More than one year after announcing the scheme for the career development of women scientists in the country, the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has eventually launched the ‘biotechnology career advancement and reorientation programme for women scientists’ (Bio-CARe Scheme). The DBT has invited proposals from women scientists for research under the Bio-CARe Scheme which was launched by the DBT to enhance the participation of women scientists in biotechnology research in the country.

The programme is targeted towards career development of employed/ unemployed women scientists. The scheme is open for all areas of life science/biology including agriculture, veterinary science and medicine. Age limit for this programme has been kept as 55 to ensure maximum impact.

The programme aims at providing support for project grants to women scientists (employed & unemployed) for whom it is the first extramural research grant. Women scientists who have received any earlier grant from any government funding agency as principal investigator are not eligible for this programme. The purpose is to build capacities for women scientists employed full time in Universities and small research laboratories or unemployed women scientist after a career break so as to help them undertake independent R&D projects.

The eligible women scientists for this programme should be MD/ M. Tech / PhD/Equivalent degree in any branch of life sciences; women scientists who are employed or unemployed or are coming back after a break; women scientists upto 55 years of age; and women scientists for whom it is the first grant. Those who have already availed any grant as principal investigator from government funding agency under WOS (A&B) of DST are not eligible for this programme.

The DBT in late 2010 had launched the Bio-CARe Scheme to facilitate participation of women scientists in biotechnology research. Under the scheme, there are two segments, Research Grant Opportunity (RGO) and Career Re-orientation Fellowship (CRF). The RGO aims at giving project grants to women scientists (employed & unemployed) for whom it would be a first grant. The purpose is to build capacities for women scientists employed full time in Universities and small research laboratories or unemployed women scientist after a career break so as to help them undertake independent R&D projects. Under this scheme, the women scientists who are unemployed will be provided monthly emoluments ranging from Rs.35,000 to Rs.45,000 per month. The employed women scientists in addition to salary will get an amount of Rs.5,000 per month as an incentive.