New Kothari Fellowships To Build Research & Faculty

New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) Institution of D S Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellowships was announced by the University Grants Commission this evening to commemorate the birth centenary of one of India's foremost educationists and illustrious scientists.

The new prestigious fellowship to be awarded from the academic session 2007-08 is intended to fill ''a widely felt void in availability of high quality research personnel in the country,'' the UGC announcement said.

''At any given time we shall have up to a thousand Kothari Fellows,'' UGC Chairman Sukhadeo Thorat told UNI, adding it would help build up strong faculty.

Daulat Singh Kothari was born at Udaipur on July 6, 1906 and was a student of Physicist Meghnad Saha. He was scientific advisor to India's Defence Ministry from 1948-61 and is seen as an architect of Indian defence science. He was UGC chairman from 1961-73.

The Commission today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Pune University, identified as the nodal university for launching the scheme, the announcement said.

Awardees will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 18,000-22,000 with annual monthly increase of Rs 1,000, alongwith a Re 50,000 yearly contingency grant, the announcement said.

Candidates who have either received a Ph D degree or submitted their Ph D thesis are eligible to apply.

Those who have submitted their Ph D thesis may be awarded a 'bridging fellowship'-- a marginally reduced Rs 16,000 a month stipend-- until they are formally awarded the Ph D.

The fellowship will be awarded on a yearly basis with renewal or termination clause on the basis of the fellowship mentor or peer group appraisal. The maximum duration of the Fellowship award will be three years.

The announcement said as many as 500 such awards may be made every year, allowing a maximum total of 1,000 at any time.

The selection process for the scheme would be open the year round and not restricted by any specified deadlines as thesis submission and award of Ph D degree are open ended processes.

The Fellowship will have a rolling advertisement on the UGC website and possibly those of its affiliates and candidates will be able to apply online, it said.

Applications will be evaluated by a standing (core) peer group, it said.

It said the idea being to inculcate post-doctoral research culture, selection process will emphasise an appropriate mix of candidates' accomplishment at Ph D level and the professional standing of mentor and institution where postdoctoral research is to be carried out.

Candidates may be required to give an undertaking while availing the award, along with the endorsement of the research mentor, that they would stay in place for a minimum of six months.

UNI