In India, students who want to pursue a career in research are often discouraged by the lack of good research facilities and available opportunities within the country, and many end up losing interest. So it is imperative that students keep track of all the available research internships and programs to gain experience and develop their aptitude for research.
Here is a list of such internships and programs for students in India:
- DAAD Wise Internship
- Vienna Biocenter Summer School Internship
- Mitacs Globalink Research Internship
- SN Bose Scholarship
- Khorana Scholars Program
- Charpak Lab Scholarship
- Students Undergraduate Research Graduate Excellence Program (SURGE)
- IUSSTF-Viterbi Program
1. DAAD Wise Internship
About: It offers research internships to Indian students pursuing a degree in engineering or science fields at publicly funded German educational institutes.
Duration: 2-3 months
Location: Germany
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be pursuing a degree in the fields of natural science, engineering, or mathematics at an Indian institute of higher education.
- They should be in the 5th or 6th semester of a 4 year Bachelor’s program or the 5th, 6th, 7th or 8th semester of a 5 year integrated program (Bachelor-Master).
- Applicants must not be former recipients of the scholarship.
How to apply:
- Fill in the online application form here.
- Prepare all documents according to the given instructions and make sure they are written in English or German.
- References and work samples are to be sent by post.
Application date: Deadline is on November 1
2. Vienna Biocenter Summer School Internship
About: The Vienna Biocenter Summer School Internship aims to provide students from all over the world, the opportunity to work with leading researchers in the field of natural sciences. It is held annually and is highly selective, taking in only 30 undergraduates from around the globe. The school is a collaboration between the Research Centre for Molecular Medicine(CEMM), Gregor Mendel Institute(GMI), Institute of Molecular Biotechnology(IMBA), Institute of Molecular Pathology(IMP), and the Max Perutz Labs and is sponsored by the Max Bernstiel Foundation.
Duration: 9 weeks
Location: Vienna
Benefits:
- Free accommodation for students.
- A stipend of 1400 euros.
- Travel costs will be reimbursed.
- A variety of social events.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must have completed 2 years of a Bachelor’s or 1 year of a Master’s program.
- Applicants must have good command over the English language.
- Previous research experience is required.
- Excellent academic record.
How to apply:
- Fill out the application form available here.
- A formal proof of proficiency in the English language (CPE, IELTS, or TOEFL) is recommended but not compulsory.
- An enrolment certificate and a transcript of studies and/or previous years’ exam results should be uploaded.
- Proof of enrolment for next year should also be uploaded.
- A CV or cover letter is not required.
Application date: Application for the 2021 program begins on December 1, 2020.
3. Mitacs Globalink Research Internship
About: Mitacs is a national non-profit research organization that conducts research and training programs in fields related to industrial and social innovation in partnerships with Canadian academia, private industry, and government. The Globalink research internship is a research opportunity for undergraduates from around the globe to work under the supervision of Canadian University faculty in fields ranging from engineering and mathematics to arts and humanities.
Duration: 12 weeks
Location: Canada
Benefits:
- Access to world-class research facilities.
- Develop research skills and gain insight into the research methodology.
Eligibility: Applicants must be enrolled in an undergraduate program in Mexico, US, India, Australia, Brazil, China, HongKong, France, Germany, Taiwan, Tunisia, UK, and Ukraine.
How to apply:
- The application form is available here.
Questions include:
– Your academic discipline and other information related to your education.
– Skills, accomplishments, and research interests.
– Reasons for pursuing research in Canada.
- Submit your CV or download the Mitacs template.
- Submit a reference letter from a professor according to the instructions given.
- Academic transcripts are also required and must be in either English or French.
- Depending on the country, English or French proficiency tests may be required.
Application deadline: September 23, 2020.
4. SN Bose Scholarship
About: The Science and Engineering Board(SERB), the Department of Science and Technology(DST), Govt of India, the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), and WINStep Forward have come together in collaboration to develop the SN Bose scholarship, a student exchange program between premier institutes of India and the US. It aims to provide Indian students with the opportunity to access world-class research facilities in the US and build long term R&D linkages and collaborations across the world.
Duration: 10-12 weeks
Location: Varies with the host university.
Benefits:
- Stipend
- Travel expenses are covered
- Insurance
Eligibility:
- Indian citizens currently enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree program in a recognized institute of higher education in India with a minimum of 1 year remaining for the completion of their degree.
- Students who are in their first semester of Master’s degrees must submit their Bachelor’s rank certificate and mark list. They must also be nominated by their university.
- Students from the field of Atmospheric and Earth Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical sciences, Engineering Sciences, and Mathematical and Computational Sciences are eligible.
How to apply: Fill out the application form.
Application date: Closed for 2020.
5. Khorana Scholars Program
About: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Govt. of India, the Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF), and WINStep Forward have come together in collaboration to develop the Khorana Program for Scholars, named after Dr. Har Gobind Khorana. It aims to encourage students to pursue careers in R&D and provide them with the opportunity to do research in various prestigious universities in the US.
Duration: 10-12 weeks.
Location: Varies with the host university.
Benefits:
- Stipend.
- Travel expenses are covered.
- Health Insurance.
Eligibility:
- Students enrolled in Bachelor’s or Master’s programs in Biotechnology or related fields including agriculture, food, health, biomedical sciences, and interdisciplinary fields like Computational sciences in recognized institutes of higher education in India.
- First-year, final year and Ph.D. students are not eligible.
- The applicant should have a CGPA of 8.0 or more.
- If the applicant is an MBBS student, a minimum of 65% is required.
How to apply:
- Fill out the online application form here.
- Scanned copies of the latest mark sheet, 2 letters of recommendation, and a No-Objection certificate should be uploaded.
Application date: Closed for 2020.
6. Charpak Lab Scholarship
About: It aims to provide research opportunities for Indian students pursuing Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees by enabling them to carry out research at a French lab or institution.
Duration: 2 months.
Location: France
Benefits:
- Monthly stipend for 2 months provided by the French Embassy in India.
– 800 euros for laboratories or institutions in Paris.
– 650 euros for laboratories or institutions outside Paris. - Student visa and Etudes en France fee waiver.
- Social security.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be an Indian national residing in India at the time of application.
- Applicants must not be older than 30 years.
- Applicants must be enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s program at a recognized Indian university.
- Possess an acceptance letter from the French laboratory or institution where research is to be done.
How to apply:
- Candidates should fill out the application form available on the official website.
- Candidates should upload scanned copies of the first page of their passport with expiry date and photo.
- A CV of a maximum of 2 pages should be uploaded.
- A scanned copy of the acceptance letter from the French laboratory or institute should be uploaded mentioning the specific dates of the internship.
- Scanned copies of mark sheets from Higher Secondary School, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degree programs should also be uploaded.
- Proof of proficiency in the French language(could be DALF/DELF certificate/ marks acquired in 10th std. if french was your second language/certificate from university).
- No Objection Certificate(NOC) from your institution with the name of the French institution specified.
Application date: Closed for 2020.
7. Students Undergraduate Research Graduate Excellence Program (SURGE)
About: It is a research internship created for students from IIT Kanpur and other institutions to help students hone their research abilities and push their intellectual capabilities beyond the classroom. Participants work on a research project for 8 weeks and will have to present their paper to a review committee of academic staff at the end of 4 weeks. It is a great opportunity for students who want to pursue careers in R&D.
Duration: 8 weeks.
Location: IIT Kanpur
Benefits: An award and commendation certificate will be given to the best-performing students.
Admission fee:
- Non-IITK Indian students- Rs 4000
- IITK students- Rs 3000
Eligibility:
- Applicants who are pursuing BTech, BE, BS or B-Arch must have completed their 3rd year.
- Applicants pursuing a 5-year degree program must have completed their 4th year.
- Applicants pursuing BA or BSc should have completed their 2nd year.
- Applicants who are pursuing an MSc 2 year program should be in their first year.
How to apply:
- Recent Passport size photograph no more than 1 MB in jpg format.
- A single PDF file, containing no more than 3 MB
- Research Proposal doesn’t exceed 500 words.
- Updated Transcript.
- No more than 1 MB of a single file in a PDF format containing a Recommendation Letter from any faculty that belongs to the applicant’s institution.
- A single PDF file not exceeding 1 MB containing Recommendation Letter by any faculty which belongs to the applicant’s institute.
- Apply here.
Application date: Closed for 2020.
8. IUSSTF- Viterbi Program
About: The Indo-US Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and the University of Southern California (USC), Viterbi School of Engineering, have partnered to support the IUSSTF-Viterbi program. This program offers Indian students the opportunity to undertake an 8-week research internship at the Viterbi School of Engineering during the summer of 2020.
Duration: 8 weeks
Location: University of Southern California(USC), Los Angeles.
Benefits:
- Stipend
- Air-fare
Eligibility:
- Applicants who are pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a recognized Indian institute for higher education.
- Applicants pursuing Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communications Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Computational Sciences are eligible.
How to apply:
Fill in the application form available here.
Application date: Application closed for 2020.
Pursuing a career in research is not easy. It requires a huge amount of time and dedication. Only a handful of people have the passion it takes to keep learning and experimenting till they get it right. But with the right guidance and resources, it is possible to succeed. So don’t hesitate and apply now!
Scholarship Track 