Odisha offers Rs 30,000/month fellowships for research in biotechnology & allied sciences

Bhubaneswar: State govt has decided to provide fellowships of Rs 30,000 per month for three years to meritorious students who want to pursue higher studies leading to a PhD degree in biotechnology and allied sciences.

The Odisha Biotechnology Research and Innovation Fellowship (OBRIF) under the science and technology department has been launched to promote advanced research in frontier areas of biotechnology and allied life sciences, provide fellowships to meritorious students, and build a skilled human resource base in biotechnology for academic, industry and societal applications.


“Govt framed the guidelines on Tuesday for the award of fellowships,” said an official of the department on Wednesday. Every year, 20 PhD students will get the fellowship.

As per the guidelines, the applicant must be a domicile of Odisha. The fellowship shall be available only to registered full-time PhD candidates enrolled in any govt university/college of the state or any state/central govt institute established in the state.

Applicants must have a MSc/MTech degree in biotechnology or allied sciences, securing first division or an equivalent grade from any recognised university/college/institution, or hold a 4-year undergraduate degree as per the New Education Policy (NEP)-2020.

“Applicants must not be receiving financial assistance from any other source or scheme at the time of application,” the guidelines read. Apart from the monthly stipend of Rs 30,000, a candidate can get a contingency amount of Rs 50,000 per annum.

The project evaluation and review committee (PERC) will recommend a maximum of 20 most suitable and relevant proposals on the basis of merit, preferably with immediate societal and/or industrial applications in reference to societal/industrial challenges and problems/issues relevant to Odisha.

The committee will recommend the names of selected candidates based on the career marks as well as presentation and personal interview, a total of 100 marks (career: 50; presentation and interview: 50).

Funds with respect to OBRIF will be released in three instalments over the period of three years by the department.

Official sources said the fellowship will be discontinued if the candidate provides false information or suppresses material facts. Disciplinary action may be taken to recover amounts disbursed. It will also be discontinued during a PhD if conduct is found unsatisfactory by the institutional advisory committee. It will be cancelled if the course changes or progress is unsatisfactory, the guidelines stated.