Biotechnology Career Advancement And Re-orientation (BioCARe) Programme For Women Scientists

What is the BioCARe programme?

The Biotechnology Career Advancement and Re-orientation (BioCARe) Programme is a scheme of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Launched in 2011, BioCARe is designed to bring more women scientists into independent research in biotechnology and allied fields by giving research funding to those who have never before held an extramural grant.

BioCARe targets a specific gap. Many trained women scientists in India step away from research during career breaks, or remain in temporary and unpaid positions, and never get their first independent grant. According to the DBT BioCARe portal, the programme is meant to re-orient and advance the careers of such women by funding a full research project with a fellowship, a research grant and mentorship, so that a career is not stalled by systemic or social barriers.

The programme is administered with support from the Regional Centre for Biotechnology (RCB), which hosts the dedicated BioCARe page, and applications are processed through the DBT fellowship system.

Who is eligible for the BioCARe programme?

A woman scientist can apply if:

• She is an Indian woman national residing in India.
• She holds a Ph.D/MD in life sciences, agriculture or a related area, or an M.Tech in relevant engineering, technology or medicine with adequate research experience.
• She is within the programme's upper age limit as notified in the current call.
• This would be her first sanctioned extramural research funding; she is typically unemployed, on a career break, or in a temporary position.

A candidate cannot apply and is generally not eligible if:

• She is a man; BioCARe is exclusively for women scientists.
• She already holds an extramural research grant or an ongoing independent research funding.
• She does not have an eligible host institute willing to host the project.
• She does not meet the qualification or nationality conditions.

Note that the upper age limit and the precise fellowship structure have been revised across BioCARe calls over the years. Applicants should confirm the exact age ceiling and amounts in the current call for proposals before applying, rather than relying on figures from an earlier round.

What documents are required?

How to apply for BioCARe

1. Watch the DBT BioCARe page (rcb.res.in/DBTBioCARe) and DBT announcements for the current call for proposals and its deadline.
2. Identify and secure an eligible host institute willing to host your research project, and prepare a detailed research proposal in an eligible biotechnology domain.
3. Register and complete the application on the DBT fellowship portal linked from the BioCARe page, filling in your qualifications, host-institute details and project plan.
4. Upload the required documents: degree certificates, nationality and age proof, host-institute consent and the research proposal, and submit before the deadline.
5. Your application is then screened and evaluated by expert committees; shortlisted candidates may be called to present their proposals before a final selection is made.

How much benefit does BioCARe provide?

According to the DBT BioCARe portal, a selected fellow receives a consolidated monthly fellowship of Rs 1,00,000, a house rent allowance where the host institute does not provide accommodation, and a research/contingency grant of up to about Rs 10 lakh per year for consumables, equipment, travel and project manpower, plus institutional overheads. The project term is about five years, extendable on a fresh appraisal.

Help and where to check

BioCARe does not publish a toll-free helpline. Queries should be directed through the DBT BioCARe programme cell and the contact points listed on rcb.res.in/DBTBioCARe and the DBT website, and applicants should always verify the current call's eligibility and financial terms before applying.

How to check your application status

BioCARe does not run a live online tracking dashboard the way some scholarship portals do, so status checks depend on where you are in the call cycle.

1. After online submission: once you submit your form on the DBT fellowship portal linked from rcb.res.in/DBTBioCARe, note the application or reference number shown on the confirmation screen and in the acknowledgement email. Keep this number; it is what the programme cell will ask for in any follow-up.
2. During screening: BioCARe applications go through an internal screening and expert-committee evaluation stage that is not visible to applicants in real time. There is no applicant-facing portal login that shows "under review" or "shortlisted" status during this window, so applicants should expect a wait rather than checking daily.
3. Shortlisting communication: if you are shortlisted to present your research proposal, the programme cell contacts you directly, typically by email to the address used at registration, with details of the presentation or interview. Check your email (including spam folders) rather than expecting a portal notification.
4. If you have not heard back: since BioCARe does not publish a toll-free helpline, direct a written query to the BioCARe programme cell through the contact points listed on rcb.res.in/DBTBioCARe, quoting your application reference number, your name, and the call year you applied under. Because each BioCARe call is a distinct cycle, always specify which call (for example, the 7th BioCARe call of 2024-25) your query relates to.
5. For sanctioned fellows: once selected, ongoing correspondence about fellowship disbursal, host-institute joining, and annual progress appraisal is handled directly between the fellow, the host institute, and DBT/RCB, again through the same programme-cell contact channel rather than a public status page.

Common reasons for rejection

• Not a first-time extramural grant. BioCARe exists specifically for women scientists who have never held independent research funding before. An application from someone who already holds, or has previously held, an extramural research grant is turned down at the eligibility-screening stage itself. Fix: apply to BioCARe only if this would genuinely be your first sanctioned grant; if you already hold funding, look at other DBT or extramural schemes instead.
• No confirmed host institute at the time of application. A proposal without a willing, eligible host institute is incomplete, since the programme requires an institute to formally host the project and administer the grant. Fix: secure written consent from your host institute before you start the online form, not after.
• Weak or generic research proposal. Reviewers evaluate the technical proposal on its scientific merit and fit with an eligible biotechnology domain (animal and marine biotechnology, bioengineering and biomaterials, medical biotechnology, environmental biotechnology and bioenergy, or plant and agriculture biotechnology). A proposal that is vague on methodology, lacks a clear budget justification against the research/contingency grant, or does not clearly belong to one of these domains is a common ground for rejection at the expert-committee stage. Fix: get the proposal reviewed by a subject-matter mentor and align it explicitly with one of the listed domains and the DBT proposal format before submission.
• Qualification mismatch. Applying with a degree or experience profile that does not meet the Ph.D/MD-in-life-sciences (or relevant M.Tech-with-experience) requirement leads to rejection on paper eligibility. Fix: check the qualification clause in the specific call notification you are applying under, since exact wording can vary slightly between calls.
• Age limit exceeded. Since the upper age limit is revised across BioCARe calls, applying under an outdated age ceiling figure (for example, from an older call you saw referenced online) can result in an otherwise-eligible applicant being screened out. Fix: confirm the current call's exact age limit on rcb.res.in/DBTBioCARe before applying, rather than relying on a figure from a previous cycle.
• Missing or incomplete documents. Gaps such as an unsigned host-institute consent letter, an incomplete employment-status declaration, or missing nationality/age proof are treated as an incomplete application. Fix: cross-check every document on the required list against what the online form asks you to upload before final submission, since BioCARe calls typically do not allow document additions after the deadline closes.
• Missing the call deadline. BioCARe runs as periodic, call-based cycles rather than a continuously open window (for instance, the 7th call closed 31 December 2024), and a late submission is not entertained. Fix: track rcb.res.in/DBTBioCARe and DBT announcements for the next call opening and its closing date well in advance, and submit early rather than close to the deadline.