SN Bose Scholarship 2020: Rewards, Eligibility, Application

SN Bose Scholarship: Satyendra Nath Bose was a renowned Indian physicist of the 1920’s era. He received the Padma Vibhushan award by the Indian government for his acclaimed work in the field of quantum mechanics. The SN Bose Scholars program is a unique initiative undertaken by the Indian and US governments to encourage innovation in the fields of science and technology. They strive to bring in excellence and generate/implement new ideas to the fore in scientific R&D domains. In this regard, the Department of Science and Technology of the Indian government under the aegis of SERB [Science and Engineering Board] collaborative presents this scholarship with IUSSTF [Indo – US Science and Technology Forum] and WIN Step Forward. This article gives detail information about SN Bose scholarship 2020 that includes the last date to apply, application form process, eligibility criteria, documents required, selection procedure, rewards and benefits.

SN Bose Scholarship 2020

SN Bose Scholarship – Key Dates

The general format of the scholarship tenure is an intensive ten to twelve-week long program. Applications for the same shall be invited around September every year. Around the end of October, the deadline for submitting applications shall be placed. During the month of May, the actual scholarship program shall commence.

The timelines explained above is of general nature. It is at the discretion of the deciding panel to publish dates for every coming year.

SN Bose Scholarship – Eligibility Criteria

The SN Bose scholar program not only engages students in active R&D research activities but also brings in a friendly scientific temper and exchange of knowledge between the two countries. The flow of knowledge helps in churning bright minds across the participating nations and helps fuel growth in these sectors. Candidates interested in this scholarship need to fulfill certain eligibility criteria to apply; they are presented below:

• Only Indian nationals can apply.
• Candidates should currently be pursuing their graduation or masters’ program from a recognized college/university of India.
• Candidates must be studying in any of the fields of sciences, mathematics, allied sciences, and related fields.
• Some of the courses accepted for the program are – earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, chemical sciences, engineering, physical sciences, mathematical subjects, computational analysis, and other related fields.
• Candidates who are studying in their final year of graduation/ post-graduation degrees may only apply.
• Individual applications from candidates are not accepted.
• Educational institutions can recommend their students to take part in the program. They can nominate two students per department, per branch of study to apply for the program.
• Candidates doing their Ph.D. or those who have completed their Ph.D. cannot apply for this program.

SN Bose Scholarship Application Process

The detailed application procedure for candidates is explained in this section. This is not a normal scholarship program, and the steps to apply and look forward to getting feedback from them is also pretty different. Candidates should, however, note that they should go ahead with the application process only upon qualifying the eligibility conditions. Also, applying ONLINE within the deadline period is mandatory. Any requests to process the applications after the deadline shall not be entertained. Follow the application process described below:

• Go to the official portal of IUSSTF – [www.iusstf.org]
• Enter the section named – ‘Program portfolio’ and click on ‘Visitations and fellowships.’
• Under this tab, select the ‘SN Bose scholars program.’
• Go down to the page bottom to locate “For Indian students” and click on it.
• Look out for the tab indicating “online application portal for visitation programs” and click on it.
• On the following page, click on the “Apply now” button.
• Read through all the instructions and guidelines before proceeding to enter applicant information.
• Click on “Start application.”
• A new user has first to perform registration formalities.
• Upon registration, the candidate shall receive an e-mail activation link. Click on the link and get your account activated.
• Next, fill up the application form correctly.
• You can save your application in case you need to halt the application process in the middle and get back to complete it later on.
• Finally, upload all requisite documents and hit the submit button.

Documents Required for SN Bose Scholarship

All documents shall be scanned and uploaded along with the application form in soft copies only. They should prescribe to the specified standards and sizes. No hard copies of documents to be sent separately along with application form through post.

• Mark sheets of the last written exam [ graduation/ post-graduation/ both]
• Student ID card.
• Letter of recommendation.
• Bonafide letter from the educational institution.
• Valid Indian Passport.
• Aadhaar Card.
• Bank account details.
• Domicile certificate

[The list of documents presented here is only indicative and not exhaustive. As part of international scholarship and visa/travel norms, candidates may need to present other documents also. The list of necessary documents shall be displayed to the candidate during his ONLINE application process].

SN Bose Scholarship – Rewards & Benefits

Candidates should note that this not a scholarship program for a financial grant or a merit-cum-means scholarship. This is a unique opportunity initiative provided to students to take part in scientific research and incubation activities that would help them pursue scientific education at premier institutes of learning. Here are some of the sought after rewards and benefits obtained from SN Bose scholarship:

• An esteemed privilege for students to stay in the top universities of the US.
• Candidates shall be given a beautiful chance to exchange their ideas and discuss their programs with distinguished and honourable achievers from various science areas.
• The expenses of the entire stay of the selected student in the US shall be covered as a stipend under this program.
• A candidate shall be covered under a health insurance scheme to cover medical costs incurred if any.
• Two way or round trip expenses of air travel from India to the visiting US country and back.

SN Bose Scholarship – Terms & Conditions

Some of the important terms and conditions that candidates should be well versed with while applying to the SN Bose scholarship is indicated below:

• One of the persons who should recommend the candidate to apply for the scholarship in formal terms should be the immediate teacher under whom the candidate pursued his graduation/post-graduation.
• There is no prior association of the scholarship program with any acclaimed university in the US. The scholarship committee works for hands-on with students in identifying their interest areas and areas of excellence and guiding them to suitable universities accordingly.
• The scholarship covers an intensive 10 to 12 weeks program. No extension on the time period shall be sought for continuation.
• If the candidate is doing his 1st semester in his masters, then the candidate should also attach his graduation credentials without fail.
• The nomination of a candidate pursuing his masters shall come from his current teaching fraternity and not from the graduation level staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can I apply for this scholarship if I don’t have a passport at the time of application?
Answer: Yes, you can apply. The candidate is also advised to apply for a passport immediately, and after making a passport application, the status “Applied for a passport” should be mentioned in the scholarship application.

2. Is there any specific format for the recommendation letter/letter from the referring authority?
Answer: Yes. The referring authority shall present a letter about the candidate in his/her letterhead, along with signature by hand and also an official stamp.

3. How can we send the application form to the concerned scholarship committee?
Answer: There are two options. Referring authorities may choose to attach their letter with the application form as a single PDF. The other option is to directly send the recommendation letter to the scholarship committee through e-mail. The address is [email protected], and the subject should mention the name of the candidate and other key particulars.

4. If a candidate already has acquaintance with a relevant teaching faculty in the US of the standards prescribed by the scholarship committee, can he go ahead and inform the same in his application?
Answer: Yes, there is provision for self-selection of university and faculty by the candidate himself, under the stipulations guided by the scholarship committee.

5. Around what time of the year is the scholarship program usually conducted?
Answer: The 12-week intensive program in the US shall be conducted from the mid of May till the end of July every year. However, dates vary from year to year.

Contact Details

The exchange program funded by the SN Bose scholarship comes with its own set of scholarship features and factors. Candidates who wish to get their doubts clarified or have further queries regarding specific data about the program can contact on below details:

Contact Person: Dr. Chaitali Bhattacharya [Member of the Indo-US technology Forum]
Address: Fulbright House, 12, Hailey Road, New Delhi – 110001
E-mail: [email protected]