ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship

ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship is a science and technology scheme of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, under ASEAN-India Science & Technology Development Fund (AISTDF). It brings young scientists and researchers from ASEAN member countries to Indian research and academic institutions for short research training of two to six months. Fifty fellowships are awarded every year, and the programme is managed by FICCI, New Delhi.

As of August 2026, the scheme is open for online applications through the official ASEAN S&T portal at aistic.gov.in. Researchers from ASEAN countries can apply only through the online portal, and hard copies are not accepted. The fellowship is a fully paid research stay because it covers a monthly stipend along with travel, visa and insurance costs for selected fellows.

ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship - Introduction

AISTDF was set up by Government of India in 2008 with an equivalent of 5 million USD in Indian rupees, contributed jointly by Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of External Affairs. Department of Science and Technology is the nodal department for the ASEAN-India S&T cooperation programme from the Indian side. The current phase of cooperation works under the ASEAN-India Partnership for Peace, Progress and Shared Prosperity (2021-2025).

The scheme was created to support the mobility of young researchers from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam who want to work at Indian research or academic institutions.

Main Aims

The scheme works on two simple aims:

• To promote mobility of scientists and researchers from ASEAN countries to India and give them a chance to work at Indian R&D or academic institutions to upgrade their research skills and expertise.
• To help exchange of information and contacts between Indian and ASEAN scientists and build a network for long-term research collaborations.

As an added benefit, selected fellows may find co-supervisors in India for their Ph.D. or Master's projects after they return home.

Number and Duration of Fellowships

Fifty fellowships are awarded every year to young scientists and researchers from ASEAN member states. Fellows can work at any Indian academic or R&D institution that agrees to host them.

The fellowship lasts for two to six months. After the fellowship is awarded, no request for extension or reduction in duration is entertained.

Research Disciplines

Research topics must be ASEAN centric and should match the ASEAN Plan of Action on Science, Technology and Innovation (APASTI). Applications are accepted in these broad disciplines:

• Agricultural sciences
• Biological and medical sciences
• Chemical sciences and engineering
• Computer science and engineering
• Physical sciences and mathematics
• Ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences
• Engineering sciences
• Materials, minerals and metallurgy
• Science policy, IPR management, technology transfer and commercialisation
• Other multi-disciplinary areas of science, technology and innovation that match APASTI

Note: The fellowship covers all natural and engineering sciences, including mathematics and statistics, but humanities and behavioural sciences are not included.

Benefits

The scheme gives full financial support to selected fellows. The host institution in India gets the funds and pays them to the fellow.

The scheme also covers round-trip international economy airfare by the shortest route, visa fees and overseas medical insurance premiums. The host institution arranges accommodation on payment basis. Expenses like passport costs, medical examinations and the regular salary in the home country have to be borne by the fellow or his or her home institution.

Eligibility

Check these points before applying:

1. Applicant must be a citizen of an ASEAN member country. Indian nationals are not eligible.
2. Applicant should hold at least a Master's degree in natural sciences or an equivalent degree in technology, engineering, medicine or allied disciplines.
3. Applicant should be working, studying or affiliated to a national R&D or academic institution in the home ASEAN country.
4. The application must be endorsed by the head of the institution confirming that the applicant will get leave for the fellowship period and will join back after the fellowship ends.
5. Upper age limit is 45 years as on the date of submission of application.
6. Applicant must be fluent in English.
7. Applicants who have availed any Government of India fellowship scheme in the last 3 years cannot apply.
8. The proposed research in India must be linked and add value to an ongoing research project or scheme of the Indian host institute.

Tip: It is better to contact an Indian institution or scientist beforehand and get a formal consent letter for hosting the research. This helps the application, but selection is based on scientific merit and does not depend only on the consent letter.

Application Process

Application Steps

STEP 1 - Open the official ASEAN online portal at aistic.gov.in ASEAN registration page and create a new account.

STEP 2 - Log in with the registered details and fill all the mandatory fields in the Profile Detail section under User Profile. This includes bio data, photo, institute address and other contact details.

STEP 3 - Enter the proposal details like project title, project summary, keywords, objectives, expected output and outcome of the proposal.

STEP 4 - Upload all the required supporting documents as a single PDF file of not more than 10 MB.

STEP 5 - Check the entered details and submit the application online. Hard copies are not required and applications through any other channel are not considered.

The portal keeps the application window open for each cycle. For the earlier cycle, the last date to apply online was 31 May 2025 till 5:00 PM (IST). Fresh cycle dates, when announced by DST and FICCI, will be shown on the same portal.

Documents

Keep these documents ready before starting the online application:

• C.V. of the applicant and C.V. of the proposed Indian host scientist.
• Copy of the relevant pages of a valid passport.
• A signed endorsement letter from the present employer in the prescribed format.
• A signed acceptance letter from the Indian host institution in the prescribed format.

After the fellowship is approved, more documents are needed for administrative processing. These include acceptance letter from the parent institute, consent letter from the Indian host institute, RTGS details of the Indian host institute, itinerary options and joining notification. All these formats are available on the official website.

References

Official Website: ASEAN-India S&T cooperation portal

Scheme Guidelines: AI-RTF fellowship scheme page

Department of Science and Technology: DST announcements page

Application Registration: ASEAN-India fellowship registration portal

For other science research support, see Ramalingaswami Re-Entry Fellowship and SERB - POWER Fellowship.

FAQ's

What is ASEAN-India Research Training Fellowship scheme?

It is a research mobility programme under ASEAN-India Science and Technology Development Fund. It supports researchers from ASEAN countries to work at Indian research institutions for two to six months.

Who can apply for AI-RTF?

Applicants must be citizens of an ASEAN member country, not above 45 years of age, holding a postgraduate degree in science, technology, medicine or allied fields, and affiliated to a national R&D or academic institution in their home country.

What financial support does the fellowship provide?

Selected fellows get ₹60,000 per month stipend, a one-time research contingency grant of ₹40,000 and institutional overhead of ₹2,500 per month. Round-trip international airfare, visa fees and overseas medical insurance are also covered.

Can Indian citizens apply for this scheme?

No. The scheme is exclusive to researchers from ASEAN member states.

How to apply for the fellowship?

Applications have to be submitted online through the official ASEAN fellowship registration portal. Hard copies are not accepted.

Can the fellowship duration be extended?

No. Once the fellowship is awarded, no request for extension or reduction in the two to six month duration is accepted.