Terms & Conditions
Dr. Bhavbhuti Parasharya Ornithology Fellowship by Voluntary Nature Conservancy
1. Purpose and Overview
1.1. The Dr. Bhavbhuti Parasharya Ornithology Fellowship is established and administered by the Voluntary Nature Conservancy (VNC). The primary purpose of this fellowship is to provide seed grants, academic mentorship, and professional networking to early-career researchers focused on avian ecology and wetland conservation within India.
2. Grant Summary
2.1. Grant Amount: The maximum financial grant allocated per fellowship is INR 1,50,000.
2.2. Award Frequency: A maximum of one (1) award per selected applicant shall be granted in any single calendar year.
2.3. Lifetime Limit: An individual applicant is eligible to receive a maximum of two (2) fellowship awards over their lifetime.
2.4. Project Duration: Approved projects must be executed and completed within a maximum timeframe of six (6) months from the official start date.
2.5. Eligible Applicant Base: Eligibility is restricted to individuals who are currently enrolled in, or have recently completed, a Master’s degree program.
2.6. Geographic Jurisdiction: All research, field activities, and project actions must be conducted entirely within the territorial boundaries of India.
3. Eligibility Criteria
3.1. Nationality and Residence: Applicants must be citizens of India and must reside in India at the time of submitting their application.
3.2. Age Limitation: Applicants must be 25 years of age or younger on the date of application submission.
3.3. Funding Exclusivity: The applicant must not have received, nor currently be receiving, external funding from any other agency or organisation for the proposed project. The applicant must not have access to major external funding streams for the specific research proposed.
3.4. Submission Limits: Only one (1) fellowship application per candidate is permitted in any given calendar year.
4. Application Channels and Language
4.1. Official Channel: Applications must be submitted exclusively through the VNC online application portal at https://ncf.vncindia.org. Applications received via email, post, or any other channel will be disqualified.
4.2. Language Requirement: All applications must be prepared and submitted in English. Language proficiency will not be utilized as a performance evaluation metric; projects are evaluated solely on scientific merit and clarity of scope.
5. Project Eligibility and Scientific Focus
5.1. Target Species and Habitats: Grants are limited to research directly benefiting native Indian wildlife species and natural habitats. Proposals focusing on non-native, introduced, or exotic species are ineligible.
5.2. Priority Criteria: Preference during evaluation will be given to research targeting species designated as threatened or data-deficient, and to projects focusing on underexplored habitats located in Western India.
5.3. Impact Measurement: All proposals must present clear, objective indicators to measure conservation impact, alongside an active project monitoring methodology.
5.4. Financial Format: Proposed budgets must be detailed entirely in Indian Rupees (INR).
6. Eligible Activities and Budget Exclusions
6.1. Permissible Budget Allocations:
- Field surveys, census operations, and ecological data collection.
- Community engagement initiatives directly linked to measurable conservation outcomes.
- Essential field-based and laboratory-based equipment.
- Expenses related to data analysis, software, or analytical consulting.
- Direct costs related to publishing results and scientific dissemination.
6.2. Non-permissible Allocations and Excluded Costs:
- Projects primarily centered on the captive breeding or propagation of non-native species.
- Any activity that violates local, state, or national laws, including environmental or wildlife statutes.
- Operational costs not directly connected to the execution of the approved project.
- Activities already receiving financial coverage from an external agency.
7. Selection Schedule and Evaluation Criteria
7.1. Indicative Annual Selection Timeline:
- 7.1.1. Application Intake: 5 July through 15 August
- 7.1.2. Shortlist Interviews: 19 September
- 7.1.3. Final Selection Announcement: 23 September
7.2. Core Evaluation Criteria:
- Strength of literature review and theoretical background.
- Clarity, specificity, and validity of research objectives and hypotheses.
- Feasibility of the fieldwork methodology and proposed timeline.
- Justification, accuracy, and efficiency of the proposed line-item budget.
- Conservation significance, scientific novelty, and replication potential.
- Overall writing quality, analytical clarity, and academic readiness of the applicant.
8. Reporting and Academic Monitoring
8.1. Progress Reporting: Appointed fellows are required to submit monthly progress updates and a comprehensive final report using standard VNC reporting templates.
8.2. Weekly Progress Reviews: Fellows must participate in mandatory weekly online progress reviews with their designated VNC supervisor or co-supervisor.
8.3. Publication Copy: Upon publication, a digital copy of the thesis abstract, journal article, or monograph must be provided to VNC. All resulting academic works must explicitly credit and acknowledge VNC and collaborating partners.
9. Supervision, Mentorship, and Networks
9.1. Academic Supervision: All fellows must operate under an approved academic supervisor. In the absence of an academic supervisor, VNC will assign an internal supervisor. If an academic supervisor is already in place, VNC will assign a co-supervisor to monitor progress.
9.2. Professional Mentorship: Fellows will be integrated into the VNC professional network to receive guidance from experienced conservation scientists throughout the fellowship.
9.3. Publishing Assistance: VNC provides peer-review and editorial support to help fellows publish their research in recognized academic journals.
10. Financial Management and Regulatory Compliance
10.1. Budget Fidelity: Funds must be spent in strict accordance with the approved line-item budget. Any reallocation of funds exceeding 10% of a budget category requires prior written clearance from VNC.
10.2. Bookkeeping and Audit: Fellows must preserve all relevant financial invoices, receipts, and records, and must make these documents available to VNC for financial audits upon request.
10.3. Permissions and Clearances: Fellows bear sole responsibility for securing all necessary environmental, governmental, and institutional permits or ethical clearances prior to initiating field research.
11. Ethical Standards, Legal Compliance, and Termination
11.1. Regulatory Adherence: All field activities must be compliant with national, state, and local wildlife conservation laws, alongside VNC’s ethical standards.
11.2. Data Ownership and Dispute Resolution: Due authorship credit must be attributed to all project contributors. Raw datasets must be shared with VNC upon request. In the event of academic authorship disputes, VNC management, the academic supervisor, and the co-supervisor will review the matter; the final decision rendered by VNC is binding.
11.3. Funding Suspension and Termination: VNC reserves the right to suspend funding, demand return of disbursed funds, or terminate the fellowship immediately without prior notice in the event of a breach of these Terms and Conditions.
12. Administrative Rules and Dispute Appeals
12.1. Submission Veracity: Incomplete applications or those submitted outside the designated online portal will be immediately disqualified.
12.2. Panel Finality: All decisions made by the VNC Selection Panel are final and not subject to appeal. VNC may provide general feedback on unsuccessful submissions at its absolute discretion but is under no obligation to do so.
13. Definitions
13.1. Applicant: An individual submitting a formal request for funding who satisfies the residency, age, and academic prerequisites outline in Section 3.
13.2. Project: The defined schedule of research activities, objectives, budget, timeline, and indicators submitted by the candidate to be executed within India.
13.3. Fellow: A successful applicant who has been awarded the fellowship and is contractually bound by these Terms and Conditions.
14. Contact Information
14.1. Portal URL: Applications must be submitted via https://ncf.vncindia.org.
14.2. Inquiries: Technical support and application inquiries may be submitted through the designated contact details provided on the portal.