NGSF Internship Program 2024

Next Gen Scientists Foundation (registered under the Trust act of India 1882)  offers  an opportunity to fund  internships  for undergraduate and postgraduate students who wish to gain research experience in life sciences. Interns will conduct independent research under  the  mentorship of Principal Investigator/Professor of their interest at Indian institutes. This year, we will continue to accept applications for remote internships in Computational Biology, in addition to the usual on-site internships. However, please note that remote interns will comprise a maximum of 20% of the final selected cohort. NGS interns can apply to get their final year thesis projects funded starting 2025.

Applications for NGSF Internship Program 2024 are now closed.

Eligibility:   

Applicants will be deemed eligible if the following conditions are satisfied:

• Be interested in undertaking a life science-associated internship for a period of two (minimum of 56 days) or three (minimum of 84 days) months
• Be a student in the (i) 2^nd  year of a 3-year undergraduate program or   (ii)  2^nd /3^rd year of a 4-year undergraduate program or (iii) 1^st year of a 2-year masters program or  (iv)  2^nd /3^rd /4^th  year of a 5-year integrated program at an Indian institute
• Be accepted to work in the lab of a professor/principal investigator (PI) in any Indian Institute outside of their institute of study

Students receiving financial assistance from the principal investigator and/or any other agencies (KVPY, INSA, JNCASR, IIT, IISER) cannot get additional support from the program. NGSF does not support internships where interns have to pay a fee to gain experience. Funds from the program are meant to support interns in traditional unpaid internships without fees.

Finding a PI mentor/professor for your internship:

We DO NOT provide internship opportunities directly. The program only funds students accepted by PIs to work in their labs. We want you to have a productive internship experience. So, please ensure that the prospective PI mentor/professor has at least three years of experience as faculty and at least three publications in peer-reviewed journals as a corresponding (last) author. If you’re unsure where to look, visit the list of recommended institutes.

Application process:  

We accept applications only through the online application system. Carefully  read the application guidelines before applying and follow the instructions.  The application system opens on December 1  2023 and closes at 12:00 midnight on March 31 2024.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Hence, early applications are encouraged. Selected  applicants will be invited to interview via Skype in April.

Result announcement:  

Results will be announced before April 31 2024. Selected candidates will be informed via email.

Financial support: 

NGS Interns will receive a stipend amount of INR 6000 per month for on-site internships and INR 3000 for remote internships for a period of up to 3 months upon satisfying requirements . For on-site interns, travel will also be reimbursed up to the cost of a III class AC train ticket (round-trip).

Internship period : 

The internship can span any two to three month period between May and July 2024 as per the convenience of the student and the PI.

Scientific Communication: 

Besides funding your research experience, our program also emphasizes on effective scientific communication. During the internship period, interns are required to contribute  an article to NGS blog and submit a monthly progress report. At the  end of the program, participants should give a presentation on their experience as a part of the NGS Internship webinar  program.

Dissertation Program: 

Starting from 2022, candidates who have been selected as NGSF interns get the added benefit of applying to get support during their Bachelors/Masters thesis research work after their internship period. The only requirements for applying to the program are 1) Be selected as part of the NGSF Internship Program previously and 2) Perform your dissertation/thesis work outside of your institute of study. If selected, we will provide a stipend of INR 6000 per month for up to 6 months.

Any further questions regarding the internship program will be addressed at intern@ngsf.in  or you can chat with our team directly in Indian Life Science Network ( NGSF Category/#internship-queries). Please note, enquiries made through made through our Discord server will be addressed quicker than those made through email.