Is the Mobility Scheme a Scholarship for Students?

No. It is a contractual research award for a woman scientist or academic who already holds a permanent post, as DST's advertisement sets it out. A student, a research scholar on a fellowship or a woman looking for her first job does not meet that test.

What Is the Last Date to Apply, and Is It on the National Scholarship Portal?

The last date DST printed for the scheme was 31 July 2016, in its advertisement, and no later date appears on the myScheme listing. Nothing in either document points to the National Scholarship Portal: the myScheme listing records the application mode as offline with no application link, and the 2016 call asked for copies by Speed Post to DST in New Delhi. A woman considering it now should first write to the WISE-KIRAN Division and ask whether proposals are still accepted.

Is DST's Mobility Scheme Related to Erasmus+ or Other Mobility Scholarships Abroad?

No. Several foreign programmes share the name, such as Erasmus+ mobility, the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme and the UK's Youth Mobility Scheme, and they cover study, research or work abroad. UGC's December 2025 notice describes Erasmus+ as the European Union's programme for student and academic mobility with universities in EU member states and partner countries, including India. DST's scheme is about a move at home: the one relocation it places geographically is a husband's transfer "to any other location within the country".

How Much Does the Mobility Scheme Pay Each Month?

Neither the advertisement nor DST's February 2024 fellowship memorandum prints a monthly salary for the Mobility Scheme. The fixed number is the research grant of Rs 5.00 lakh per annum in DST's advertisement, and that money pays for the project's consumables, contingencies, travel and minor equipment, not for the scientist herself.

How Is the Mobility Scheme Different From WOS-A?

WOS-A was set up for women with a break in career; the Mobility Scheme is for a woman who still holds a permanent post and has to move. The Rajya Sabha reply of 20 March 2025 says WOS-A, WOS-B and WOS-C were restructured, after a third-party review, into four new initiatives under WISE-KIRAN, and it does not name the Mobility Scheme anywhere.

What is the aim of this Scheme?

The Mobility Scheme is an initiative aimed at providing opportunities to women scientists who face job-related challenges due to relocation.

Who is eligible to apply for the scheme?

Women scientists or academicians holding permanent positions in Government Institutions, R&D Labs, or Universities, who are willing to resign or take long leave to avail the fellowship, are eligible.

What circumstances qualify as reasons for relocation under this scheme?

Qualifying circumstances include relocation due to marriage, transfer of a spouse to another location within the country, attending to ailing parents, or accompanying children studying in a different city.

What is the duration of the fellowship under the Scheme?

The total tenure of the award is a maximum of five years.

What financial support is provided to the awardees?

Awardees receive a consolidated monthly salary for the project duration. Additionally, there is a research grant of ₹5 lakh per annum, which includes provisions for consumables, contingencies, travel, and minor equipment necessary for implementing the project.

Is there support for hiring manpower under this scheme?

Yes, the scheme provides need-based support for hiring one manpower personnel to assist in the research project.

Can the awardee return to their parent organization after the fellowship?

Yes, awardees have the option to return to their parent organization after completing the tenure of the fellowship.

Are there any restrictions on the location of the new workplace?

Yes, the new workplace must be located more than 500 km away from the applicant's current city.

What is the upper age limit for applicants?

Applicants must be under the age of 50 to be eligible for the scheme.

How can one apply for the Mobility Scheme?

Applicants need to prepare a detailed research proposal in their area of expertise. Five copies of the application form, including general information and the research proposal in the prescribed format, should be submitted.

Where can applicants find the application format?

The prescribed application format is available on the Department of Science & Technology's official website.

To whom should the application be sent?

Five copies of the application should be sent to Department of Science & Technology, Technology Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi-110016, by speed post.

Is the scheme applicable to women scientists in private institutions?

No, the scheme is specifically designed for women scientists working in permanent positions in Government Institutions, R&D Labs, or Universities.

Scholarship

Mobility Scheme(MSDST)

Composite

CentralCentral Sector Scheme

Ministry Of Science And Technology All India myScheme record

Eligibility

Woman scientists/academicians working at permanent position in any Government Institution/R&D Lab/University and willing to resign from their permanent position or take a long leave to avail the fellowship and after completion of the tenure return back to the parent organization.

Region

All India

Award

Composite

Deadline

Not published by the source

Overview

About MSDST

The Mobility Scheme is not a scholarship for students. It is a research award from the Department of Science and Technology (DST) for a woman who already holds a permanent scientific or academic post and has to move far away from it, because of a marriage, a husband's transfer, ailing parents or children studying in another city. It pays her a monthly salary and a research grant for up to five years at the new place. The open question is whether DST still accepts proposals: the most recent official description of it as a running scheme that we found is a Rajya Sabha reply of 2 February 2021.

DST launched the scheme in 2016-17 under KIRAN (Knowledge Involvement in Research Advancement through Nurturing), its programme of career opportunities for women scientists, according to a written reply to a Lok Sabha question that DST published in July 2016. The same reply described KIRAN's WOS-A, WOS-B and WOS-C fellowships as schemes for women with a break in career. The Mobility Scheme was built for the opposite case: a woman who is still employed, whose job cannot move with her.

DST's advertisement for the scheme calls it a contractual research award that acts as a "filler" while the scientist searches for another career option at the new place, so she can stay active in research while meeting responsibilities at home. It funds an independent research project in her own area of expertise.

Who runs it

Provider

Ministry Of Science And Technology

Central Government

Department Of Science & Technology · Department Of Science & Technology, Govt. Of India

At a glance

Key details

Level	Central
Scheme type	Central Sector Scheme
Category	Science, IT & Communications
Beneficiaries	Individual
Benefit type	Composite
Application mode	Offline
Direct Benefit Transfer	No
Tags	Women Scientist, KIRAN, Fellowship, Mobility, Academicians, Capacity Building
Source record	myScheme, 2026-07-08official-site· 2026-07-08

Calendar

Important dates

The last date in DST's advertisement for the scheme is 31 July 2016, and the myScheme listing shows no open or close date. The later record is about whether the scheme is still running at all.

Stage	When	Who said so
Scheme launched under KIRAN	2016-17	DST, Lok Sabha reply, July 2016
Last date for applications	31 July 2016	DST advertisement
Still described as running in project mode	2 February 2021	Rajya Sabha reply
Absent from the WISE-KIRAN programme table	20 March 2025	Rajya Sabha reply
Not listed on DST's WISE-KIRAN Division page	Page last updated 22 April 2026	DST

The Rajya Sabha reply of 20 March 2025 answered a question on support for women scientists facing career breaks, and its table of six WISE-KIRAN programmes, with their eligibility and funding, does not include the Mobility Scheme. DST's division page, which assigns its programmes to named officers, does not mention it, and neither does the WISE-KIRAN chapter of DST's annual report for 2022-23 or any page of its annual report for 2024-25. None of these documents says that the scheme has been withdrawn. The ISTI portal's profile of the scheme is still online, but its "Know more" button leads back to the 2016 advertisement rather than to a current call.

Who can apply

Eligibility criteria

DST's advertisement sets three conditions, and none of them is an income test: a scientist or academic in a permanent position at a government institution, R&D laboratory or university; a new place located beyond 500 km from her present city; and an age within DST's upper limit. There is no family-income ceiling, no pay ceiling and no minimum degree in that list; the permanent post is the qualification that carries the weight.

The age limit comes in two wordings. DST's advertisement says the upper age limit is 50 years to apply, and the myScheme listing repeats that in its eligibility list, but the same listing's FAQ answer says applicants must be "under the age of 50". A scientist who is exactly 50 should ask DST which reading applies to her before posting anything.

Woman scientists/academicians working at permanent position in any Government Institution/R&D Lab/University and willing to resign from their permanent position or take a long leave to avail the fellowship and after completion of the tenure return back to the parent organization.
The new place should be located beyond 500 Km from present city.
Upper age limit is 50 years to apply.

Who cannot apply

Exclusions

The scheme publishes no exclusion list, so the practical exclusions follow from its eligibility tests. A woman on a contract, temporary or project post falls outside it, because DST's advertisement asks for a permanent position, and a move of 500 km or less or an applicant past the age limit is outside it too. The myScheme listing also rules out women scientists in private institutions. A relocation for a reason outside the four DST names is not addressed either way.

Continuation

Renewal conditions

The award cannot be renewed. DST's advertisement caps the tenure at five years and says the award "will not be available for renewal" once those five years are complete. A Rajya Sabha reply of 2 February 2021 described the support as running in project mode for two to five years, so a sanctioned project can be shorter than the ceiling. Neither document explains how a project continues from one year to the next, such as through progress reports or a mid-term review.

What you get

Award & benefits

The award has three components and a time limit, and only one of the components carries a published figure.

Component	What DST's advertisement says	Figure published
Salary	A consolidated amount of salary each month for the project's duration	Not stated
Manpower	Need-based support for one person to help implement the project	Not stated
Research grant	Covers consumables, contingencies, travel and minor equipment	Rs 5.00 lakh per annum
Tenure	Maximum period of the award	Five years

The monthly salary is the number applicants look for first, and DST has not printed it for this scheme. DST's office memorandum of 14 February 2024 revising WISE-KIRAN fellowships sets new monthly rates for six programmes, from WISE-PDF to WOS-B, and the Mobility Scheme is not one of them, so neither document gives a Mobility salary. The research grant also stops at minor equipment: the advertisement names no head for major equipment or institutional overheads.

Monthly Salary: Consolidated monthly salary is provided to awardees for the entire project duration. - Manpower Support: Need-based manpower support is provided to assist in project implementation. - Research Grant: ₹5,00,000/- per annum is provided for consumables, contingencies, travel, and minor equipment. - Duration: Total tenure will be a maximum of five (5) years for this award. This award will not be available for renewal after completion of 5 years duration.

What to prepare

Documents required

Each item on the document list lines up with an eligibility test. Proof of current employment is where the permanent post is shown, the relocation proof covers the move and its reason, and the age proof sits against the 50-year limit. The research proposal is the core of the file: DST's advertisement asks for a full-fledged proposal in her area of expertise, sent as five copies of the application form carrying both the general information and the proposal, with a soft copy of the proposal sent by email as well.

Identity proof

Research Proposal

Proof of Current Employment

Relocation Proof

Academic and Professional Certificates

Age Proof

Bank Account Details

Any other documents if required

Step by step

How to apply

The 2016 call, the only one we found, took applications on paper, by Speed Post, not through a portal. DST's advertisement pointed applicants to the prescribed format on dst.gov.in and on the online-wosa.gov.in portal, asked for five copies to be posted to DST at Technology Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi-110016, and asked for the envelope to be superscribed "Mobility Scheme".

The addressee is where an applicant can go wrong. The 2016 advertisement named a DST scientist as the recipient of both the posted copies and the emailed proposal, and that officer does not appear in the current team table on DST's WISE-KIRAN Division page. Confirm the present addressee with the division before sending anything.

Tracking Your Application

There is no online status page to check. The 2016 call left an applicant two records of her own: the Speed Post consignment to Technology Bhawan in the envelope marked "Mobility Scheme", and the soft copy of her proposal emailed to the named DST scientist. The myScheme listing offers nothing to follow either, with the mode set to offline and no application link. Any word on a proposal would come from the WISE-KIRAN Division, whose officers and email addresses are listed on DST's division page.

1
Apply offline
The official links on this page lead to the application portal.

How winners are picked

Selection process

DST has not published a selection rule for the Mobility Scheme. The advertisement names no screening committee, no interview, no scoring criteria and no number of awards, and the 2021 Rajya Sabha reply says only that support is given in project mode.

Fine print

Terms & conditions

The resignation clause needs a careful reading. DST's advertisement asks for a scientist willing either to resign her permanent position or to take long leave, and the same sentence has her going back to the parent organisation after the tenure; the myScheme FAQ presents that return as an option. A woman who resigns can go back only if her employer takes her back, so her employer's leave rules are worth checking before she chooses between the two.

The award is contractual and, in DST's own word, a filler, not a new permanent post. The manpower support is for one person and only where the project needs it, and the research grant is limited to consumables, contingencies, travel and minor equipment. The advertisement is silent on where the project is hosted at the new place, whether funds are released to an institution or to the scientist, and how progress is reported.

Get help

Contact

The scheme sits with DST, at Technology Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi-110016, the address given in DST's advertisement. Women's programmes are now run by the WISE-KIRAN Division, and its page names Dr Umesh Kumar Sharma, Scientist-G and Head, and Dr Susheela Negi, Associate Head, as the officers covering all of its programmes, with their email addresses listed there.

Source

Official links

Guidelines Scheme Details myScheme (Government of India)

Questions

MSDST – FAQ

Frequently asked questions

From the official scheme FAQ (myScheme)

Read this

Disclaimer

Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles, so always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.

References

Sources

Rajya Sabha reply of 2 February 2021 – pib.gov.in
a written reply to a Lok Sabha question that DST published in July 2016 – dst.gov.in
myScheme listing – myscheme.gov.in
ISTI portal's profile of the scheme – indiascienceandtechnology.gov.in
UGC's December 2025 notice – ugc.gov.in