Online application invites for Prime Minister's Research Fellowship

The Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme is aimed at attracting the talent pool of the country to doctoral (Ph.D.) programmes of Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Indian Institutes of Science Education & Research (IISERs), Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Central Universities (which are among the top 100 National Institutional Ranking Framework, NIRF ranked universities) for carrying out research in cutting edge science and technology domains, with focus on national priorities.

Under the PMRF scheme for PMRF December 2019, students who have completed, or are pursuing, the final year of four year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech or five year integrated M.Sc. or five year undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programmes or two year M.Sc. programmes in Science and Technology streams from IIEST/IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs and centrally funded IIITs or any other Institute / University recognized in India, are eligible for admission to full time Ph.D. programme in the IISc, IISERs, IITs and a select group of Central Universities provided they fulfil prescribed eligibility criteria and finally get selected after shortlisting/written test/interview. For each hosting institute (IISc, IISERs, IITs and a select group of Central Universities) the Ph.D admissions under the PMRF scheme will be supernumerary.

Applicants who fulfill the eligibility criteria, and are finally selected through a selection process, will be offered admission to Ph.D. programme in one of IISc/IISERs/IITs and Central Universities (which are among the top 100 National Institutional Ranking Framework, NIRF ranked universities) with a fellowship of Rs.70,000/- per month for the first two years, Rs.75,000/- per month for the 3rd year, and Rs.80,000/- per month in the 4th and 5th year. Apart from this, a research grant of Rs.2.00 lakh per year will be provided to each of the Fellows for a period of 5 years to cover their academic contingency expenses and for foreign/national travel expenses.

There will be a rigorous review of the performance of Prime Minister's Research Fellowship holders and continuation of the next year fellowship shall be contingent upon successful review.

Eligibility
The applicants for the PMRF should:
a. have completed or be pursuing the final year of four (or five) year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech or five year integrated M.Sc. or 2 year M.Sc. or five year undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programs in Science and Technology streams from IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIEST and centrally funded IIITs. These candidates should have secured a CGPA/CPI of at least 8.0 (on a 10-point scale). For applicants in the five year integrated or dual degree programs, if separate CGPAs/CPIs are awarded for UG and PG parts of the programme then the CGPA/CPI of UG part (first four year) will be considered, OR
b. have completed or be pursuing the final year of four (or five) year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech or five year integrated M.Sc. or 2 year M.Sc. or five year undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programs in Science and Technology streams from any other (not covered in a.) Institute / University recognized in India. These candidates should have secured a CGPA/CPI of at least 8.0 (on a 10-point scale) or equivalent till the last semester and have secured a score of 750 or higher in the respective GATE subject. OR
c. have qualified GATE and be pursuing or have completed M.Tech. / MS by Research at IISc/IITs/IISERs having a minimum CGPA or CPI of 8.0 (on a 10-point scale) at the end of the first semester with a minimum of four courses. Those candidates who are applying after the first semester, the CGPA or CPI requirement of 8.0 will be based on all the courses, labs, thesis that the candidate has completed. This is applicable to above eligible candidates at the time of application.
AND
d. have completed the required academic qualifications in (a), (b) or (c) in the preceding three years from when the application is submitted.

Abstract Submission
1. The Project abstract should clearly articulate the area of the study and should display keen interest and insight on the subject chosen.
2. The Project abstract should formulate a problem for the study which would be used for assessing the applicant's analytical and research skills.
3. The topic chosen should be in frontier areas of science and technology, preferably, focusing on national priorities.
4. There should be at least two referee names provided by each applicant for the Selection Committee to seek feedback.

Selection Process
The selection process for the PMRF will be a rigorous process consisting of Screening by the Reviewers, and final selection by the Selection Committee for each broad discipline to ensure competition, standardization, transparency and selection of the best talent. The process may also include written test and/or discussions, if necessary. The allocation of Institute shall be done in the following manner:
a. For each broad discipline, the Selection Committee constituted by the NI will conduct the interviews and select candidates.
b. The allocation of Institute for the doctoral study would be done keeping in view the choices of the selected candidates and the availability of academic and other infrastructure.

Monitoring Mechanism
The National Coordination Committee (NCC) will periodically review and monitor implementation of the scheme. The NCC will report to MHRD the status of the scheme, fund flow and utilization thereof, and policy changes required to make the scheme more effective.
Apart from this, the monitoring will be done in the manner detailed below:
• There will be internal reviews twice a year.
• There will be a National Convention every year where all PMRFs will showcase their work. This will be an occasion for the Industry to participate in the Convention.
• There will be a website set up by the NCC showcasing the areas of work of each PMRF.

Fellowship
The following would be the fellowship for the PMRFs:
Year & Amount (Rs)
Year 1 : 70,000
Year 2 : 70,000
Year 3 : 75,000
Year 4 : 80,000
Year 5 : 80,000

Apart from this, each Fellow would be eligible for a research grant of Rs. 2 lakhs per year (total Rs. 10 lakh).

The tenure of fellowship will be four years for students from integrated courses and five years for B. Tech (or equivalent) students. The selected students who have completed MTech/MS/ME after completing a qualifying BTech, and join PMRF will get 4 years of fellowship.