Nature Conservation Fellowship in India

They will support initiatives to take immediate action to protect the natural world, through rapid assessments, new methodologies, and the protection of critical habitats.

Applications may be on any aspect of ornithology, but the VNC will look especially favourably on areas where there are particular difficulties in funding research from national or local sources.

Themes

• Conservation projects that focus on birds and need to be implemented quickly.
• Time-sensitive ornithological conservation projects that require a hands-on approach.
• Conservation interventions that are urgently needed to address critical threats to bird diversity.
• Protection of critical bird habitats.
• Engagement of local communities in bird conservation, research, and management.
• Bird Educational project that creates impacts in the local community.
• Development of technology and innovation for bird conservation.

Benefits

• VNC will fund projects with clear aims and objectives (ideally with clearly stated hypotheses) where the methods are clearly explained and will provide eligible individuals with the support of up to ₹1,50,000 over 10-12 months for undertaking conservation work with VNC.

Eligibility Criteria

• The fellowship is open to Indian nationals (who must also be an Indian resident), below 30 years of age.
• The applicant must be without access to funds from major granting agencies.
• An applicant may receive a maximum of one award per year and two awards per lifetime.

Terms & Conditions

• The following are the responsibilities that a fellowship grantee is expected to meet under the fellowship grants:
  • The engagement is for an occasional nature of work and is purely on temporary basis for a period of fellowship. Your fellowship will be governed by the rules and regulations of the Voluntary Nature Conservancy (VNC) passed from time to time.
  • You will be assigned a supervisor/co-supervisor to provide mentorship during the tenure of your.
  • fellowship. Having a supervisor is mandatory. If you are student, and have a supervisor, it is mandatory to keep a co-supervisor assigned by VNC. This is to ensure that the project is monitored properly within the designated schedule.
  • The fellowship is temporary and does not imply any assurance to the fellowship recipient of any future employment at the organisation.
  • Your engagement can be discontinued without giving any notice and without assigning any reason thereof.
  • On the expiry of the said period of the fellowship, your engagement will automatically end with  organisation.
  • Each fellowship recipient shall be required to submit a quarterly report (every 4 months) and the fellow must furnish a detailed report of the work done during the entire period to the VNC office. The assigned supervisor may ask you to submit the progress report more frequently, depending on the requirement as may seem fit by the supervisor or the management of VNC.
  • The results of research work will be encouraged to publish in refereed journals as well as other forms of scientific documentation. Due authorship will be given to all individuals and other team members, who have contributed to the project work and research papers.
  • The supervisor and co-supervisor of the project will be responsible for a fair and just authorship order. In case of any dispute, the management of VNC will be responsible to resolve it agreeably.
  • Due acknowledgement will be given to all funding agencies, collaborating organisation and individuals in all publications arising out of work sponsored by VNC.

Application Evaluation

• Primary Screening process will include a proposal that includes necessary background information, clarity of objectives, alternative hypotheses (if appropriate), feasibility of the plan, relevant citations and figures, appropriateness of the budget and clear, concise writing. At the end of the first level screening, selected applications will be shorted for an interview/presentation.
• The final level screening (Interview/Presentation) will be based on significance and originality of the project, measurability of impact, replicability and sustainality for nature conservation. Decisions on all three-fellowship will be announced shortly thereafter.

For more information, visit VNC.