Science and technology students interested in doing research at top institutions in the country can apply for the Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF).
Currently, there is no deadline to apply for the fellowship.
Institutions: Fellowship has to be recommended for those doing PhD research in any one of the following institutes: Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru; the seven IISERs, including the one in Thiruvananthapuram; 23 IITs; NIT, Trichy; Jawaharlal Nehru University; Delhi University; University of Hyderabad; Banaras Hindu University; Aligarh Muslim University; and Jamia Millia Islamia University.
Two routes for selection
Direct Entry: A candidate must have secured at least 8 points in the previous three years and completed a bachelor's or master's degree in science or technology or should be in the final year. A GATE score of at least 650 is also mandatory. GATE is not mandatory for those who have qualified from IISc, IIT, NIT, IISER, IIEST or Centre-aided IIIT. In addition, the candidate must be studying MTech / MS by Research at any PMRF institute after GATE. The candidate must have a grade point average of at least eight with four courses in the first semester and must have obtained PhD admission in such institutions.
Lateral Entry: Candidates must be doing PhD research at a PMRF institute and must have completed 12 months doing a PhD after a master's degree or 24 months after a bachelor's degree. They must have completed at least 4 courses in PhD with a Cumulative Grade Point Average / Cumulative Performance Index of not less than 8.5. Professional publications will also be evaluated.
Irrespective of the mode of entry, a strong recommendation from the institute based on research evaluation is important.
Fellowship: The fellowship will be for a maximum of five years. The monthly fellowship amount in the first and second years will be Rs 70,000, it will be Rs 75,000 in the third year and Rs 80,000 in the fourth and fifth years. Besides, a research grant of Rs 2 lakh per year will also be provided for a total of Rs 10 lakh over five years.
This is the fellowship for a candidate who has completed BTech.
The assistance is available till the end of the fourth year of PhD for those coming through the integrated course; for lateral entrants, it will be available till the end of the PhD programme; there will be no fellowship before entry.
The IIT-Delhi is coordinating the fellowship activities. There is no process of candidates having to apply within a date through a specified website for the fellowship.
The selection is based only on the recommendation of the institutions. There is no interview or reservation for selection. Also, a candidate will not be considered for a fellowship more than twice.
Website: www.may2020.pmrf.in