PM Fellowship 2018 for Doctoral Research

PM Fellowship 2018 Scheme for Doctoral Research is an attempt to encourage industry-oriented research at Doctoral Studies. Candidates enrolled in PhD program within last 14 months are eligible to apply for Prime Minister’s Fellowship Scheme for Doctoral Research. The candidate should find an industrial partner before applying for the fellowship, the industrial partner should be ready to partially fund the scholarship scheme i.e. maximum 3 lakh per annum and work with the scholar for the research. This page gives the details about the PM Fellowship 2018.

Total Fellowship: 100 Every Year

• The scholar selected for the fellowship will get Rs. 8.7 lakh for his/her project, half of the amount will come from Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) and the remaining from the industrial partner. 
• The maximum duration of the fellowship is 4 years and every year 100 projects are provided with funds for their research.
• The selection of the projects will be done by expert panel on the basis of their potential of the project and the involved parties (Institution, Applicant, Industrial Partner, etc.)
• The applications for the scholarship are to be made online and the application process is open throughout the year.

The research projects selected for the award will be getting half of the Fellowship amount from GOI while the other half is to be paid by the selected industrial partner. The details related to the fellowship are as follow:

• Number of Fellowships: Total 100 fellows will be provided with financial support for their projects.
• Duration of Fellowship: The maximum duration of the fellowship can be 4 years leading to the award of Ph.D. to the candidate.
• Amount of Fellowship: The total amount of fellowship can be up toRs. 8.7 Lakh per year, out of which 50 % will come from Science and Engineering Research Board as per JRF/SRF norms while the remaining 50% will come from the partner industry co-applicant.
• Condition: The candidate selected for the Fellowship cannot continue being benefited from any other scholarship/salary.

The applications for the PM Fellowships are to be made online. The participants applying for the fellowship should fill the form on or before the last week of July 2018. The link to apply for the PM Fellowship is given below.

 Click here to Apply

Steps to Fill the PM Fellowship Application

The applications are to be made online for the Fellowship scheme; the step by step instructions for the candidates are as follow:

• Step 1- Approval from Guide/ Head of the Institution: The first thing to be done is to get an in-principle approval from the concerned authority of the college it may be Guide/ Head of the Institution.
• Step 2- Create preliminary proposal: Based on the target industry, the candidate should develop a preliminary proposal including the pros and application and benefits of the research. The scholars can also consult their research guides for the purpose.
• Step 3- Finding industry’s interest: Scholars should consult with potential Co-applicants: Industries to explore their interest in the research proposal.
• Step 4- Finalising the Research Proposal: After consulting with the Co-applicant (Industry) and their Academic Guide, scholars should finalize the Research Proposal.
• Step 5- Get Letter of Commitment from the Industry: The candidate should obtain a Letter of Commitment from the Industry who will be ready to pay maximum Rs.3 lakh per year along with 10% program management fee for the duration of maximum 4 years and will also remain involved in the research with the fellow and Institute.
• Step 6- Get Letter of Commitment from the Institute: The scholar should obtain Letter of Commitment from the head of the institution that they are ready to allow the fellow to work in the Institute & in premises of sponsoring industry as per the needs and also for Joint reviews of the progress of research.
• Step-7- Apply for the Fellowship: Once all the above-mentioned things have been finalized candidates should initiate the online application process.

Documents need to provide for the PM Fellowship 2018

To complete the application process candidates are required to provide the following documents:

• Undertaking from Research Supervisor and Head of the Organisation / Institute /University as per format which is given in Application Form
• Undertaking from Industry Partner in the research project as per format given in Application Form
• Attested Copies of Certificates/degrees acquired by Fellow till date including PhD Registration Certificate
• Profiles / CVs
  • Student
  • Academic Guide
  • Industry Mentor
  • Partner Company
  • Institute
• Passport Size Picture
• Publications
• Research Synopsis

• The decision regarding the selection of the candidates for the fellowship will be taken by a committee having members from academia, industry and government.
• The candidates will be selected on the following criteria:
  • High credibility, capacity of doctoral fellow and the institution
  • High degree of business interest, involvement and collaboration of industry
  • The proposed research should have a high potential to translate into a business opportunity and commercialization.
  • The project should be innovative and of high scientific merit; with discrete R&D as opposed to exploratory investigation

Email: sskohli@nic.in, shalini.sharma@cii.in