2216C – TÜBA-TÜBİTAK Uzbekistan Aziz Sancar Research Fellowship Programme

The purpose of the programme, which was prepared pursuant to the protocol signed between TÜBİTAK and TÜBA on 27.12.2022, is to promote of scientific and technological cooperation during and after doctoral studies between Türkiye and Uzbekistan. This call announcement covers the procedures and obligations related to the applicants and/or international young researchers supported by the programme.

For detailed information, please click the following image.

Within the scope of the programme, the young researchers are provided with the following support;

• Monthly fellowship (stipend) to cover living costs in Türkiye;

• Flight ticket (Tickets to reach Türkiye at the beginning of the fellowship and the return journey on completion of the fellowship)

Amount and Duration of the Support

• For doctoral students: A monthly stipend of 24.000 Turkish Liras

• For postdoctoral researchers: A monthly stipend of 32.000 Turkish Liras

The duration of the support is minimum 12 months and maximum 36 months.

• To be able to submit the online application form to TÜBİTAK, the candidate must first create a profile on the platform in the TÜBİTAK Researcher Information System (ARBIS).

• Applications are submitted online via the TÜBİTAK online application system through TYBS within the dates indicated in the call announcement.

• Please make sure that you upload all required documents in the online application system. The application system will be open during the application period. You can make changes in your information and upload new documents before confirming your application.

• Documents to be uploaded to the application system must be in English.

• Documents without signature are not accepted.

• Acceptance Letter must be taken from the highest authority of the host institution. The highest authority of the host institution is the rector or the authorized vice-chancellor public universities; the person authorized by the board of trustees in the foundation universities; the director of the center in case of a research infrastructure that is qualified under the Law No. 6550.

• All application documents must be prepared according to the template of TÜBA-TÜBİTAK. Documents in different formats will not be accepted. For the templates, please see the “application forms”.

• Support payments of the fellow will be initiated based on the starting date of the research. The start date of the research must be the first day of the month in which the research will start.

• Fellowship payments are paid within the first 10 days of the following month to TRY bank accounts on the names of fellows based on the information given in the letter of commitment by the fellow.

• Candidates must organize their own comprehensive medical insurance for the period of their stay to meet any untoward incidents and major ailments before travelling to Türkiye.

• There is no retroactive payment to the fellows who choose to arrive to Türkiye by their own means before the date on the acceptance letter.

• Be permanent residents and nationals of Uzbekistan (the dual citizens, the individuals who renounced Turkish citizenship for any reason are not eligible for the application).

• Must not hold any visa for temporary or permanent residency in Türkiye or any country;

• Not currently residing in the host country (Türkiye);

• Having a reference letter from Uzbek Government public institutions, Uzbekistan Universities or Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences;

• Having an official acceptance at an eligible department, institution or laboratory of a public university or public research centers in Türkiye*

For doctoral researchers;

• By the deadline date of the application, having registered to a doctoral in the fields specified in the call text in a higher education institution in Uzbekistan. S/he must have successfully passed the PhD qualifying exam or be in an advanced stage of their PhD in the fields specified in the call text;

• Being 35 years old or younger on 31 December of the application year.

For post-doctoral researchers;

• Holding a PhD degree certificate in the fields specified in the call text;

• Being 45 years old or younger on 31 December of the application year.

Eligible fields:

1. Basic Sciences (Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Molecular Biology and Genetics),

2. Engineering Sciences,

3. Astronomy, Earth and Space Sciences,

4. Information Technologies,

5. Agricultural Sciences (Agriculture, Food, Animal Science, and Veterinary),

6. Social Sciences (International Relations, Political History, Educational Sciences

Method of Application

• To be able to submit the online application form to TÜBİTAK, the candidate must first create a profile on the platform in the TÜBİTAK Researcher Information System (ARBIS) that is available at https://arbis.tubitak.gov.tr/home.jsf

• The information of the researchers in the Researcher Information System (ARBIS) to apply for the programme and the academic advisor(s) in Türkiye must be up-to-date before applying online.

• Applications are submitted online via the TÜBİTAK online application system through TYBS within the dates indicated in the call announcement.

• During the application stage, it is sufficient to upload the documents into the application system and they are not required to be delivered to BIDEB by email or post.

• Documents to be uploaded to the application system must be in English. Documents prepared in other languages must be accompanied by their certified English translations.

• Within the application period, the application can be withdrawn from the online system.  After the application period is over, a signed petition stating the application year and period for withdrawal process in the evaluation stage should be sent to BIDEB. An update will be made after the petition reaches to BIDEB.

Application Documents

It is mandatory to upload the documents listed below to the application system, during the online application period. Templates for these documents are available for download.*

• Scanned copy of the identity and visa sections of the passport;

• Research proposal form prepared in the format determined by TÜBİTAK;

• A reference letter taken from Uzbek Government public institutions, Uzbekistan Universities or Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences**

Additional documents specific to doctoral students:

• The official Registration & No Objection Certificate indicating that the candidate is registered as a PhD student abroad and that he/she is successful in PhD proficiency exam/being an advanced stage of their PhD research is taken in the last three months before the application date.

Additional documents specific to postdoctoral researchers

• The official/notarized copy of PhD diploma. If the diploma of the applicant is not ready, a temporary graduation certificate or an official letter on the applicant’s graduation.

*The selection committee may interview the names on the final and waiting list to measure their language competence in English or Turkish.

**Reference letters must be sent directly to TÜBA by the official authorities via the following email address azizsancarbursu@tuba.gov.tr

A maximum of 8 researchers will be supported per year. The applications are evaluated in two phases.

Preliminary Assessment

Application documents are checked during a preliminary assessment. Applications which do not fulfil the requirements or are lacking any requested documents, missing documentation in the requested format or are not submitted  within the application period,  or submitted by fax or e-mail will be  returned without being subjected to scientific evaluation.

Scientific Evaluation

Evaluation is based solely on documents uploaded to the application system. For this reason, the documentation for each requirement must be uploaded to the system in clear and determined context. (Documents which only contain links of web pages will not be considered.)

The results of the evaluation are determined by Group Executive Committee and submitted to the Presidency. The applications which will be supported and the amount of the support will be  finalized by the approval of the TÜBİTAK Presidency and TWAS.

A scientific evaluation is carried out by expert panelists/consultants based on the evaluation criteria.*

1. Excellence
   The Quality and credibility of the research/innovation project; level of novelty, inter/multidisciplinary aspects.
   The Quality and appropriateness of the training and of the two-way transfer of knowledge between the researcher and the host.
   The scientific competence of the academic advisor(s) in Türkiye and the integration of the researcher with the institution/organization in which the research will be conducted.

2. Implementation
   Consistent and effective methodology and work plan: Work packages, Success Criteria.
   Compliance of project management structure and monitoring processes including risk management.
   Appropriateness of the infrastructure of the institution/organization to which the research will be conducted.

3. Impact
   Widespread impact of project outputs.
   Quality of delivery of project activities to different target groups.
   Effects on career development of young researcher.

Evaluation is based solely on documents uploaded to the application system. For this reason, the documentation for each requirement must be uploaded to the system in clear and determined context. Documents which only contain links of web pages will not be considered.

*Within the scope of the scientific evaluation process, all application files are shared with TÜBA in order to match reference letters sent by public authorities of Uzbekistan and make the pre-appointment of the institution in which the research will be carried out and academic advisor in Türkiye. Subsequently, Scientific panels are formed by BİDEB with the panelist suggestions taken from TÜBA. The applications to be supported are the support amount are finalized by the joint decision of the presidents of TÜBA and TÜBİTAK, provide that the enforcement and approval processes in TÜBA and TÜBİTAK are completed.

The fellow is obliged to initiate the research and fellowship within 12 months of the date of the award letter. The status of the fellows who cannot start their research due to health, natural disaster and similar force majeure and other reasons can be evaluated by GYK provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency, the fellowship initiation period can be deferred up to 6 months at the most. A fellow who does not begin his/her research within 12 months without the decision of the GYK cannot claim any rights on the fellowship.

Required Documents to Initiate the Fellowship

Selected candidates will be sent an official award letter jointly signed by TÜBİTAK and TWAS-UNESCO.

• Invitation letter taken from the highest authority of the institution in which the research will be carried out in Türkiye.

• Letter of commitment signed by the researcher and the academic advisor(s) at the university in which the research will be carried out.

• If the research requires, the approval certificate obtained from the Ethics Committee of the university in which the research will be conducted or from any relevant Ethics Committee, should be submitted to BİDEB.

After the submission of the above-mentioned documents to BİDEB, support payments of the fellow will be initiated based on the starting date of the research. The start date of the research must be the first day of the month in which the research will start.

General Provisions

• Notifications are generally made electronically by TÜBİTAK BİDEB. For this reason, it is necessary to provide an electronic address suitable for notification and to keep the contact information up to date.

• The fellow is obliged to initiate the research and fellowship within 12 months of the date of the award letter. The status of the fellows who cannot start their research due to health, natural disaster and similar force majeure and other reasons can be evaluated by GYK provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency, the fellowship initiation period can be deferred up to 6 months at the most. A fellow who does not begin his/her research within 12 months without the decision of the GYK cannot claim any rights on the fellowship.

• The fellow and the academic advisor in Türkiye must comply with universal scientific research and scientific publishing rules during the conduct of the research. Where necessary, it is obligatory to obtain the Ethics Committee Approval document and the legal permission from the relevant institutions for the research to be done. In case of a violation of the above-mentioned rules, legal actions shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of TÜBİTAK Directive ın Research and Publication Ethics Committee (AYEK).

• The fellow is obliged to report all kinds of fellowship or financial support, which are received from another institution in Türkiye during the fellowship period to BİDEB within 15 days from the starting date of the support. If the fellow has any financial support received from another institution, the amount of the support within the scope of this programme might be separately determined by the GYK provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency.

• The fellows have to maintain their research studies full-time during the fellowship period. The fellow is obliged to inform TÜBİTAK about any short or long-term visits away from the host institution and the duration of such visits within 10 days of the occurrence causing the time away. Duration of time away for less than 15 days per year shall not interrupt the fellowship payment. For any durations longer than 15 days GYK and the Presidency may consider temporary suspension, repeal or cancelation of the fellowship provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency. In such a scenario, any stipend paid for this period will have to be returned to BİDEB by the fellow.

• Those who receive fellowship within the scope of this programme cannot receive project incentive bonus (PTI), fees, royalties, and similar financial support from other projects supported by TÜBİTAK at the same time.

• In the case of those who receive or are eligible to receive fellowship from other programmes of TÜBİTAK, this situation should be reported to TÜBİTAK in writing by the fellow. If otherwise determined, the fellow is obliged to pay back the entire fellowship amount to BİDEB along with the legal interest.

In case of non-compliance with the obligations, action is taken in accordance with the provisions of this Call Announcement and the Letter of Commitment.

Progress and Final Reports

• In relation to their research, the fellows should upload progress and final reports to the online monitoring system on the dates specified by TÜBİTAK. It is sufficient to upload the reports to the online monitoring system. Reports uploaded to BİDEB online monitoring system must be also submitted to TÜBA via the following email address azizsancarbursu@tuba.gov.tr

• A progress report is not requested from the fellows whose support periods are less than 10 months, and it is sufficient for them to upload their final reports to the online monitoring system on the dates specified by TÜBİTAK. Fellows whose support period is determined as 10 months and more are required to upload progress report(s) every 6 months following the start date of their research and a final report within 2 months of the end date of their research.

• Progress reports can be uploaded to the online monitoring system no more than 10 days after the submission dates specified by TÜBİTAK. In case of any delay of the submission of progress reports, the fellowship payments will not be paid and the fellow will be given an additional period of 2 months. The fellowship payments of the fellows who submit their progress reports within the given time period will continue where they left off. The support given to the fellows who do not submit their progress reports to BİDEB within 2 months without relying on force majeure reasons may be repealed or canceled with the decision of the GYK and the approval of the Presidency provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency.

• If the final report is not uploaded to the online monitoring system within 2 months following the research end date, the fellow can request additional time with a reasoned and signed petition. If the request is considered appropriate by the GYK, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency additional time may be given for the completion of the report. The fellowship support of the fellow who does not submit their final reports to BİDEB in the additional time given, can be repealed or canceled by the GYK decision and the approval of the Presidency, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency.

• Progress and final reports are evaluated by academic experts to be assigned by BİDEB. Reports that are not sufficient as a result of the evaluation are requested to be revised within 2 months. The support of the fellow who does not send the necessary revisions within the given time period or whose revised reports are not accepted can be repealed or canceled by the decision of the GYK and with the approval of the Presidency provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency. 

• TÜBA and TÜBİTAK support should be stated in the publications within the scope of the programme and, if available, the publication should be uploaded to the online monitoring system in addition to the progress and final reports.

Change of Host Institution, Mentor or Research Title

• In case of a request to change the host institution/organization or the academic advisor(s) in Türkiye, the fellow should apply to BİDEB  submitting the following documents:
  Request Form to Change of Host Institution/Academic Advisor(s). The fellow and the current, and the new academic advisor in Türkiye must be signed the relevant parts of the form.
  The acceptance letter from the highest authority of the new host university in which the research will be conducted.

If GYK decision approves the request provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency, the transfer can proceed. Following the approval, the Letter of Commitment of the fellow will be renewed.

• In case the fellow requests to make changes on the research title without changing the research subject to which it is entitled to support, the fellow must apply to BİDEB along with a letter of justification signed by the fellow and the academic advisor in Türkiye. With the GYK approval, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency, the research title can be changed.

Fellowship Extension, Suspension and Early Cessation

• It is essential for the fellows to complete his/her research successfully within the fellowship period assigned by TÜBA and TÜBİTAK. If fellows, who are supported for less than the maximum support period (36 months) wish to extend their fellowship, they should deliver the following documents to BİDEB 2 months before the end date of the fellowship period:
  Request Form for Fellowship Extension. This form also includes the summary of the research carried out by the fellow during the period of support and a reasoned request for the extension of the period signed by the fellow and the academic advisor(s) in Türkiye.
  A detailed research report on the studies that will be carried out within the requested period. This report should be prepared in the “Progress Report” format in the “Application Forms” available on the official programme website.

If the request for extension is deemed appropriate by GYK, it will be finalized with the approval of the TÜBİTAK Presidency, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency. The extended period cannot exceed fifty percent of the initially awarded support period of the fellowship.

• In the event of a situation requiring the suspension of fellowship based on force majeure or an excuse that GYK could accept, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency the fellow and the academic advisor(s) in Türkiye must apply to BİDEB with a justification within 20 days from the date of the incident. Fellowship support can be suspended if GYK deems appropriate, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency. The suspension period may be up to 12 months during the support period and no payment will be made to the fellow during this period. Upon request of the fellow and the academic advisor in Türkiye regarding the resumption of the discontinued support, if deemed appropriate by the GYK provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency, the fellowship support will recommence and the suspension period will be added to the fellowship period.

• In the event that no request is submitted by the fellow and the academic advisor in Türkiye for the resumption of support within the suspension time, the support of the fellow can be repealed or canceled by the decision of the GYK and with the approval of the Presidency, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency.

• If the fellow wants to leave the programme earlier than the end date of the fellowship without completing the research or completed the research earlier than the end date of the fellowship, the fellow and academic advisor in Türkiye must apply to BİDEB with appropriate justification 15 days before. without successful completion of the programme the following conditions will apply:
  In the case of abandonment of the fellowship, the fellowship support will be repealed or canceled by the decision of the GYK and the approval of the Presidency provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency.
  In case of early completion of the research, fellowship payments will not be paid from the date of completion. The final report that is prepared for research results and outputs obtained until the date the research was stopped must be uploaded to the online monitoring system within 2 months. The support of the fellow is terminated with GYK decision and with the approval of the Presidency, provided the appropriate opinion of the TÜBA Presidency based on the approval of the final report as a result of the monitoring evaluation by scientific experts.

Ethical Rules

• The fellow and the academic advisor in Türkiye must comply with universal scientific research and scientific publishing rules during the conduct of the research. Where necessary, it is obligatory to obtain the Ethics Committee Approval document and the legal permission from the relevant institutions for the research to be done.

• In case of a violation of the above-mentioned rules, legal actions shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of TÜBİTAK Directive ın Research and Publication Ethics Committee (AYEK).

Other Provisions

• TÜBİTAK will be responsible for a monthly allowance to cover accommodation/living expenses and medical facilities for minor ailments as available in Türkiye at amounts to be specified by TÜBİTAK.

• TÜBA will cover the researchers’ arrival and departure costs from Türkiye at the beginning of the fellowship and on completion of the fellowship. Researchers who are eligible for support under this programme should contact TÜBA for ticketing procedures at azizsancarbursu@tuba.gov.tr

• Candidates must organize their own comprehensive medical insurance for the period of their stay to meet any untoward incidents and major ailments before travelling to Türkiye.

• There is no retroactive payment to the fellows who choose to arrive to Türkiye by their own means before the date on the acceptance letter.

TÜBİTAK - BİDEB (The Department of Science Fellowships and Grant Programmes)

The Coordinatorship of Research and Fellowship Programmes

2216C - TÜBA-TÜBİTAK Uzbekistan Aziz Sancar Research Fellowship Programme

T: 0312 444 66 90                                                                              

E-mail: 2216azizsancar@tubitak.gov.tr