Call for Applications for HRD Fellowships in ICMR

Department of Health Research has launched a scheme to provide advanced training to medical and health research personnel in India and abroad in cutting edge research areas concerning medicine and health to create trained human resource for carrying out research activities with main goal of improving patient management and public health in the country. This scheme has following components:
1. Short Term Fellowships for 1-3 months (In India and Abroad, Age: upto 55 years)
2. Long Term Fellowships for 6-12 months (In India and Abroad, Age: upto 45 years)
3. Programme specifically for Women who have had a break in their career
4. Scholarships /fellowships to young scientists (medical /non-medical students) in newer areas.
5. Programme to encourage health research personnel [Non-resident Indian (NRI), Persons of Indian Origin (PIO), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)] serving abroad, to come back to India for undertaking research in identified areas.
6. Support to Indian Institutes for imparting training to the Faculty of Medical Colleges/ Research Institutes

Department of Health Research is premier body of Government of India to conduct and coordinate the research activities in the different areas of Health Research in the country. The country has attained considerable progress in biomedical research and patient care and management over the years but new emerging infections, resistance of the causative agents to existing common drugs coupled with emergence of non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, mental and neurological disorders, poses a new challenge to the medical and scientific fraternity.

Objectives of the scheme:
To increase the overall availability of trained personnel for health research from medical colleges across the country through scholarships, fellowships and career advancement scheme etc. for faculty and young medical doctors and other scientists to take up medical and health research as a career.
To focus on the creation of a cadre of trained medical/health researchers in specific identified priority areas of health research viz., Clinical Trials; Toxicology; Good Clinical Practices (GCP); Good Laboratory Practices (GLP); Quality Control (QC) & QA; Genomics; Proteomics; Clinical Psychology, Geriatrics; Modern Biology; Biotechnology; Stem cells; Genetics; Drugs chemistry; and operational research etc..
To create, support, nurture and encourage the trainees from these medical colleges to forge linkages with other scientists from universities, research institutes etc. to develop multidisciplinary and multi-sectoral teams necessary for addressing critical national and local health problems.
To establish suitable online teaching and learning facilities to facilitate training in health research in various subjects in a more effective manner and for promoting biomedical/health research.

Targets:
- The scheme mainly focuses on the development of research capabilities in the medical colleges /institutions of the country, with the following targets:
- To provide about 2585 fellowships / trainings / scholarships to mid-career / senior faculty/ young post-graduate students in the 12th Plan Period (2013-14 to 2016-17), including the women scientists who had a break in the career etc.
- To provide assistance to 50 domestic medical colleges/ institutions for providing training in the focused areas of research through specially designed courses.
- About 2/3rdof the fellowships will be given to medical colleges /medical institutions in Government sector.

Applications are invited in a prescribed format from Indian Nationals working as permanent Faculty in Indian Medical/ Health Research institutions /Universities/ Other Research Institutions for award of fellowship to get training in identified/ cutting edge areas of health research under its new schemes ‘Human Resources Development for Health Research’. The main aim of the scheme is to provide ‘Advanced training in cutting edge research areas concerning medicine and health for training in India and abroad and to encourage trained manpower to carryout research activities in cutting edge areas and management of patients in the medical colleges across the country’. The Department will provide the travel and stipend to the selected fellow during the fellowship period.

Who can apply for training/ fellowships
Scientists/ Health Researches/Professionals in regular employment in the universities, medical colleges, postgraduate institutions, recognized research and development laboratories and Non-Government Organizations who fulfill the eligibility criteria and have a concept research proposals in the identified area to carryout research at present institute / organization.

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Mechanism of implementation:
(i) Procedure followed in award of fellowship
The applications for identified area received as per the prescribed format are reviewed by Technical Evaluation Committee of the scheme (TECs) constituted by Secretary DHR for different subject areas. These TECs Meetings are held generally 3-4 times in a year depending upon the no. of proposals received for evaluation. Most of these projects are also reviewed by subject specialists/ subcommittees before being considered by the TECs. The applications/ proposals recommended by the TECs are submitted before the Approval Committee.

The criteria adopted for evaluation include relevance of the topic to national health priorities, possible advancement of knowledge at local institute, improved deliverable basic and clinical science in that particular area and the Potential Clinical application of the knowledge to be generated, the scientific merit of the proposal, availability of basic infrastructure in the host Institution; capability of the applicant to undertake the training and research project. Final approval is given by the Approval Committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary DHR on the recommendation of the TECs. On completion of training / fellowship, the fellow is rewired to submit a research project in the are of fellowship/ training as a start-up project (budget limit Rs 30 lacs). The duration of ad-hoc research as startup projects is usually confined upto 3 years. Sanction being accorded initially for 1 year, with annual renewals on the basis of report by the TEC.

(ii) Adhoc Project Monitoring Mechanism:
The Fellows will be submitting the progress report of the fellowship and a report from the mentor of the host institute in a prescribed format. The fellow will be submitting research proposal as a startup grant after within six months in the format of ICMR for adhoc research project after completing the fellowship. The mechanism of monitoring of project is broadly the same as for adhoc research proposal of ICMR.

(iii) Publication of Results/Presentation of Papers:
The research papers & publications, patent and product development based on the results of the research project should acknowledge assistance by the DHR along with IRIS ID number. Copies/ reprints of papers published should be sent along with the progress/ final report.

(iv) Intellectual Property Rights
All new intellectual property viz., patents, designs etc. generated as part of the research supported by DHR would belong to the Department. The Department shall have the right to take up patent/design in respect of inventions/discoveries made in research schemes financed by the Department. The project investigators and the staff employed on the project shall not apply or obtain patents without the approval of Department/ICMR. All patents shall be registered in the name of Department of Health Research. The Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Cell of ICMR/ DHR can provide all necessary assistance in the IPR related issues including patent applications.

Contact Address
ICMR – DHR Coordinating Unit
Indian Council of Medical Research,
V Ramalingaswami Bhawan,
Ansari Nagar, New Delhi-110029