ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship (AI-RTF)

What is the ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship (AI-RTF)?

The ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship (AI-RTF) is a scientist-mobility programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. According to the AISTIC portal, AI-RTF was created to promote the mobility of scientists and researchers from the ASEAN member states to India and to give them exposure to research facilities and expertise in Indian institutions.

The fellowship is funded from the ASEAN-India Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) cooperation framework. Programme management is coordinated by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on behalf of DST. Research undertaken under AI-RTF is expected to be ASEAN-centric and aligned with the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI) 2016-2025.

AI-RTF is not a citizen benefit for Indians. It is an inbound fellowship: a young researcher from an ASEAN country travels to India, works in an Indian host institution for a few months, and returns home. Indian institutions participate by hosting the visiting fellow.

How much does AI-RTF pay?

According to the AISTIC portal, an AI-RTF fellow receives:

• Rs 60,000 per month as the fellowship amount.
• Round-trip international airfare by the shortest route in the lowest economy class.
• Rs 40,000 as a one-time research contingency grant.
• Rs 2,500 per month as institutional overhead paid to the Indian host institution.

The fellowship is tenable for two to six months. Requests to extend or reduce the sanctioned duration after the award are not permitted.

Who is eligible for AI-RTF?

You can apply if:

• You are a citizen of an ASEAN member state, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam.
• You are up to 45 years old at the time of application.
• You hold at least a master's degree in natural sciences, technology, engineering, medicine or an allied discipline.
• You are affiliated with an R&D or academic institution in your home country.
• You are fluent in English.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an Indian national — AI-RTF is only for researchers from ASEAN countries visiting India.
• You have received a Government of India fellowship in the previous three years.
• You are older than 45 at the time of application, or do not hold a qualifying degree.

Because AI-RTF is an inbound mobility fellowship, ordinary Indian citizens are not the applicants. Indian scientists take part only as hosts, by agreeing to supervise a visiting ASEAN fellow at their institution.

What documents are required for AI-RTF?

All documents must be combined into a single PDF of not more than 10 MB for online submission.

How to apply for AI-RTF

1. Visit the AISTIC portal at aistic.gov.in and register as a new applicant.
2. Complete your profile with biographical and academic details.
3. Identify an Indian host institution and obtain an acceptance letter from the proposed Indian supervisor.
4. Prepare your research proposal so that it is ASEAN-centric and aligned with APASTI 2016-2025.
5. Combine your CV, passport, proposal, host acceptance letter and home-institution endorsement into one PDF (maximum 10 MB).
6. Submit the application online before the notified deadline. Only online submissions are accepted.

Applications are invited through periodic calls; for the 2025 cycle the AISTIC portal listed a submission deadline of 31 May 2025 (5:00 PM IST). Check the portal for the current call and deadline before applying.

How are AI-RTF applications selected?

DST makes the final selection based on the quality of the research proposal, the academic merit of the applicant, the relevance of the work to ASEAN-India STI priorities, and the number of fellowship slots available. Selection is competitive and there is no guarantee of an award for every eligible applicant.

Help and contact

• Portal: aistic.gov.in (ASEAN section, AI-RTF)
• Programme cell: FICCI, at airtfscholars@ficci.com
• Nodal department: Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology

Applicants should rely on the AISTIC portal and the FICCI programme cell for the current call, deadlines and formats, because the fellowship operates through periodic advertisements rather than a rolling window.

How to check your application status

AI-RTF does not have a public tracking number or SMS status system, since it is a small, periodically advertised fellowship rather than a mass-enrolment scheme. After submitting the single-PDF application on the AISTIC portal, applicants can follow up in these ways:

1. Log back into the AISTIC portal at aistic.gov.in with the same credentials used to register. The applicant dashboard reflects whether the submission was received, though it does not always show a live review stage.
2. Check for an acknowledgement email from the AISTIC/FICCI programme cell sent to the email address used at registration. Keep this email as proof of submission; it usually confirms the application ID.
3. Write to the FICCI programme cell at airtfscholars@ficci.com, quoting the applicant's name, passport number, and the cycle (for example, the 2025 call) applied under. Because the fellowship is run through periodic calls rather than a rolling window, FICCI is the only body that can confirm whether a proposal is still under DST review, has been selected, or the call has closed without further movement.
4. Watch the AISTIC portal for a fresh call announcement. If no result has been communicated for the cycle applied to and a long period has passed, the safest assumption is that the call is closed and a new cycle must be watched for, since AI-RTF does not commit to a fixed results date.
5. Selected fellows are typically contacted directly by FICCI or the host Indian institution for visa, travel, and joining formalities, since the offer itself requires the applicant to coordinate a India entry visa and travel dates before the fellowship can start.

There is no helpline phone number for AI-RTF beyond the FICCI email address; applicants outside India should rely on email correspondence rather than expecting a call-centre style status check.

Common reasons for rejection

Because AI-RTF selection is competitive and DST has a limited number of slots each cycle, proposals fail for reasons beyond simple ineligibility. The most common ones, and how to avoid them:

• No confirmed Indian host institution at the time of application. A research proposal without a signed acceptance letter from a specific Indian R&D or academic institution is treated as incomplete. Fix: identify and correspond with a potential Indian supervisor well before the call opens, and secure a written acceptance letter on the institution's letterhead before assembling the application PDF.
• Research proposal not framed as ASEAN-centric. DST expects the proposed work to align with the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI) 2016-2025 priorities, not just be a generic research topic. Fix: explicitly state in the proposal how the work benefits ASEAN-India cooperation or addresses a shared regional research priority, rather than describing a purely personal or institutional research interest.
• Applicant exceeds the age limit or lacks the minimum qualification. Applicants must be up to 45 years old and hold at least a master's degree in a natural science, engineering, technology, medicine, or an allied discipline at the time of application. Fix: confirm both conditions before applying; there is no relaxation category published for AI-RTF.
• Applicant already received a Government of India fellowship within the previous three years. This is a stated disqualification. Fix: check any prior India-funded fellowship or scholarship history before applying, and if in doubt, disclose it to the FICCI programme cell rather than risk rejection after review.
• Missing or weak home-institution endorsement. An application without a formal endorsement letter from the applicant's employer or parent R&D/academic institution back home is considered incomplete, since DST wants assurance the applicant will return to that institution after the fellowship. Fix: obtain this letter on official letterhead alongside the host acceptance letter, not as an afterthought.
• Documents not combined correctly into a single PDF, or submitted outside the online window. AISTIC accepts only a single combined PDF uploaded through the portal before the stated deadline; late or fragmented submissions (separate files, emailed documents, physical copies) are not considered. Fix: assemble the passport copy, CV, research proposal, host acceptance letter, and home-institution endorsement into one PDF well before the deadline, and confirm the online submission is complete rather than left in draft on the portal.
• Proposal quality or relevance ranks below the cut-off for available slots. Even a fully eligible, complete application can be turned down simply because DST has more strong proposals than available fellowship slots in that cycle. Fix: there is no appeal process for this outcome; applicants are encouraged to strengthen the proposal's novelty and India-linkage and reapply in a subsequent call.