Australia India Research Students Fellowship program

Applications now open

The Australia India Research Students Fellowship (AIRS Fellowship) program supports emerging researchers from India and Australia to undertake short-term research exchanges.

70 fellowships of up to AUD $10,000 are available, with 35 awards available to applicants from higher education institutions in each country. The program is open to eligible research students and post-doctoral scholars (early-career researchers) across all disciplines. AIRS Fellows will undertake a research project during an exchange of 4 to 8 weeks, to be completed by mid-October 2023.

airs fellowship

The AIRS Fellowship program was jointly proposed at the fifth Australia India Education Council in Delhi in November 2019. It was launched in August 2022 at the sixth Australia India Education Council meeting, co-chaired by Australian Education Minister The Hon Jason Clare and Indian Minister of Education and Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship The Hon Dharmendra Pradhan. The program is run by the Australia India Institute and funded by the Australian Government Department of Education.

The Hon Lisa Singh, CEO of the Australia India Institute, encourages research students to apply for the new AIRS Fellowship program.

Are you eligible to apply?

Applicant eligibility

Eligible applicants	Masters by research students (includes Master of Science and Master of Philosophy) Masters by coursework students undertaking a research subject or research component Doctoral research students (including Doctor of Philosophy) Post-doctoral scholars (early career researchers) up to 5-years post-doctorate
Not eligible	Undergraduate students Doctoral students already participating in a joint Australia-India PhD program
Enrolment	Students must remain enrolled and post-doctoral scholars must remain employed at the eligible Australian or Indian institution for the duration of the fellowship
Citizenship	Applicants from eligible Australian institutions must be Australian citizens or permanent residents and applicants from eligible Indian institutions must be Indian citizens

Eligible institutions

Australian higher education institutions	Higher education institutions located in Australia which have pre-existing engagement with the Indian institution that will be hosting an Australian AIRS Fellow
Indian higher education institutions	Higher education institutions located in India which have pre-existing engagement with the Australian Institution that will be hosting an Indian AIRS Fellow

Funding

AIRS Fellows will receive a lump sum to cover all travel and standard living expenses, taking into account length of stay and country in which the fellowship is undertaken.

AIRS FELLOWSHIP AWARDS	AUD 4 TO <6 WEEKS	AUD 6 TO 8 WEEKS
Australian AIRS Fellows travelling to India	$6,200	$7,600
Indian AIRS Fellows travelling to Australia	$8,000	$10,000

AIRS FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

AUD

4 TO <6 WEEKS

AUD

6 TO 8 WEEKS

Australian AIRS Fellows travelling to India

$6,200

$7,600

Indian AIRS Fellows travelling to Australia

$8,000

$10,000

Key dates

Applications open	5 October 2022
Applications close	18:00 IST/23:30 AEDT, 13 November 2022
Notification of outcomes	By mid-December 2022
Fellowship duration	Research exchanges span from 4 to 8 weeks
Last date to complete fellowship	15 October 2023

Information session

Scientists in lab

Interested in applying for the Australia India Research Students Fellowship program? Potential applicants are encouraged to join this information session to learn more about the benefits of the AIRS Fellowship program and how to build a strong application.

Ready to apply?

Before applying, please read all sections of the Guidelines, which include important information on eligibility and the documents required to submit an application.

Applications can only be made via the online application form (see link below). You will need to register as a researcher with ARCH-India to view and submit the application form. Registering your profile on ARCH-India also enables you to save and revisit your application.

Apply now

Important documents

You will need to supply the following documents to complete your online application.

Letter of Recommendation [PDF/docx]
Letter of Support from the Host Institution [PDF/docx]
Letter of Support from the Home Institution [PDF/docx]