India announces fellowships for South Asian scientists
In a fresh outreach to its immediate neighbours, India on Friday announced fully-sponsored academic fellowships to scientists and researchers of South Asian countries including Bangladesh.
The 2018-India Science and Research Fellowship (ISRF) scheme will provide a fully-paid fellowship to researchers, scientists and academicians from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal and Sri Lanka, India's Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
To support PhD scholars, a new element has been added in the 2018-India Science and Research Fellowship scheme.
"The scheme for the first time will also include doctoral students in science, engineering and medical fields to undertake project-related research work in any premier research and academic institution in India up to a period of six months," Vardhan said.
He made the announcement at the India International Science Festival (IISF) in southern Indian city of Chennai which was attended by Afghanistan's Minister of Higher Education Abdul Latif Roshan and Bangladesh's Minister of Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman.
Two hundred travel slots every year were announced for researchers from these countries to be supported by the Department of Science and Technology to enable them to make the best use of these advanced training programmes offered by India.
"This would help in capacity building and will also foster research networks with Indian scientific institutions in these countries," Vardhan said.
India is engaged in active cooperation in the field of science and technology with more than 44 countries, including advanced, emerging and developing nations.
The Conclave was told that a successfull model between the Institute of Biotechnology in Bangladesh with ICGEB, Delhi, where scientists from Bangladesh undertake regular research and training and Indian scientists travel to Bangladesh to assist in setting up the technical infrastructure of the new laboratory will be replicated in each of the other South Asian countries.
The visiting Ministers from Afghanistan and Bangladesh were also taken to the Science Park in Chennai where technology start-ups are being incubated, at a laboratory where clean technologies for leather industry are being developed and to advanced marine technologies in Chennai.
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