerate their careers into senior-level science leaders are encouraged to apply.
• Fellowship aim to support basic, translational and implementation research as well as product development within the fellowship duration.
• The aim of the Fellowship is to continue Prof. Bhan’s vision for research and innovation in public health, by:
  • Identifying and supporting extraordinary emerging scientific leaders in India while solving country’s most pressing health and development challenges.
  • Providing opportunities to mid-career researchers empowering them as independent investigators.

Who can apply?

• This RFA is exclusively India-led and the call is open to Indian researchers only (not including Overseas Citizens of India) and proposals are solicited from Indian nationals having good scientific record and working within the country in established academics, research institutions, medical research institutions.
• The applicant should possess a Ph.D. in any branch of Public Health/ Life Sciences/ Biotechnology/ Biomedical Engineering/ Nutrition/ allied areas with at-least fifteen years of work experience post-Ph.D in Global public Health research OR MD with at-least fifteen years of work experience in the Healthcare sector.
• The upper age limit will be 50 years as on the closing date of the submission of the application.
• The applicant may have a full-time regular position in an organization with established research set-up in India. In case the applicant doesn’t have full-time regular position in an organization, he/ she must identify a host institute where he/she proposes to do the Fellowship work. Fellowship costs will be sanctioned to the Fellow through the Host Institution.
• The applicant should be able to show:
  • Track record of holding independent funding such as project, programme or fellowship support, as a lead faculty or senior researcher.
  • Important contributions to the proposed area of research, for example publications, patents, technology or product or software development or an impact on health policy or practice
  • That the proposed work is important, original, contributing to the knowledge in the field and has impact in India.
  • The work is aimed at improving the quality of life or health for people in India and comparable geographies.
• The Host Institute may be contacted separately as a part of the eligibility/due diligence process.
• Both the Fellow and the proposed Host Institute will have to satisfy BIRAC’s requirement of legal eligibility.
• The Host Institute should mandatorily be an organization with a legal entity in India and should have established research set up. The Host Institutions may be research institutions, society, trusts and foundations.

Conditions

• The Host Institute must administer the fellowship for the full duration of the Fellowship.
• The Institute shall commit resources in order to fulfill the objectives proposed in the fellowship application and will give the Fellow full access to research facilities.
• The Authorization Letter that will be passed by the Organization during the stage of application or issuance of No Objection Letter or before final application, shall authorize the Fellow to be the signatory for all the documents that shall be required or executed with GCI-BIRAC.
• The host organization must guarantee, through the No Objection Certificate that:
  • Fellow is supported to lead his/her own independent research team under the Fellowship
  • The space and resources that the Fellow will need to carry out the sanctioned project
  • The Fellow will be the primary driver of the project and will be authorized for submission, attending the scrutiny, presenting the application and all activities related to the functioning and implementing of the project.
  • The Institution shall allow/permit GCI-BIRAC for financial audit, if required for project related expenditure.

For more information, visit BIRAC.