Department of Science and Technology launched VAJRA Scheme(Visiting Advanced Joint Research)
3Department of Science and Technology launched VAJRA Scheme
Department of Science and Technology has launched VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme that enables NRIs and overseas scientific community to participate and contribute to research and development in India. on 8th January 2017, during the 14th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention, Prime Minister had announced that a new scheme called VAJRA (Visiting Advanced Joint Research) Faculty scheme would be launched by the Department of Science and Technology. In a bid to bring together the Indian scientists abroad and India-based researchers for conducting joint researches in India, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) on june 22,2017 launched a scheme named 'Visiting Advanced Joint Research Faculty' (VAJRA).
Minister of Science and Technology Harsh Vardhan launched the Web portal of VAJRA in New Delhi and said that the initiative would boost research work and lead to newer, cutting edge technologies, which was needed in India.
Salient Highlights The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology will implement the Scheme. Under this scheme, foreign researchers abroad of Indian origin or otherwise can collaborate with faculties in public funded Indian institutions. The researchers would receive endowments at par with those in their own countries. They would be given USD 15,000 in the first month of residency and USD 10,000, for the remaining months. The scheme would promote broad areas of research like energy, health, advance material among others. Public funded academic institutions and national laboratories will be eligible for hosting the VAJRA Faculty. The VAJRA faculty can reside in India for a minimum of 1 month and a maximum of 3 months a year. The applications received from the interested foreign researchers would be evaluated by a Selection Committee of eminent scientists. The Committee will meet twice a year in January and July and make recommendations.