VISITING STUDENTS INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME

The Internship Programme is conducted by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) withthe aim of promoting interest in Scientific Research among other Institutions/University/College students. Candidates selected for this programme, will work on specific projects under the supervision of the academic staff members of IIA.

Important instructions

All applicants are requested to go through the following instructions carefully.

  1. Applications will be accepted through online mode. Applicants can check the IIA website for announcements.
  2. Applicants must have consistently good academic record with more than 55% marks in Mathematics and Science from 10th standard onwards.
  3. Referees may be contacted for recommendation letters only in the case of short-listed candidates.
  4. Additional documents may be requested from the candidate.
  5. Only those candidates who are selected will be informed about 15 days prior to the start date of the project.
  6. Any false or misleading information will lead to rejection of your application or immediate termination of the project, as the case may be.
  7. The programme is very selective. We receive applications far in excess of the available projects. We regret that we cannot reply to individual queries on the selection.

Categories of Students

  1. Course projects
    Students who are in the final year of B.E/B.Tech/M.Sc/M.Phil/M.Tech can undertake their final year project work towards partial fulfillment of their degree course at IIA. The duration of such projects can be from 6 to 9 months.
  2. Short-term projects
    Students who are in the pre-final year of B.E/B.Tech/M.Sc/M.Tech or final year B.Sc. or within 6 months after the completion of their B.E/B.Tech/B.Sc/M.Sc/M.Tech, can undertake a short-term project at IIA. The duration of such project is from 6 weeks to 6 months only.
  3. PhD students from other institutions
    Students who are doing their PhD in other Institutions/Universities/Colleges can visit IIA for collaborative work with IIA faculty. The total duration of this collaborative visit must not exceed 3 months in an academic year.
  4. INSPIRE/KVPY fellows
    Students with INSPIRE/KVPY fellowship can undertake short-term projects with IIA faculty. The duration of the project is from 6 weeks to 3 months only.
  5. Post-PhD
    Students who have submitted their PhD within the last 6 months can visit IIA for a period not exceeding 6 months.

Infrastructure and financial support

• Accommodation will NOT be provided to any intern student who will be working at the IIA Koramangala campus.
• Accommodation CAN BE provided to those intern students who will be working at one of the field stations of IIA, subject to availabiity.
• All selected intern students are eligible for subsidized meals and tea/coffee in the IIA canteens, access to library and computing facilities.
• Besides the above, some students can get additional financial support. The categories of students who are or are not eligible for finantial support are elaborated below.

(A) Without Stipend and travel support

  1. Local college students, who are permanent residents of Bengaluru City and who pursue projects related to their degree courses under IIA faculty at Bangalore campus: no financial assistance will be provided.
  2. INSPIRE/KVPY fellows or PhD students from other institutes who are getting external funding/fellowship: no stipend and travel support will be provided.

(B) With Stipend and/or travel support

  1. Students selected for internship at IIA Bangalore campus are eligible for stipend of Rs. 10,000 per month (pro-rated) (except those falling under category A above).
  2. Students selected to work at the IIA field stations are eligible for a stipend of Rs.5,000 per month (pro- rated) (except those falling under category A above). They may be provided accommodation, subject to availability, as mentioned above.
  3. Intern students are also eligible for return travel fare by second-class sleeper/bus from the place of residence/college to IIA (Bangalore campus or field station, as the case may be).
  4. Local students, who are permanent residents of Bangalore City, who have completed their degree courses in the recent past (within 6 months) are eligible for a stipend of Rs. 5000 per month, provided they work at IIA Bangalore campus regularly. In some deserving cases full stipend may be given if staying in PGs/hostels.

Other terms and Conditions

  1. Towards the end of the tenure, the student must present a seminar and submit a project report signed by the mentor to BGS. This can be held in the last two weeks of the tenure. The mentor must arrange for the seminar and BGS must be informed about the date and time about ten days in advance. Representatives of BGS or acommittee set up by the BGS will attend the talk and go through the report and evaluate the work. For candidates who fail to comply, the final payment of fellowship will be withheld, and the mentor may be restricted from taking new interns for next the 6 months.
  2. During the course of the project work, if the performance of the student is found to be not satisfactory, his/her fellowship will be terminated at any time.
  3. Extension can be requested subject to satisfactory performance of the student. The total tenure, including the extension, should not exceed six months, except for the cases where the student is self funded or the project is part of a course extending more than six months. Such request for extension must be made at least three weeks prior to the completion of the current tenure.
  4. The presence of the student in the institute is strictly required on all working days except the cases of course related projects. They are encouraged to not take leave except under exceptional circumstances. They should inform the BGS and their respective guides for taking leave and cite the reason for it.

All queries related to projects at IIA (with or without support) be addressed to vsp@iiap.res.in.

Last updated on: February 20, 2024