DBT Research Associateship (RA) Program

DBT Research Associateship

Supports postdoctoral biotechnology researchers in India through fellowships and research training.

The DBT Research Associateship Program in Biotechnology and Life Sciences is a postdoctoral fellowship initiative of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. Established in 1999, the program was created to train young researchers and generate a critical mass of skilled scientists in modern areas of biology and biotechnology, supporting India's ambition to build a world-class bio-economy and bio-manufacturing sector. The program is administered through the national fellowships portal at fellowships.gov.in, with a dedicated DBT-RA portal at ra.dbt.gov.in. A call for applications for the FY 2025-26 cycle has been issued as a new call, with a deadline extension notice subsequently published — confirming the cycle remains open for standard-balance-date filers as of calendar 2026.

The program runs on a two-call cadence within each Indian fiscal year (April–March), meaning both a Call I and Call II are typically issued per FY. Eligibility is restricted to individual postdoctoral researchers conducting research at institutions operating in India; the fellowship is not open to companies, universities as lead applicants, or organizations. Stipend amounts for the FY 2025-26 call are published in the call PDF notice (not extracted at ingest) — applicants should consult the official call document at the DBT-RA portal for current rates and eligibility conditions.

The fellowship supports research across the full spectrum of modern biology and biotechnology, including human genome research, vaccines, infectious and chronic disease biology, stem cells and regenerative medicine, bio-engineering, marine biotechnology, and clean bio-energy, consistent with DBT's National Biotechnology Development Strategy sectoral priorities. Applications are submitted via fellowships.gov.in, not the DBT eProMIS portal. Prospective applicants should download the active call PDF and the deadline extension notice from ra.dbt.gov.in before applying, as the exact extended deadline and current stipend rates are only published in those documents.