How to : Indian Academy of Sciences Summer fellowship (IAS SRFP)

IAS SRFP – My Experience and How You Can Win It Too

Being a life science graduate in India has its fair share of challenges. By challenges, I mean the lack of good opportunities, limited career options, a regressive academic system, insufficient funding, and, of course, the modest income prospects. Still, there are ways to enjoy the process, one such being the Summer Fellowship by the Indian Academy of Sciences (IASc-SRFP). The lack of information and the gatekeeping around this wonderful initiative can feel like a disservice. This fellowship may not be life-changing for everyone, but it does offer a significant stepping stone. I was fortunate to win it twice, though I accepted it only during my master’s. This blog aims to share a blueprint on maximizing your selection chances and making the most of it after being shortlisted.

For starters, the fellowship offers ₹12,500 for two months (if you’re a student), covers all travel expenses (TA bill), and provides a chance to visit, network, and learn about research firsthand from reputed institutions across India, including CSIR labs, IISERs, IISc, NISER, and some industrial labs.

Application Timeline

Starts: Mid-September
Ends: First week of November
Results: Typically announced around February-March, with regular updates, so don’t be disheartened if you’re not selected initially.
Official website: https://www.ias.ac.in/

Application Highlights and Key Areas to Avoid Errors

Name and Address: Both permanent and correspondence addresses should be precise since the offer letter is sent by speed post to the correspondence address.
Marks (up to your latest degree): Verification is thorough, so complete this section diligently.
Training and Projects Section
SOP/Write-Up: There’s no strict format, but a strong proposal should be concise and well-structured. Include a clear title, background on your problem, 1-2 objectives, methodologies, timeline, and the relevance of your outcomes. No need for section headings; instead, convey this in 3-4 paragraphs like a story. Develop habits like reading newspapers and research articles to get an idea of how professional and formal texts look like. this will come in handy during thesis work as it improves your reading and writing skills

For example, if you want to explore the role of small non-coding RNAs in post-transcription events related to a specific illness, set objectives like performing expression analysis and sample genetic material extraction. List methods such as RNA extraction, RT-PCR, and sample preparation, and connect the expected results to existing research. Cite 1-2 studies to support your proposal.

Some resources can guide you on writing research proposals; keep the content limited to 150 words. No template is perfect, but this approach has helped many applicants, including myself and my peers.

some resources.

Additional Info

Selection Letter: Sent by speed post after your name appears on the list.
Selection Chances: Partially luck-based; good applicants are sometimes overlooked, so there’s no foolproof approach.
Stipend: Payment is often delayed; mine arrived two months late, so have funds available until the Academy receives funding from DST.
Guide Assignment: You may not always get a guide in your preferred field, but keeping an open mind can be beneficial.
Guide List: Check the application form (top-right corner) for the list of guides, though assignments are often random.
Annual Life Sciences Selections: Around 300-400 bachelor’s and master’s students in life sciences are selected each year.
LOR: earlier they used to ask for recommendation, nothing like that in the website this year but just in case ask one of your faculty to help you with this. they will be sent a questionnaire via the academy that's it

FAST-SF: Similar program but only for specific states; check eligibility on the official website.

My SRFP-24 Experience

I saw my name on the first day of the selection announcement. I was thrilled, though my assignment was far south, in Chennai. After some deliberation, I accepted. My host institution was the University of Madras, Chennai, Taramani, under Prof. A.K. Munirajan.

The Academy communicates elegantly, adding a touch of "you are special." While the start date is generally flexible, it depends on your guide; mine was open to adjusting my dates. Remember to inform your guide if you’ll be accepting or declining the offer. Familiarize yourself with the lab’s work by reading their publications beforehand, which provides useful context

First Impressions and Adjustments

It takes time to adapt to a new environment. Chennai’s weather, water, and accommodations presented initial challenges. Being from a Hindi/Urdu-speaking background, I struggled with language and food, as my staple was chapati. Despite my English education, the language gap was evident. Observing and gradually learning Tamil’s basics helped bridge this gap.

Prof. Munirajan, having spent years working in Japan, displayed a fascinating blend of cultures. Although he was extremely busy, he checked on my progress regularly. I remember his advice, which resonates deeply:

“Nafis, wherever you go, you are being watched. Every action leaves a mark—be mindful of every detail, as if it’s a test.”

Initially, I thought I’d done something wrong, but his advice was genuinely about mindfulness. Every action dictates the reaction and piles of those results into something grand, you biting hard into insecurities, anxiety or impatience will build up a weak 'you'. Be kind on your journey and always ammend yourself in those situations

After that, I embraced Chennai fully and worked even harder.

Choosing My Research Area

In the lab, I focused on cancer biology amidst various other projects, such as neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. While I won’t delve into details, I recommend selecting a project that teaches you the most techniques. Understanding the methods and reasoning behind them will benefit you.

My guide’s Ph.D. scholar was very helpful, answering my questions and guiding me. The lab’s collaborative environment underscored the importance of patience and self-motivation. Ph.D. scholars often spend years collecting samples, a testament to resilience in research. Engaging in meaningful conversations about life and Ph.D. journeys can shape your perspectives on research and life.

Making the Most of Chennai

Moving on to the fun part, Enjoying the culture, local delicacies and areas can be relieving too. You can hop out on the weekend and explore more as the motto of this allotment is to change you as a person overall. Small-small steps will evolve your persona, hopefully for the better. The part of Chennai I was in, had a mere 2km gap between the department and sea shore. One of the core memory related to Chennai was the beach visits, words are not enough to describe how serene it was. To add more context, Madras/Chennai has a lot of sea shores and even on weekends some are empty.

To summarize my experience I would say that, research within the lab will happen either way, your guide will eventually fix you a work and you will complete it without fail. But that is not the important part of this fellowship, it is meant to teach you life. How to live away from your comforts, how to adjust to situations, how to think autonomously, to develop discipline for the work, to design/plan research, learn how to open up for conversations, and most importantly patience. There are days when nothing happens and that’s just life, you’ve to appreciate nothingness as well.

SRFP or not life will teach you these in its own harsh/soft ways, SRFP is not a pinnacle of life, and getting selected/rejected should not change you. I’ve tried my best to share everything I thought would be engaging and important. If you are shortlisted, try to search for the same selected fellows on the previous list and then find them on LinkedIn. That will help a bit as well.

I hope my insights are useful, and if you get University of Madras, feel free to reach out. My best wishes! See you at the top

- Nafis

Ps: You can treat this as a disclaimer but yes, any advice or any suggestion given here is based upon the experiences i had and the biases i hold. Kindly dont treat any of this is as 'gold standard'. Purpose to write this was to force the readers into thinking about their own ways. I never followed anyone's blueprint and it worked for me, the key is to find your own way. Read and reassess.

Some fun clicks :)