Mobility Scheme (KIRAN) for Women Scientists

What is the Mobility Scheme?

The Mobility Scheme is a programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, run under the KIRAN; Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing; umbrella of women scientist schemes. According to the DST, the scheme is aimed at women scientists who face difficulties in their present job because they have had to relocate, for example after marriage, a spouse's transfer, or the need to care for family or educate children in a different city.

Many trained women scientists leave research not because of ability but because a move to a new city cuts them off from their laboratory, project or institution. The Mobility Scheme exists to prevent that loss. It allows a woman scientist who already holds a regular, permanent position to carry her scientific work to a host institution at her new location, so her career and her research continue rather than stopping.

Key objectives

• Retain trained women scientists in active research despite relocation.
• Reduce the career loss that women disproportionately face when a family moves.
• Support continuation of ongoing scientific work at a new host institution.

Main features

• Part of the DST KIRAN family of women-in-science programmes.
• Targeted at women already in permanent positions, not first-time fellows.
• Delivered as a sanctioned research grant with a fellowship or overhead component tied to a specific proposal.

Who is eligible for the Mobility Scheme?

You can apply if:

• You are a woman scientist or academician.
• You are working in a permanent (regular) position at a Government institution, an R&D laboratory or a university.
• You are facing genuine difficulty continuing that work because you have relocated.
• You are within the upper age limit of 50 years, as specified by the DST.
• You have a host institution at the new location willing to accommodate your research.

You cannot apply if:

• You are not a woman — the scheme is exclusively for women scientists.
• You do not hold a permanent position; unemployed candidates or those on temporary contracts should look at other KIRAN schemes such as WOS-A or the WISE fellowships instead.
• You are above the upper age limit stated in the call.
• Your proposed work has no host institution or scientific merit.

The Mobility Scheme is deliberately narrow. It is not a general research grant and not a first fellowship; it is a bridge for women who already have a career in science and risk losing it purely because of a change of city.

What benefit does the Mobility Scheme provide?

According to the DST, the scheme provides support to continue the applicant's scientific work at the new location. This typically takes the form of a research grant to run the proposed project together with a fellowship or overhead component.

The DST does not publish a single fixed benefit figure for the Mobility Scheme the way a scholarship does. The amount is decided per proposal and is stated in the specific advertisement or sanction letter. Because of this, you should read the exact figures and duration from the live DST call rather than relying on amounts quoted by third-party websites. This guide deliberately does not print an unverified rupee figure.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Mobility Scheme

1. Watch the DST website (dst.gov.in) and the India Science, Technology and Innovation portal for a Mobility Scheme advertisement / call for applications from the KIRAN Division. Applications are accepted only when a call is open.
2. Prepare your research proposal, arrange a consent letter from a host institution at your new location, and collect proof of your permanent employment and age.
3. Register and apply online through the DST e-project management system (the DST online portal) against the open call, and upload the documents.
4. Submit before the deadline and keep the acknowledgement. Shortlisted proposals are placed before an expert committee, and sanction follows on the terms stated in the call.

Why this is a specialised scheme

The Mobility Scheme serves a small, specific group; women scientists in permanent jobs who relocate, and its benefit is set per case rather than as a standard amount. If you are a woman scientist looking to return after a career break, or an early-career researcher, the broader WOS-A and WISE-KIRAN schemes are more likely to fit. The DST KIRAN Division, reachable through dst.gov.in, is the correct point of contact for the current terms and open calls; there is no separate consumer helpline for this scheme, so verify all figures against the official DST advertisement before applying.