The India Alliance’s mandate is to help capacity build biomedical research capacity in India and in keeping with this mandate we strongly encourage applications from Clinician-scientists and public health researchers.
Four levels of Fellowships are currently offered by the India Alliance:
Early Career Fellowship: For applicants who are starting their independent research career but require a mentor to acquire skills, training and resources to complete their project.
Intermediate Fellowship: For those applicants who are newly established or in the process of establishing themselves as independent investigators.
Senior Fellowship: For those applicants who have established themselves as independent investigators and would now like to lead a larger programme of research.
Margdarshi Fellowship: This scheme is for scientific leaders who already head a research laboratory, and wish to relocate from their current institution (in India or overseas) to a non-profit research Institute in India.
The India Alliance appreciates and understands that clinicians and public health researchers sometimes follow a different career trajectory from basic scientists. Therefore, eligibility criteria described on our standard pages do not apply to such researchers. If you would fit the profile of a clinician scientist or public health researcher please contact the Office with your CV and a brief write up of what you would like to do. Based on this the Office can advise on the best scheme for you and if your research falls within the India Alliance’s remit. The following parameters are typically used to guide the Office:
- the level of qualification (MBBS/ MS, MD, MPH or an equivalent degree)
- Previous research experiences
- Applicant’s acquaintance with the proposed research question and if a suitable environment is being proposed for this work
It is not mandatory for those holding a medical degree to also have a PhD in order to apply to our Fellowships.
Unlike basic scientists, who are not allowed to spend more than 8 hours per week on non research activities, exceptions can be considered for clinical fellows to continue to perform clinical duties as required by the host institution or profession.
To accommodate the high research cost of a clinical research/public health research programme, the India Alliance is willing to consider flexible funding beyond the level set for a regular Fellowship. However, it is incumbent on the applicant to provide a valid justification for their requested costs and that they are commensurate with the proposed research.
Application from clinicians and public health researchers are not assessed in competition with the basic science applications.
The India Alliance considers clinicians and public health researchers to play an important role in bridging the gap between fundamental and applied biomedical science. Therefore, we would like to encourage their participation in our Fellowship programmes to develop and answer research questions that are critical for the advancement of translational research.
