Background 

The late Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh was a prominent medical research scientist whose contributions significantly advanced the field of medical and scientific research, particularly in the development of diagnostic laboratories in Malaysia. In line with his vision, the Medical Research Endowment Fund was primarily established to promote education irrespective of race, colour and religion.   

The Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh (RBS) Medical Research Grant is an annual programme under the RBS Medical Research Trust Fund. This grant is awarded to one (1) young Malaysian scientist to support pioneering medical or biomedical research.  

Scope of Grant  
  1. Funding request must not exceed RM 50,000. 
  2. Research proposals must align with the field of medical research. 
  3. The grant serves as seed funding to help researchers develop innovative ideas that can form the foundation for larger grant applications. 
  4. The project must be conducted in Malaysia and completed within a 24-month (2-year) timeframe. 
  5. The grant must be used exclusively for research materials. 
  6. The grant cannot be used for: 
    • Travel expenses, 
    • Equipment purchases (e.g., personal computers, laptops, printers, servers, scanners, etc.), 
    • Wages or allowances for temporary or contract personnel. 
  7. The grant will be disbursed directly to the recipient’s institution by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). 
 Eligibility 
  1. Applicants must be a research scientist/ physician with the following criteria: 
    • Must be a Malaysian citizen currently residing in Malaysia. 
    • Must not exceed 40 years of age at the time of application (as of 20 March 2026). 
    • Must possess at least a basic university degree qualification. 
    • Must currently work in Malaysia at a public or private Institution of Higher Learning (IHL) or a Research Institute (RI). 
Assessment Criteria

The assessment of research proposal will be based on the following four core criteria:

  1. Research Quality and Feasibility (50%)
    • Strength of medical or scientific case
    • Feasibility of experimental plans, statistics, methodology and design including provision of sample size calculations
    • Risk identification and plans to mitigate them
  1. Impact (20%)
    • Identification of potential impacts of the research for Malaysia and plans to deliver them
  1. Innovation (20%)
    • Level of innovation and whether it is likely to lead to significant new understanding
  1. Value for money (10%)
    • Whether funds requested are essential and justified by the importance and scientific potential of the research
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Delivery Output

After disbursement of the full grant amount, the recipient of the research grant should deliver the following:

  1. Submission of a Progress Report and endorsed Financial Report by the institution bursary every 6 months to the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (ASM) that includes milestone achievement and project updates according to the report formatting given.
  2. Submission of the Final Report and endorsed Financial Report to ASM within 3 months of the project end date. The Report should include the status of any publications or manuscript(s) in preparation. Reports submitted will be reviewed by the ASM RBS Medical Research Trust Fund Programme Committee and Mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Akaun Amanah Penyelidikan Perubatan Dr Ranjeet Bhagwan Singh.
  3. The Project Leader should publish at least one (1) research article in an indexed peer-reviewed journal. The ASM Secretariat should be updated every six (6) months on the status of the manuscript until the manuscript is accepted for publication. A copy of the published article must be submitted to the ASM Secretariat for its records.

Deadline of Application

The application will be closed on 20 March 2026 at 11:59 PM. Incomplete applications shall not be considered.

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Contact Details

For further information, kindly contact

RBS Secretariat
Academy of Sciences Malaysia
Tel│+603-6203 0633     Fax│+603-6203 0634
Email: rbs@akademisains.gov.my