The Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award (IYBA), initiated in 2005, is a career-oriented prize to identify and nurture outstanding young scientists with innovative ideas and desire of pursuing research in biotechnology. The prize is for those below 35 years of age. This includes scientists without regular employment.
Purpose
The Department of Biotechnology instituted the ‘Innovative Young Bio technologist
Award’ (IYBA) in the year 2005. This is an attractive, career oriented scheme to identify
and nurture outstanding young scientists with innovative ideas and desirous of pursuing
research in frontier areas of biotechnology. Young scientists up to the age of 35 years
are considered for this award. Scientists without regular employment are also eligible for
this award. The award consists of financial support for a proposed project besides a
fellowship of Rs. 75,000/- per month for those awardees who are not in regular
employment. Such awardees not in regular employment must be attached to a senior
faculty scientist (mentor) in a University, Research Institute, Medical/Agriculture/
Veterinary College or any other research institute of repute. The mentor should agree to
provide laboratory space and other needed facilities. The application must be forwarded
by the head of the institute or duly designated competent authority. It
the awardees will work independently and that the mentor will facilitate the awardee’s
research efforts. Awardees having regular employment will receive a cash award of
Rs.1, 00,000/- (Rupees One Lakh Only) every year during the period of the project.
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:
- The applicant should be an Indian Citizen.
- The applicant should have secured First Class in all academic degrees from the graduate level onwards.
- The applicant must have a PhD in any branch of Life Sciences, Computational Sciences (applied to Biotechnology, Medicine or Biological Sciences), Veterinary Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences and 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.
- Cumulative publication of 6 as first or corresponding author or two granted Indian patents or one granted International patent.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
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.
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. 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 short-listed 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.
Review of progress of the Awardees
The expert committee will also be responsible to monitor the progress of the project,
recommend additional requirements for the project and take necessary steps for mid- course correction wherever essential. The review will be done once every year. In case
of unsatisfactory progress, the fellowship can be terminated and the decision of the
Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, in this regard will be final. The
selection committee will also decide about extension of the project beyond three years.
Presentation of the Awards : The awards are presented to the selected candidates at a formal function organized by DBT.
How to Apply :
Applications (2 copies) neatly printed on plain paper in the prescribed format
along with enclosures & certified copies to be sent to Dr. Garima Gupta, Department of Biotechnology, Block-2, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003, so as to reach latest by 30th July 2017
A soft copy of the application must also be sent to [email protected] Should there be a delay in obtaining mandatory certificates from mentors and head of institutes, an advance copy of the application can also be sent by email stating that two certificates will be submitted within 14 days of the last date.
For more details and application format, please visit DBT websites:
http://www.dbtindia.gov.in/iyba.htm OR http://www.btisnet.gov.in/iyba.htm
Note: The final soft copy application should be in a MS Word file with all
necessary attachments.
Application Form & Notification Download
