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Top 10 International Biotech Scholarships You Must Apply For!

Biotechnology is an ever-growing field. This is one area which designates the merging of multiple fields at one common point. Earlier days marked the development of basic tools like PCR and Sequencing protocols. However, today we have reached a stage when we want a permanent solution to problems like bioterrorism and lab safety protocols. Additionally, we are in a constant search of treatments to newly emerging diseases and to feed the rapidly growing population. Although the solution to these problems lies in the correct and directed use of biotechnological tools, in order to use these tools one needs appropriate lab facilities. Such facilities can be availed in advanced and reputed labs only, to which access is not easy.

However, various government and non-government schemes/ scholarships/ fellowships make it easier to gain access to such reputed labs, which will lead the candidate in the hands of a well-established guide. One may come across a plethora of scholarships, but how to select for the best. Let us try to look for the answer to this question. Below we present to you a list of Top 10 International Biotech Scholarships you must check out if you are planning to study abroad.

1. GREAT Scholarships

The British Council in collaboration with the UK’s GREAT Britain campaign offers tuition full-time undergraduate or postgraduate courses scholarships over a broad range of subjects. However, students receive the scholarship during the first year of study only. No other costs like travel and living expenses are covered by the association. Approximately 35 universities and institutes are covered under this program. In order to be eligible for application, the applicant must have completed their secondary education in India, must hold an Indian passport, should have an excellent academic and extra-curricular track record and must possess leadership qualities, must be nominated by a participating UK higher education institution.

GREAT Scholarship Official Website

2. Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Cambridge Scholarship

The Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund, the Nehru Trust of Cambridge University and the Cambridge Commonwealth Trust, in collaboration offer about ten scholarships annually to Indian graduates to pursue a course of research leading to the degree of Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. Basic eligibilities include being a citizen of India normally, age should be under 28 years, with first class. Having a Master’s degree gives an upper hand. The scholarships, which is tenable to three years, will cover the University Composition Fee, College fees, a maintenance allowance and a contribution towards a return airfare.

Official Website for Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Cambridge Scholarship

3. International Biotechnology Scholarship at the University of Glasgow, UK

The University of Glasgow, found by papal bull in 1451, is a public research university in Glasgow, Scotland. The history of Indian students in this university goes back to 1870. Grants are provided both for undergraduate and postgraduate studies to the Indian students. In order to carry out M. Sc. in Biotechnology and M.Sc. in Biotechnology & Management, one can avail Glasgow Kerala Scholarship. The University offers 4 exclusive scholarships to Kerala students, following the severe floods which impacted Kerala, to undertake a one year Masters program in 2019-2020.

This International Biotech Scholarship is available to only those who are facing challenges in progressing onto postgraduate education. For being eligible, applicants must achieve grades equivalent to a degree equivalent to a UK 2:1 Hons, must hold an offer of a place for a postgraduate taught program at the University of Glasgow.

Not only these additional scholarships are available, as enlisted:

  • PG International Excellence Award
  • University of Glasgow Chancellors Award
  • University International Leadership Scholarship
  • Postgraduate Talent Scholarships, etc.

Official Website For University of Glasgow Scholarship

4. Masters Scholarships for International Students at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) in Vietnam:

The mission of USTH is to provide high-quality human resources in the field of Science and Technology serving for the development of research and technology transfer, reaching the regional and international standards. Also called “Vietnam-France University”, USTH is an International Public University in Hanoi that was established in 2009 under the Intergovernmental Agreement between Vietnam and France.

The basic eligibility for this International Biotech Scholarships is being a student from Vietnam and other countries with good academic results and the ability to use English for studying. Up to 100% tuition fees and living expenses are provided based on merit/ need. In order to avail the scholarship, one must have been already enrolled in the requisite program.

Official Website for the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi (USTH) Scholarship

5. Ghent University Top-Up Grants for International Students in Belgium

This is available to International students for getting admission in Masters program. The coordinator of each English-taught master program proposes their top 3 applicants to the Committee for Development Cooperation (CDC). The CDC has a committee of experts to make a selection, based on the qualifications of the applicant for the Top-up grant, age below 40 years, the significance of the master’s program for the student’s country and validation of the knowledge in the student’s country. Selected students are required to complete their thesis at Ghent University itself. The Top-up grant is for 2 master-years, but the grantee needs to prove at least 50 credits in the first master year.

The program you would like to study at decides which top-student applicant will be in their top 3 list. There’s no open call for these grants, they are now incorporated in the normal application scheme to obtain admission. Only academically admitted students are considered. English is the language of instruction in a number of Master programs. Each year, 10 scholarships can be awarded. The scholarship includes a monthly allowance of € 1000 pm and all-in-1 insurance covering civil liability, health, and repatriation.

Official Website For Ghent University Top-Up Grants

6. Skoltech MSc and Ph.D. Full Tuition Scholarships for International Students in Russia:

The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech) is a private institute, found in 2011, located in Moscow. Biotechnology programs in Master’s and doctoral degrees are covered under life science fields. In order to get admission, an appropriate bachelor’s degree, or master’s degree, is required from a recognized university.

Admission to the MSc program involves a two-round process. Round One consists of completing an online admissions application​. Applicants should consult the Skoltech requirements website to ensure they meet all required deadlines and submit all essential materials such as Personal statement/Motivation letter, Resume, 2 Letters of Recommendation, Diploma and/or current transcript, Official TOEFL or IELTS results and Official GRE scores.

There is no separate application for funding. All applicants are automatically considered for funding. For every admitted M.Sc. student, Skoltech provides a fellowship including a monthly stipend and medical insurance. The applicants who have successfully passed the admission process and are enrolled at Skoltech do not pay for their studies. The cost is fully covered by the university; for students, education is free of charge.

All admitted Master’s and PhD students will receive an academic stipend as well as full tuition and medical insurance. The standard stipend is 40,000 rubles for Master’s students. For graduate students, this can be upwards of 75,000 rubles.

Official Website For Skoltech MSc and Ph.D. Full Tuition Scholarships

7. Commonwealth Government’s Research Training Program for Australian and International Students (RTP)

The RTP is a source to fund the research needs of both Australian and international students undertaking Masters and Doctors research degrees. Applications for an RTP stipend, allowance or fees need to be made directly to one of the participating universities. Universities are solely responsible for managing the RTP application, selection, and offer process. The university under consideration must only provide at least one of the following supports to the recipient:

  • An RTP Fees Offset covers the tuition fees.
  • An RTP Stipend to help students sustain their livelihood.
  • RTP Allowances which includes relocation costs, HDR thesis printing, academic publication costs, and health cover costs.

For a Masters and Doctoral Research, scholarships are available for a maximum period of two and a minimum of three years, respectively. The rates keep revising. For 2019, Full-time base RTP stipend rate $ 27,596, Full-time max RTP stipend rate $ 43,110 .

Official Website for RTP Scholarship

8. The Arturo Falaschi ICGEB Fellowship Programmes

The International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) is an intergovernmental organization that conducts innovative research in life sciences for the benefit of developing countries in promoting biotechnology internationally. Both long and short-term fellowships are offered exclusively to the researchers who belong to the ICGEB Member States to carry out research in Cape Town (Africa), New Delhi or Trieste (Italy).

The long term fellowships are available to pursue a three-year PhD course as well as 2-year Postdoctoral research that involves intensive laboratory research activities, participation in seminars and communication training, etc. Monthly stipend for Postdoctoral research, in this case, is Euro 2,000, US$ 1,590, and ZAR 18,750 for Trieste, New Delhi, and Cape Town, respectively. For Ph.D., monthly stipend in Trieste is Euro 1,300, in New Delhi, it is US$ 1,020, and for Cape Town, it is ZAR 12,500. Research costs are supported by the research group’s budget. Travel expenses for one round trip, Visa/permit of stay application and renewal costs are also available. Medical health insurance coverage is also provided for the duration of the fellowship.

Short term fellowships for PhD the duration is 1-12 months and stipend is Euro 1,300 in Trieste, US$ 1,020 in New Delhi and ZAR 12,500 in Cape Town. Similarly during Postdoctoral research for a duration of 1-6 months, monthly stipend at Trieste is Euro 2,000, at New Delhi is US$ 1,590 and at Cape Town is ZAR 18,750. Other facilities available for long-term are also covered in short-term fellowships.

Basic requirements for a PhD enrollments include being nationals of an ICGEB Member State, ICGEB Trieste applicants with a BSc (Honours) degree; ICGEB Cape Town and New Delhi applicants with an MSc degree, English language proficiency certificate, etc. Age limit for PhD in regards to candidates from Trieste must be below the age of 32 years but no such age limit is there for applicants from ICGEB New Delhi and Cape Town.

Official Website

9. Chinese Government Scholarships

This initiative had been taken to enroll outstanding international students for undergraduate, Master & Doctor studies in China. This is a full scholarship which covers tuition waiver, accommodation, stipend, and medical insurance.

The eligibility criteria for this International Biotech Scholarships include being a citizen of a country other than P. R. China, being in good health. In order to apply for master’s programs, a bachelor’s degree is required with an age limit of 35. Similarly, for applying to doctoral programs, the candidate should hold a master’s degree and be under the age of 40.

The application has to be submitted online at the CSC Online Application System for International Students. Complete details of Academic transcripts, Study Plan or Research Proposal (in Chinese or English), two Recommendation Letters signed by professor/associate professor (in Chinese or English), Passport, CV (including publication list if available), Valid Language Proficiency Certificate and an Acceptance Letter from the professor/associate professor of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Foreigner Physical Examination Form need to be provided, alongside requisite application fees.
The approximate amount of scholarships disbursed per annum to one applicant is CNY 59,200, CNY 70,200 and CNY 87,800 for undergraduate, masters and doctoral studies respectively.

Official Website For Chinese Government Scholarships

10. The Gates Cambridge Scholarships

This Scholarship program was started in 2000 after receiving a donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge. The aim of this program is to facilitate scholarships to applicants from academically sound backgrounds (countries other than the UK) to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any of the subjects available at the University of Cambridge. The selection is based on the following parameters: a commitment to improving the lives of others, leadership potential, outstanding intellectual ability and a good fit between the applicant’s qualifications and aspirations.

The fellowship is available for One-year postgraduate course (e.g. MPhil, LLM, MASt, Diploma, MBA, etc.), MSc or MLitt (two-year research-only degree) as well as PhD (three-year research-only degree). Requirements for application include a 500 words Gates Cambridge statement, CV, Gates reference and Research proposal (only for PhD students). The core components of scholarship include the University fee, maintenance allowance (£17,500 per year), one economy to and fro airfare, inbound visa cost, etc. Additional components include Academic Development funding, family allowance, fieldwork, hardship funding, maternity/paternity funding, etc.

Official Website For The Gates Cambridge Scholarships

These are only a few selected internationally acclaimed scholarships. However, one gets a plethora of such opportunities throughout the globe. A scholarship not only provides financial support but also helps in boosting confidence and gives exposure to the best environment to chase one’s dream.

Keep a check on our Scholarships Section to apply for these Top 10 International Biotech Scholarships Before their Deadline passes way.

About the Author
 Dr. Preeti Saini is Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology from Punjab Agricultural University, Dr. Saini wears many hats at BioTecNika. She is involved in designing Courses, coordinating conferences and loves to educate her students about the latest from the world of Life Sciences. In this article, she has discussed about International Biotech Scholarships You Must Apply For – Top 10 List
Perfection is her hobby, Reliability is a synonym, Editing is her passion, Excellence is her Goal, Tactfulness is in her genes, Yellow is her Fav color. Preety is the name of the Professional on whom entire BioTecNika relies when it comes to its website. A Gold Medalist in Biotech from SRM University, Chennai with a 9.9 CGPA ( was awarded the Gold Medal by Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi , as seen in the pic ), She decided to join forces with BioTecNika to ensure India's largest BioSciences Portal expands its reach to every city in India. She has redesigned the new avatar of BioTecNika from scratch and heads the most dynamic, vibrant and well informed Online Team at Biotecnika Info Labs Pvt Ltd

2 COMMENTS

  1. As always, great information collated and made available in the most interesting format by the author.
    Keep it up!

  2. Thanx for the great article. I’m a 4 th year Ph.D. student looking for postdoctoral positions. Could you please help with some national and international postdoctoral fellowships available for Indian nationals. That will be a great help.

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