Application are invited for Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award for the year 2015

The ‘Innovative Young Biotechnologist Award’ (IYBA) was instituted by the Department of Biotechnology in the year 2005, as an attractive, career-oriented scheme to identify and nurture outstanding young scientists with innovative ideas and desire to pursue research in frontier areas of biotechnology. For the year 2015 awards the department invites applications from the young investigators upto the age of 35 years. The award will consist of financial support for a project and Cash Award/fellowship for the awardees. 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 grants-in-aid of Rs. 50.00/- Lakhs for a project. The awardees, those are not in the regular employment will receive a fellowship of Rs. 75,000/- per month with grants-in-aid and shall be attached to a Senior Scientist (Mentor) in a University, Research Institute, Medical/Agriculture/ Veterinary College or any other institute of repute. It is expected that the awardees will work independently and the Mentor will facilitate the awardees research efforts. Applications (2 copies) neatly typed on plain paper in the prescribed format along with enclosures & certified copies to be sent to Dr. T. Madhan Mohan, Adviser, Department of Biotechnology, Block-2, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003, so as to reach latest by 31st December, 2015. Soft copy of the application also needs to be sent to: iyba.dbt@nic.in. For more details and application format, please visit DBT websites: dbtindia.gov.in/iyba.htm OR btisnet.gov.in/iyba.htm

Note: The soft copy application should be all in one file with necessary attachments.

The details of the scheme are as under:
What is expected from an applicant and who can apply?
The applicant should have an excellent academic career and also should have publications in high impact journals and/or should have invented technologies supported by Indian/ International patents. The proposed research project should clearly reflect the innovative thinking and execution capabilities of the applicant.

The minimum eligibility criteria for applicants will be the following:
(i) The candidate should have secured First Class grades in examinations of all academic courses for award of a degree from the graduate level onwards.
(ii) Cumulative publication impact factor of 10 or Cumulative publication impact factor of 5 with two granted Indian Patents or one International patent.
(iii) Qualification: Ph.D. in any branch of life sciences including Medicine, Veterinary Sciences, Pharmacy, Agricultural Sciences, and engineering sciences. Master degree in Medicine, Engineering/Technology is also eligible to apply.
(iv) Age limit: 35 years or below as on 31^st December 2015. Age relaxation of 5 years would be given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC, Women and Physically Handicapped Category. (Necessary attested copies of supporting documents to this effect have to be enclosed).
(v) The applicant should be a Citizen of India including Overseas Citizen of India (OCIs).
(vi) In addition to the above minimum eligibility criteria, it is essential that the proposed project work is carried out in any recognized research institution/university in India having adequate facilities to carry out the proposed research project. A consent letter from the institution/ university should be furnished along with the application.
(vii) A nomination/recommendation by a Fellow of any of the National Academies, or a Director of National Laboratory, or a Head of a S&T Department of Government of India, or a Vice-Chancellor of a University or an eminent scientist in the field of biotechnology is also essential. The nomination letter should indicate the candidate’s competence for the fellowship and should be sent directly in confidence to Dr. T. Madhan Mohan, Adviser, DBT, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Block-2, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003.

Award
The award shall cover the non-recurring and recurring financial grants for performing and executing an innovative research plan as proposed by the awardee. Grant for 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 a 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.

Financial Support
A. Non-Recurring
(i) Equipment and accessories Rs. 10.00 lakh
B. Recurring
*(i) Fellowship(For Non-Regular candidates)Rs. 75,000x12 = Rs. 9.00 lakhs/year
*(ii) Cash Award (For Regular candidates) Rs. 1.00 lakh
(iii) Manpower (1 JRF/SRF)
(iv) Consumables/Contingency/Travel Rs. 6.00 lakh/year
(v) Overheads Rs. 1.00 lakh/year

The financial limits mentioned above indicate the maximum level of support. The actual amount to be sanctioned will depend upon the requirement of the project proposal. * Admissible only to awardees who do not have a regular employment or is not receipt of any other fellowship. Those who are under regular employment will receive a cash award of Rs. 1.00 lakh every year during project period.

Other Conditions
- A letter from the Mentor, giving consent to provide laboratory space where the applicant desires to work, should be enclosed with the application. The place of work should be able to support major needs of the project. The equipments required for the research project can be purchased out of the equipment grant of the award.
- The project will be operated by the awardee. However, the capital equipment will be procured in the name of the institute where the awardee proposes to work.
- A consent certificate from the head of the institution where the proposed research project will be conducted should be submitted while submitting the application. The financial transactions of the award have to be handled by the host institute, which will be responsible for submitting the utilization certificate and statement of accounts every year.
- IYBA awardee should not undertake foreign deputations for more than three months during the entire course of the project period.
- The awardee will be the first corresponding author for any publication emanating as a result of the research carried out on account of the award. The mentor and others could be collaborators and co-corresponding authors. This arrangement will serve the purpose of the award, namely, nurturing the excellence of young investigators and making them independent, to bloom, eventually as scientists of eminence.

Presentation of the Awards
Selected candidates will be intimated in writing as well as publishing it on DBT website. The awards would be presented to the selected candidates at a formal function organized by the DBT.

Government of India
Ministry of Science & Technology
Department of Biotechnology (DBT)