Australia–India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) Early- and Mid-Career Fellowships 2020

Status

The call for nominations is currently closed

The call for applications for the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Fellowships 2020 is now closed.

Details

The Australian Academy of Science invites Australian early- and mid-career researchers to apply for the Australia–India Strategic Research Fund (AISRF) Early- and Mid-Career Researcher (EMCR) Fellowships 2020.

These EMCR fellowships provide financial support of up to A$16,500 for Australian researchers to travel to India and work with leading researchers at major Indian science and technology organisations for a period of between 1 and 3 months.

The fellowships are intended to facilitate long-term science, technology and innovation collaboration between Australia and India by:

developing researchers’ expertise in international collaboration and fostering long-term relationships between Australian and Indian researchers
increasing Australian researchers’ understanding of Indian culture, particularly science and research practices and systems
developing researchers’ leadership skills as future ‘science ambassadors’ for Australia
providing a catalyst for future Australia–India research collaborations.

Applicants should propose a collaborative research project or a specific activity that has been developed in consultation with the host organisation(s) in India. Proposals will be assessed on the scientific merit of the research and on how well the applicant meets the above aims.

The fellowships are a component of the AISRF, a platform for bilateral collaboration in science jointly managed and funded by the governments of Australia and India.

The fellowships are not intended to supplement or extend study, sabbatical or personal leave that is being conducted overseas, and support will not be given when the primary purpose of the visit is to attend a conference.

Eligibility

The applicant must:

be an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident, living in Australia and be employed as a scientist/faculty member of an ERO (below), at the time of submitting the grant application.
have between 3 and 10 years of research experience in Australia since the award of the PhD degree or equivalent, with the degree having been conferred no more than 15 years prior to submitting the grant application. An extension to this limit may be approved in the case of significant career interruptions.
have shown the potential to become a leader in the research community (demonstrated outstanding skills and potential for senior positions in science and technology).

Fields of research

Researchers in the following fields are eligible to apply for the fellowships:

any field of natural science (basic and applied)
engineering science
mathematics
statistics
health

Applicants engaged in multidisciplinary research are invited to apply but should note that proposals for research solely in the humanities, social or behavioural sciences are not eligible.

Eligible research organisations

The fellowships are open to Australian researchers from the any of following eligible research organisations (EROs):

Australian tertiary education institutions (as per the Higher Education Support Act 2003)

Australian cooperative research centres
Publicly funded research agencies
Australian state/territory-funded research organisations
Australian public research companies
Australian private research companies
Australian not-for-profit research organisations
Other Australian incorporated entities.

An ERO must be an organisation that is registered for GST, and, if a university, is registered as exempt from income tax. An ERO must not be a non-corporate Commonwealth entity (as defined under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013).

Terms of award

Successful applicants may receive from the Academy a grant-in-aid of up to the value of A$16,500 towards the cost of:

an international economy class airfare from Australia to the international airport closest to the host institute (up to a maximum of $2500)
a once-off allowance for travel and medical insurances and visa costs (up to a maximum of $1000)
a once-off allowance for travel within India for research-related activities, including attending conferences (up to a maximum of $1000)
a monthly living allowance of $4000 per month (up to a total maximum of $12,000 for 3 months).

Travel can commence from 1 January 2020 and must be for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months in duration.

Fellows are responsible for making their own travel, visa, insurance and accommodation arrangements, in consultation with the host institution as appropriate. Dependents may accompany fellows at the fellow’s own cost. The fellowships do not include support for bench fees and managerial costs.

Reporting requirements

Successful applicants will be required to submit a report within two months of returning to Australia. The report should indicate how the collaboration has progressed and provide a statement of financial statement of income and expenditure. The Academy may request ad hoc reports during and post travel, which must be provided in the timeframe notified by the Academy.

Notification of outcome: November 2019

Applications will be assessed on the scientific merit of the research and on how well the applicant meets the aims of the program by a committee of scientists with diverse expertise. The decisions of the committee are based on the assessed competitiveness of the proposal. The Academy is not able to enter into discussion or correspondence regarding the reasons why an application is successful or not.

More information

For more information, contact the Academy at:
International Programs
Australian Academy of Science
GPO Box 783
Canberra ACT 2601

Email: grants@science.org.au

This program is supported by the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.

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