Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme Dec 2018
Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme has been promoting research & Cutting edge technologies. Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme has been designed for candidates who are willing to do Doctoral Studies (Ph.D.) in IITs and IISc, it aims at attracting the best talent in the country. Applications are open for Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme December 2018 and the deadline for application is till 11 p.m. on 30 September 2018. More details about the Fellowship can be found below:
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LATEST PMRF SCHEME MAY 2019
This call expires in :
LATEST PMRF SCHEME MAY 2019
About Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme
The Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) scheme is aimed at attracting the talent pool of the country to doctoral (Ph.D.) programs of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of
Science (IISc) for carrying out research in cutting edge science and technology domains, with focus on national priorities.Under the PMRF scheme for PMRF December 2018, 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 programs in Science and Technology streams from IIEST/IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs and centrally funded IIITs are eligible for admission to full time Ph.D. programme in the IITs & IISc provided they fulfil prescribed eligibility criteria and finally get selected after shortlisting/written test/interview. For each hosting IIT and IISc 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. program in one of IITs/IISc 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 years. 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.
Fellowship Details
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. students.
Industry participation in the PMRF programme would be explored through CSR funding so as to enable industry to sponsor maximum number of fellows.
Eligibility For Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme :
The applicants for the PMRF should:
• 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 five year undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programs in Science and Technology streams from IIEST/IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs and centrally funded IIITs;
• have secured at least CGPA/CPI of 8.0 (in scale of 10.0). For applicants in five year integrated or dual degree programs if separate CGPAs/CPIs are awarded for UG and PG parts of the program then the CGPA/CPI of UG part (first four year) will be considered.
• have completed the required academic qualification in the last five years.
Merely satisfying the eligibility requirement does not guarantee admission. Final selection for admission of applicants will be done following a rigorous selection process.
Abstract Submission
- The Project abstract should clearly articulate the area of the study and should display keen interest and insight on the subject chosen.
- The Project abstract should formulate a problem for the study which would be used for assessing the applicant’s analytical and research skills.
- The topic chosen shall be preferably in cutting-edge technology and science, with focus on national priorities.
- The abstract should be original in applicant’s own words, provide formulation and other technical details of the problem. Evaluation of the abstracts will be an important component in the final selection of applicants for the PMRF.
Broad Disciplines & Nodal Institutes
- Admission under the PMRF will be made in 19 broad disciplines.
- For each broad discipline one IIT or IISc will coordinate the admission process (review applications, shortlist applicants, constitute selection committees and hold final selections) and will be referred to as the Nodal Institute for that broad discipline.
Selection Process
The selection process for the PMRF will be a rigorous two stage process with screening by the Reviewers and final selection by the Selection Committee for each broad discipline to ensure selection of the best talent.
An applicant may apply for more than one combination of broad discipline and institute. An applicant will be required to provide preferences in case the applicant wishes to apply for more than one combination of discipline and institute.
The shortlisting and selection will be done in the following manner:
- Each Nodal Institute (NI) will have a team of experts who will assess the applications and prepare a shortlist of applicants for written test and/or interview at the Nodal Institute.
- Shortlisted applicants will be called for a written and/or interview at the Nodal Institute.
- Final selection of shortlisted applicants will be made based on the performance in the interview.
- Each NI would first indicate whether the candidate has to appear in the written test or not. For PMRF 2018 there is no written test for any NI.
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
The IPR policy shall be as per the Institute’s Policy on IPRs. The IPRs are owned by the Institution where the Fellow has worked.
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 PMR.
Online Applications Open
PMRF Participating Institutions :
- IISc Bangalore
- IIT Bhilai
- IIT BHU
- IIT Bhubaneswar
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Delhi
- IIT Dharwad
- IIT(ISM) Dhanbad
- IIT Gandhinagar
- IIT Goa
- IIT Guwahati
- IIT Hyderabad
- IIT Indore
- IIT Jodhpur
- IIT Kanpur
- IIT Kharagpur
- IIT Madras
- IIT Mandi
- IIT Patna
- IIT Roorkee
- IIT Ropar
- IIT Jammu
- IIT Palakkad
- IIT Tirupati
Online Applications Open
Having Doubts about Prime Minister Research Fellowship Scheme, find out your answers below :
1. Q. Which students are eligible to apply for the PMRF scheme?
A. The final year students and those who are awarded degree in past five years, of four year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech. or integrated M.Sc. program from IIEST/IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/centrally funded IIITs are eligible.
B.Des. admitted through JEE/UCEED and 4-year BS or B.Sc students of IIEST, IISc, IITs, or IISERs admitted through JEE, KVPY, and SCB are also eligible.
2. Q. I completed my B.Tech. degree three years ago from an NIT/IIT. Am I eligible to apply for PMRF?
A. Yes. Those who are awarded degree in past five years (i.e. graduated during or after 2015) are eligible to apply for PMRF 2018. Each application will be treated as a fresh application.
3. Q. I am a final year student of BS program in an IISER. I joined my course through KVPY. Am I eligible for PMRF?
A. Yes. The final year students (and those who are awarded degree in past five years) of four year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech. or integrated M.Sc. program from IIEST/IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/centrally funded IIITs are eligible. B.Des. admitted through JEE/UCEED and 4-year BS or B.Sc students of IIEST, IISc, IITs, or IISERs admitted through JEE, KVPY, and SCB are also eligible.
4. Q. I completed my B.Tech. from a college not included in the list of qualifying institutes above and thereafter obtained M.Tech. from an IIT. Am I eligible to apply?
A. No. The qualifying degree (i.e., four year undergraduate or five year integrated M.Tech or five year integrated M.Sc. or five year undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree program in Science and Technology streams) must be from IIEST, IISc or an IIT/NIT/IISER or a centrally funded IIIT.
5. Q. I am a dual degree student at an IIT. I have been awarded two separate CGPAs for my B.Tech. and M.Tech. degrees. Which CGPA will be considered as qualifier?
A. The CGPA/ CPI of B.Tech. shall be considered as the eligibility criteria for the applicants with dual degrees (B.Tech. + M.Tech.) where two separate CGPA/CPI for B.Tech. and M.Tech. are provided. If a combined CGPA / CPI is given, then the combined CGPA will be considered.
6. Q. My CGPA until seventh semester is 8.19, however, I have a backlog. Am I eligible to apply?
A. No.
7. Q. I am a final year student and have <8 CGPA until seventh semester. Should I be provisionally allowed to appear for the selection procedure subject to the condition that I will improve my CGPA at the end of my B.Tech?
A. No. You will not be considered this year for the selection procedure. However, you may apply for the PMRF next year should you secure CGPA of 8 or more at the time of graduation.
8. Q. I am a PhD scholar in an IIT/IISc. I graduated from NIT and joined IIT under the Direct PhD programme. Whether existing scholars like me who meet all the criteria, but have joined last year will be eligible to upgrade to PMRF?
A. You will have to apply afresh. If you are allotted any institute other than the parent institute you will have to join as a totally fresh registration at a new institute.
In case, based on your merit position, you are allotted the same institute where you are currently registered for the PhD program, you may continue the PhD program under the PMRF scheme. In this case you will be eligible for PMRF for the rest of the PhD tenure. For example, if you have availed MHRD fellowship for two years, you will be entitled for maximum two or three years of PMRF, if you entered the PhD program after B.Tech. or MTech., respectively.
9. Q. I am currently in B.Tech. final year. If I am selected in PMRF December 2018 , when would I be able to join PhD program?
A. You will be able to join after completion of your B.Tech., i.e. from July 2019 semester.
10. Q. I graduated in 2017. If I am selected in PMRF December 2018, when would I be able to join PhD program?
A. You will be able to join from January 2019 semester.
Application
11. Q. Which are the institutes where PMRF Fellows can join to undertake research work as a Ph.D. student?
A. The institutes are the 23 IITs and IISc.
12. Q.I have interests in two disciplines, chemistry and nanotechnology. Can I apply for more than one discipline?
A. Yes. An applicant can apply for multiple disciplines. She / he will need to individually appear for multiple written tests and/or interviews conducted at the respective nodal institute.s and/or interviews conducted at the respective nodal institute.
13. Q. Do I need to submit a project proposal along with my application?
A. You must submit an abstract as described on the PMRF website.
14. Q. Does PMRF scheme apply for part-time Ph.D.?
A. No, PMRF is for undertaking full-time Ph.D. program at IITs/IISc.
15. Q. Is there a word limit for the abstract? Can I upload the proposal in JPEG format?
A. The word limit is 1000 and it must be in PDF format. No other format is acceptable.
16. Q. What is expected from the project abstract?
A. The requirement for a project abstract is aimed at assisting the selection committee to judge research and analytical capability of the applicant. The originality of the abstract is very important. The abstract will be checked for plagiarism. The project abstract need not necessarily be the topic of PhD research.
17. Q. Should I attach all the grade-sheets /market-sheets?
A. Yes, you need attach the transcript or grade-sheets /market-sheets till the last semester completed in one pdf file. If you upload multiple files, the last file only be saved.
18. Q. Who can be the referees?
A. The referees should be from among those with whom the applicant has closely interacted during her or his undergraduate or post- graduate programme and who can comment on the applicant’s academic knowledge and research and analytical skills.
19. Q. How many times can I apply for fellowship under the PMRF scheme?
A. You can apply two times provided all eligibility criteria are met each time.
20. Q. If I am selected for fellowship under the PMRF scheme this year, but do not avail the offer, can I apply once again next year?
A. No. However, you can defer your admission for one year subject to approval of the host institute.
21. Q. Is the PMRF scheme the same as the CII-PMF scheme?
A. No, they are different.
Written test and interview
22. Q. What will be the syllabus for the written test?
A.The Nodal Institute will define the syllabus for the test. Please frequently visit the PMRF website for the latest updates.
23. Q. Where will the test centres be located?
A. A single written test and/or interview for each broad discipline will be conducted at the IIT or IISc which is the Nodal Institute for that broad discipline.
24. Q. Will the written test/ interview of different streams be conducted on the same date.
A. No. The tests will be conducted on different dates with a gap of a day or two so that an applicant may reach from one Nodal Institute to the other Nodal Institute in time.
25. Q. Will there be any TA/DA provided for appearing for the test or interview?
A. No TA/DA will be provided to applicant appearing for the written test or interview.
26. Q. Will all the eligible applicants be called for the written test and/or interview?
A. Not necessary. In case of a large number of applicants, only shortlisted applicants will be called for the written test and/or interview.
Preference, allocation of seats
27. Q. How will be the institute and discipline be allotted to the selected applicant if the applicant has selected more than one institute?
A. The applicants will be asked at the time of application to give up to five choices for the broad disciplines wherein they would like to appear for interview. The applicants will be asked to online provide their preferences of combinations of institute and discipline only for which the candidate is selected. The combination of discipline and the institute will be allotted based on the preference indicated by the applicant and the merit position of the candidate. For example, a candidate who appeared for interview in Chemistry, Biological Sciences, and Interdisciplinary Programs in Science and Engineering and is selected for Chemistry, will be able to give preferences only in the Chemistry broad discipline.
28. Q. Can I give preference for different disciplines in an IIT/IISc?
A. Yes. An applicant will be allowed to give up to 31 preferences (combinations of the institute and discipline) from the discipline/s she/he would have been selected for e.g. an applicant selected for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering can give preference of Chemistry at IISc, Chemical Engineering IIT Bombay, Chemistry at IIT Delhi, etc.
29. Q. I have a specific idea for my potential research topic. Will the selection committee consider this while allocating me an institute/discipline if I am selected?
A.The selection committee will take holistic view of the project details, subject knowledge, research & analytical skills, and any other aspect deemed fit in their opinion in making recommendation on suitability of the candidate for PhD program under PMRF scheme.
The selection and allocation are decoupled. Once the candidate is selected for PMRF for a discipline/s, the allocation will be based on an algorithm that will take care of merit position of the selected candidate in the discipline the candidate is selected for and the preference order of the combinations of the institute and discipline the candidate has provided. Once the candidate joins the host institute, she/he may explore with the concerned faculty members about the possibility of the potential research topic. The rules and regulation of the host institute will prevail in selection of research topic and the supervisor.
Fee Payment:
30. Q. Is there an application fee, and if yes how can I pay the application fee?
A. Yes, there is an application fee of Rs 1000. The applicant should click on the fee payment link that will connect to SBI Collect. The applicant does not need to have an SBI account to pay the fees on the SBI Collect page. The fee can be paid through various modes that include net banking, debit, and credit card etc. The applicant will need to enter the SBICollect Reference Number and upload the SBICollect e-receipt pdf file for the online application
Contact Us
Coordinating institute: INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, HYDERABAD
Address:
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
Kandi, Sangareddy – 502285
Telangana, INDIA
Email: [email protected]
Application window for PMRF December 2018 will be open till 11 pm on 30 September 2018.
Online Applications Open
Editor’s Note: PMRF Scheme Dec 2018. PMRF Scheme December 2018. Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme December 2018. Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme Dec 2018. Check out the Biotecnika Times Newsletter for more such opportunities.
I am a 4th year btech cadet in the field of Marine engineering . So can I apply for this scheme ?
Hi, I have just completed B. Sc- M.Sc integrated biotechnology programme from kerala agricluture university. Can I eleigible for this PMRF scheme?
I am student of first year PhD in a central institute but not IIT and IISc, so am i eligible to apply for the fellowship?
I am student of first year PhD in shivaji university kolhapur. And I am married women. Am i eligible to apply for the fellowship?
Only IITs and IISc are doing Research thats why we are getting Nobel Prize per year….Ha Ha