VAIshwik BHArtiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship

What is the VAIBHAV Fellowship?

VAIshwik BHArtiya Vaigyanik (VAIBHAV) Fellowship is a programme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Science and Technology, that connects the global Indian scientific diaspora with research institutions in India. It emerged from the VAIBHAV Summit, a large gathering of overseas Indian-origin scientists and academics, and is designed to channel that talent into concrete, time-bound collaborations on Indian soil.

According to DST, a VAIBHAV fellow is an outstanding researcher of Indian origin based abroad who agrees to work with an Indian host institution, an IIT, IISc, a central or state university, or a publicly funded scientific institute, for a short annual residency. The idea is to let Indian laboratories tap the expertise of the diaspora without asking those scientists to give up their positions overseas.

Main features

• The fellowship targets NRI, OCI and PIO scientists actively doing research abroad.
• Each fellow spends up to two months a year in India for a maximum of three years.
• The grant is about Rs 4,00,000 per month of stay, plus travel, accommodation and contingency support.
• Funds are released to the Indian host institution, which manages the fellow's payments and logistics.

Who is eligible for the VAIBHAV Fellowship?

You can apply if:

• You are a scientist or academic of Indian origin; NRI, OCI or PIO.
• You are currently engaged in research at a recognised institution outside India.
• You have an established record of research output; publications, patents or equivalent standing in your field.
• You have identified, and secured the willingness of, an Indian host institution to collaborate with you.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a resident Indian scientist working in India — the fellowship is only for the overseas diaspora. Resident researchers participate as part of the host institution, not as fellows.
• You have no active research affiliation abroad.
• You cannot secure a willing publicly funded Indian host institution for the proposed work.

Selection is competitive. In the first cycle DST reported that a few hundred applications yielded a small cohort of fellows and a handful of Distinguished VAIBHAV Fellows, so meeting the basic criteria does not guarantee an award.

What documents are required for the VAIBHAV Fellowship?

How to apply for the VAIBHAV Fellowship

1. Identify a research theme and an Indian host institution. An IIT, IISc, university or publicly funded scientific institute, and discuss a joint work plan with a prospective host scientist there.
2. Go to the DST portal (dst.gov.in) and open the VAIBHAV Fellowship call, then register on the online application system (e-PMS) that DST uses for the scheme.
3. Fill in your personal, academic and diaspora-status details, and upload your CV, proof of Indian origin and passport.
4. Attach the research proposal and the host institution's consent letter, then submit the application online before the call deadline.
5. Wait for expert evaluation. Shortlisted proposals are assessed by DST's review committees, and selected fellows are notified, after which the grant is sanctioned to the host institution.

DST has asked applicants to use the online portal and to avoid physical or email submissions, so that all proposals are handled through a single transparent channel.

How much does the VAIBHAV Fellowship provide?

The fellowship provides a grant of about Rs 4,00,000 per month for the period the fellow is physically present at the Indian host institute, together with support for international and domestic travel, accommodation and contingencies. Because a fellow spends up to two months a year for up to three years, the total support depends on how many months of residency are actually undertaken.

Crucially, the money is not paid to the fellow abroad. The grant is released to the Indian host institution, which then arranges the fellow's stipend, travel and other support. This keeps the fellowship anchored to a real, institution-backed collaboration rather than an individual honorarium.

Help and where to verify

• Department of Science and Technology, Technology Bhavan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi: board line 011-26567373.
• The VAIBHAV Fellowship call, guidelines and application link are published on dst.gov.in when a cohort is open.

Because VAIBHAV runs in periodic cohorts, the exact grant figures, number of fellowships and closing dates are set afresh in each call notice. Always confirm the current numbers on the DST call document before applying, and treat the per-month figure above as the published indicative rate rather than a guaranteed entitlement.

How to check your VAIBHAV Fellowship application status

VAIBHAV does not run on a public, real-time tracking dashboard the way a subsidy or scholarship portal might. Because applications are handled cohort by cohort through DST's e-PMS system, status updates come through a mix of the portal and direct DST communication.

• Log back into the DST e-PMS / VAIBHAV portal at dst.gov.in with the credentials used at submission. A submitted proposal usually shows a status flag such as "submitted," "under review" or "evaluated" once the review committee has looked at it.
• Check the registered email inbox, including spam or promotions folders. DST notifies shortlisted applicants and selected fellows by email, and this is the primary channel for outcome communication rather than an SMS alert.
• Call the DST helpline on 011-26567373 (Technology Bhavan, New Delhi) and quote your application or registration number from the portal if you have not heard back within the timeline given in the call notice.
• Watch the DST website (dst.gov.in) for the VAIBHAV Fellowship page, where lists of selected fellows and Distinguished VAIBHAV Fellows from each cohort have been announced publicly.
• Ask your proposed Indian host institution to check in parallel. Because the host institution is a party to the proposal and eventually receives the grant, its research or international-collaboration office is often copied on DST correspondence and can sometimes get a faster answer than the individual applicant.

There is no fixed processing-time guarantee published for VAIBHAV; evaluation depends on how many proposals a given call receives and how the expert review committees schedule their meetings, so a gap of several months between submission and outcome is normal rather than a sign of a lost application.

Common reasons VAIBHAV Fellowship applications are rejected

• No confirmed Indian host institution at the time of application. A proposal that names an institution the applicant merely hopes will agree, without an actual consent letter from a scientist there, is treated as incomplete. Fix: secure written willingness from a specific IIT, IISc, university or publicly funded institute before you submit, not after.
• Host institution is not publicly funded. DST's model restricts hosts to IITs, IISc, central or state universities and other publicly funded scientific institutes; a private company or an unfunded private college cannot act as host. Fix: route the collaboration through a public-sector research or academic institution, even if your natural collaborator sits in a private lab.
• Applicant does not meet the NRI/OCI/PIO diaspora criterion. Resident Indian scientists working in India, and foreign nationals with no Indian-origin status, do not qualify as fellows under this scheme. Fix: resident researchers should instead be listed as the host-side collaborator on someone else's fellowship, not apply themselves.
• Weak or generic research proposal. A proposal that reads as a general statement of interest rather than a concrete, time-bound joint work plan with the named host is a common reason for rejection at the review-committee stage, since evaluators are comparing proposals on scientific merit and feasibility within the two-month annual residency limit. Fix: write the proposal as a specific project with defined objectives, methodology and deliverables for the actual months of stay, co-developed with the host scientist rather than drafted alone.
• Thin research track record. Because VAIBHAV is aimed at accomplished diaspora scientists, an applicant with a limited publication or patent record relative to peers in the same cohort is less likely to be shortlisted. Fix: apply once you have an established, verifiable body of research output; a CV heavy on affiliations but light on independent research contribution weakens the case.
• Incomplete documentation at submission. Missing proof of Indian origin (passport, OCI card or PIO document), an unsigned host consent letter, or a CV that does not clearly show current international affiliation can get a proposal set aside procedurally before it even reaches scientific review. Fix: assemble every required document listed in the call notice before opening the online form, since DST has indicated it wants applications submitted through the portal in one complete pass rather than through follow-up emails.
• Application sent outside the online system. DST has asked applicants to use the e-PMS/VAIBHAV portal rather than post or email; submissions or supporting documents sent only by email outside the portal window risk not being counted. Fix: complete the entire submission, including uploads, inside the official online portal before the call's closing date.