The scheme “Empowering Youth for Undertaking Value Added Innovative Translational Research (E-YUVA)” was started by the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) to promote a culture of applied research and need-oriented (societal or industry) entrepreneurial innovation among young students and researchers. The scheme provides funding support (through fellowship and research grant), technical and business mentoring, exposure to bio incubation model, orientation to an entrepreneurial culture, etc. to students at various levels including undergraduates, post-graduates, and post-doctoral.

E-Yuva Centers are housed within the University/Institute set-up. It acts as an anchor and extends requisite support and mentoring to students. Each EYC has a BIRAC-supported pre-incubation space which offers infrastructure and equipment for basic research and experimentation by selected students.

Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC)

The “BIRAC’s Innovation Fellowship” is the scheme a category under E-YUVA Scheme. Under the scheme, the student who have completed post-graduation and above can apply for the fellowships and the selected applicants will be called as BIRAC’s Innovation Fellows. BIRAC’s Innovation Fellows are expected to initiate biotech startups. Hence, only proposals with the potential to commercialize innovative products and technologies will be considered for support.

BIRAC Innovation Fellowship proposals can be submitted in any domain including Healthcare, Lifesciences, Diagnostics, Medical Devices, Drugs, Vaccines, Drug Formulations and delivery systems, Industrial Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Agriculture, Secondary agriculture, Waste Management, Sanitation, Clean Energy and Artificial Intelligence/IoT/ Automation with application in any of these areas. BIRAC encourages interdisciplinary proposals from any stream that can help the conversion of innovative ideas into biotech products and technologies in any of the above fields.

Nature of Proposals supported: • Translational research proposals to develop innovative products and technologies with the potential to address unmet needs. • BIRAC’s Innovation Fellows are expected to initiate biotech startups. Hence, only proposals with the potential to commercialize innovative products and technologies will be considered for support.

Each EYC can have 3 Innovation Fellows at any given time.

Fellowship is provided for a period of 18 months with a provision of 6 months extension only for deserving cases.

An Indian Student who has completed Masters/ Ph.D in any discipline is eligible to apply for this fellowship.

Other requirements: • BIRAC’s Innovation fellows are required to work full-time at EYC. • Students pursuing PhD cannot be considered for fellowship grants. • Selected fellows cannot pursue PhD during the fellowship tenure.

BIRAC’s Innovation Fellows will receive fellowship grants and annual research grants as mentioned below: Fellowship grant: 1. INR 30,000/- per month for Post-graduate fellow 2. INR 50,000/- per month for Post-doctoral fellow Annual research grant: 1. INR 3,00,000/- per year for Post-graduate fellow 2. INR 5,00,000/- per year for Post-doctoral fellow

Online application submission needs to be done through the BIRAC website. (https://birac.nic.in/)