One of the most notable developments in the S&T sector in the XI Plan has been the setting up of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) through an Act of Parliament, viz., the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008. Promoting basic research in science and engineering and providing financial assistance to persons engaged in such research, academic institutions, research and development laboratories, industrial concerns, and other agencies for such research and for matters connected with or incidental thereto are the primary and distinctive mandate of the Board. SERB aims to build up the best management systems that would match the best global practices in the areas of promotion and funding of basic research.
UPCOMING Call for proposal (Aug 2023)
Mission ‘ABHYAAS’ aims to enhance Research and Development in India by providing specialized research skills to PG/PhD students. It consists of two subcomponents: ‘KARYASHALA’ (High-End Workshops) and ‘VRITIKA’ (Research Internships).
KARYASHALA (High-End Workshops):
- ‘KARYASHALA’ offers high-end workshops to enhance research productivity among promising PG and PhD students.
- Participants gain hands-on experience with scientific instruments and specialized research skills.
- Workshops are held at prestigious institutions such as IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR, etc.
VRITIKA (Research Internships):
- ‘VRITIKA’ provides research internships to PG students, aiming to develop dedicated research skills in various science and engineering areas.
- Internships are facilitated by organizations of national importance similar to ‘KARYASHALA.’
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be working in recognized institutions of eminence.
- Proposed workshops/internships must align with established areas of Science and Engineering.
- Application for workshops/internships should be submitted through the Accelerate Vigyan web-portal.
Deadline:
- Calls for proposals are generally announced twice a year.
- Workshops and internships are planned during break periods: Summer (May – July) and Winter (November – January).
The ITS Scheme is designed to offer financial assistance to Indian researchers for their participation in international scientific events and activities, including conferences, seminars, workshops, and training programs. The aim is to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration in the global scientific community.
Purpose and Scope:
- Financial assistance for presenting original research papers, chairing sessions, and delivering keynote addresses at international scientific events held abroad.
- Support for young scientists (below the age of 35) attending workshops, short-term training programs, and schools organized outside India.
Eligibility:
- Active Indian researchers engaged in research and development work in recognized academic institutions or research laboratories in India.
- Invitations for presenting research papers or participating in training programs are necessary.
- Not having received financial assistance under the ITS Scheme in the last three years.
- Scientific events should have an international character; personal invitations for informal purposes are not eligible.
- Applicants should have obtained a Master’s degree in Science or a Bachelor’s degree in professional courses from a recognized university
Application Deadline:
- Applications are accepted only for events with start dates between specific ranges. For example, between 10 October, 2023, and 09 November, 2023.
This program aims to provide partial financial support to professional bodies, academic institutions, research laboratories, and other non-profit organizations engaged in organizing technical meetings, seminars, conferences, and workshops in various scientific and engineering fields. The goal is to facilitate knowledge exchange, dissemination of research, and the establishment of connections within the scientific community.
Purpose and Scope:
- Partial financial support for organizing national and international events such as seminars, symposia, conferences, and workshops.
- Emphasis on encouraging participation of young scientists and research professionals.
- Nominal support for pre-operative expenses like announcements and brochures.
Eligibility:
- Applicants must be Indian citizens residing in India.
- Applicants should hold a regular position in a recognized academic institution, national laboratory, or recognized R&D institution.
- Application should be submitted not earlier than 180 days and not later than 60 days before the event’s start date.
Application Deadline:
- Applications are accepted only for events with start dates between specific ranges. For example, between 11 October, 2023, and 11 February, 2024.
The SERB – POWER program aims to address gender disparity in science and engineering research funding by providing funding opportunities to Indian women scientists in various S&T programs. The program empowers women researchers by offering research grants and fellowships to engage in high-quality research and innovation activities.
The program offers support under two categories:
SERB – POWER Research Grants: Encouraging emerging and eminent women researchers for individual-centric and competitive mode of research funding in frontier areas of science and engineering.
ELIGIBILITY
- Indian citizens, including NRIs and OCIs.
- Hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized Indian academic institution, national laboratory, or other recognized R&D institution.
- Different categories based on the applicant’s institution (Level I for certain institutions, Level II for others).
- Must conform to SERB-CRG guidelines.
- Collaborative research with Indian counterparts is expected.
SERB – POWER Fellowship: Identifies and rewards outstanding women researchers and innovators in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories.
ELIGIBILITY
- Holders of Ph.D. degree in any branch of science and engineering.
- Active scientists, Indian citizens, aged 35-55, not receiving other government fellowships during tenure.
General Guidelines: Women Scientists cannot hold POWER Fellowship and POWER Grant simultaneously.
Deadline: Nominations for the SERB – POWER Fellowship is accepted throughout the year through the online portal.
UPCOMING Call for proposal (July-Aug 2023)
The SERB-National Post Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF) is aimed to identify motivated young researchers and provide them support for doing research in frontier areas of science and Engineering. The fellows will work under a mentor, and it is hoped that this training will provide them a platform to develop as an independent researcher.
Eligibility: The applicant must have obtained Ph.D/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized University in india. Those who have submitted their PhD/M.D/M.S thesis and are awaiting award of the degree are also eligible to apply.
Duration: The fellowship is purely a temporary assignment, and is tenable for a period of 2 years.
Opening Date: Proposals under this scheme is open now.
Closing Date: Aug 10 2023 (5.00PM)
Ramanujan Fellowship is meant for brilliant Indian scientists and engineers from outside India to take up scientific research positions in India, those Indian scientists/engineers who want to return to India from abroad. The fellowship is scientist -specific and very selective.
Eligibility: The Fellowship is open to brilliant scientists and engineers from abroad who are below the age of 40 years. The Nominee should possess a higher degree or equivalent, such as Ph.D. in Science/Engineering, Masters in Engineering or Technology/MD in Medicine, etc. and have adequate professional experience.
Duration: The duration of the fellowship will be for five years, and not extendable.
Grant: The amount of the Fellowship will be Rs. 1,35,000/- per month (consolidated including HRA).
Opening Date: Ramanujan Fellowship nominations are accepted throughout the year.
VAJRA Faculty Scheme is to bring a strong international connect to the R&D ecosystem of India. The scheme offers adjunct / visiting faculty assignments to overseas scientists, faculty members and R&D professionals including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to undertake high quality collaborative research in Public funded academic and research Institutions of India.
Eligibility: The overseas scientist or faculty should be an active researcher working in a leading academic / research / industrial organization with significant accomplishments in research and development.
Duration: The initial assignment will be for a period of one year extendable to subsequent years based on the collaborative outcome and interest.
Grant: VAJRA Faculty will be provided US$15000 in the first month of residence and US$10000 in each of the subsequent month.
Opening Date: Throughout the year.
UPCOMING Call for Proposals (June - November 2023)
SERB- POWER TRANSLATION GRANT would be awarded to select women PIs who have clearly demonstrated translational potential of their research (patents, etc.) and have established contact with industrial partners for fast-track graduation to a prototype stage and beyond.
Eligibility: Submissions under SERB- POWER TRANSLATION GRANT can be made only by women PIs who hold or applied for a patent/IP from SERB supported project
Grant:
The award will entail an unstructured budget up to 15 lakhs per year (without international travel), including overhead. An allocation of 3.75 Cr may be made for 2022-2023. Up to 25 grants per year are proposed.
Opening Date: Jun 15, 2023
Closing Date: Aug 01, 2023 (05:00 PM)
SERB-TETRA (Technology Translation Award) is a new scheme for catalizing technology translation in academic setting. SERB-TETRA would be awarded to select PIs who have clearly demonstrated translational potential of their research (patents, etc.) and have established contact with industrial partners for fast-track graduation to a prototype stage and beyond.
Eligibility: Applicants [Principal Inventor (PI) and / or Co-Inventor(s)] should be Indian citizens. Foreign nationals (including OCI and NRI) are also eligible to apply provided they fulfil the eligibility criteria notified by SERB (SERB Funding Guidelines for foreign nationals dated 27th Oct 2016).
Grant: The funding will be provided normally for a period of two years. The award will entail an unstructured budget up to 15 lakhs per year (without international travel), including overhead.
Opening Date: June 11, 2023.
Closing Date: August 10, 2023 (05:00 PM).
SERB launched SERB – POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research) program in 2020 with an aim to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research funding in various S&T programs in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories. The objective of SERB- POWER TRANSLATION GRANT is to build STI- enabled entrepreneurship competence in Indian women scientists.
Eligibility: The applicant(s) must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized academic institution or national laboratory or in any other recognized R&D institution in India with at least 4 years of service remaining.
Grant: The award will entail an unstructured budget up to 15 lakhs per year (without international travel), including overhead. An allocation of 3.75 Cr may be made for 2022-2023.
Opening Date: June 11, 2023.
Closing Date: August 10, 2023 (05:00 PM).
The main aim of the scheme is to recognise active eminent senior resident Indian superannuated scientists for their outstanding contributions both nationally and internationally, in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Medicine, to promote excellence and growth in R&D.
Eligibility:
- The nominee should be an active resident Indian scientist/academician, with outstanding research track record in any one or more areas of STEM and medicine, partiularly during the last five years.
- The nominee must have received recognition for his/her work from national / international scientific bodies such as fellowship in prestigious academies and S&T awards.
- The nominee could be affiliated to an academic institutions / R&D lab or should have consent on the subject from the future host institution.
Grant: An amount of Rs 1.5 lakh per month will be given to both modes of awardees as fellowship.
Opening Date: September 01, 2023.
Closing Date: October 31, 2023 (05:00 PM).
This Program aims to impart high-end research training in frontier areas of Science and Technology, which are of interest to India by providing opportunity to visit leading institutions/universities across the globe for a period of 02-06 months. The applicant should have Ph.D. degree in the area of Science and Engineering from recognized institutions in India.
Eligibility:
- The scheme is open to Indian nationals only.
- Applicant should have Ph.D. degree in the area of Science and Engineering from recognized institutions in India. The applicant must hold a permanent position in any Indian research and academic institution.
Grant:
The selected fellows will be paid a monthly fellowship amount equivalent to US $ 3000, one time Contingency / Preparatory allowances of Rs. 75,000/- to cover visa fee, airport transfer charges, insurance etc., Overseas Medical Insurance in India and abroad of Rs. 20,000/-.
Opening Date: October 03, 2023.
Closing Date: November 07, 2023 (05:00 PM).
This Program aims to impart high-end research training and collaborative research to select women scientists in frontier areas of Science and Technology which will interest to India by providing opportunity to visit leading institutions/universities across the globe for a period of 01-03 months.
Eligibility:
- Open to women scientists who have an on-going POWER Grant or POWER Fellowship of SERB.
- The age limit for applying under this scheme shall be 57 years.
- Applicant must submit a letter of support from the overseas host institution along with application.
Grant:
- Up-to 25 Mobility Grant per annum.
- Travel: Selected scientist will be provided shortest route round-trip full lowest economy fare. Any additional cost would have to be borne by the scientist
Opening Date: October 03, 2023.
Closing Date: November 07, 2023 (05:00 PM).
UPCOMING Call for Proposals (March - June 2023)
To reward young women scientists (below age 40) who have excelled in science and got recognition from any of the National Science Academies (given below) in India, Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) has launched a scheme called “SERB Women Excellence Research Grant”.
Eligibility: Only for Women Scientists; The age of the applicant should not exceed 40 years as on submission date.
Grant: Research grant of Rs. 5 lakhs per annum and Rs 1 lakh per annum as overhead charges for a period of three years.
Opening Date: March 08, 2023.
Closing Date: April 15, 2023 (05:00 PM).
SERB has developed a scheme SERB-SUPRA (Scientific and Useful Profound Research Advancement) that seeks to explore new scientific breakthroughs, with long-term impact on our fundamental scientific understanding, and offer disruptive technologies at the cutting edge.
Eligibility: The Principal Investigator and Co-Investigator(s) should hold Ph.D. degree in Science, Mathematics, Engineering or M.D / M.S. / M.D.S. / M.V.Sc degree at the time of applying for grant.
Grant: National Laboratories and Research Institutions should share 50% of the non-recurring cost of the project. For projects with total cost more than Rs. 80 lakh, 50% of the non-recurring and consumables cost should be shared by the Lab/Institution.
Opening Date: March 10, 2023.
Closing Date: April 11, 2023 (05:00 PM).
SERB Science and Technology Award for Research (SERB-STAR) is a prestigious award instituted by SERB to recognize and reward outstanding performance of Principal Investigators (PIs) of SERB Projects. SERB has been supporting basic research in frontier areas of science and engineering through its various programs and schemes.
Eligibility: The age of the nominee should be within 40 to 50 years as on December 31 of the year in which the call is made.
Grant: Fellowship of Rs 15,000/- per month, research grant of Rs.10 lakh per annum and Rs 1 lakh per annum as overhead charges for a period of three years.
Opening Date: March 27, 2023.
Closing Date: May 10, 2023 (05:00 PM).
State University Research Excellence (SERB-SURE) is a new scheme of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to augment the research capabilities in a structured way to create a robust R&D ecosystem in state universities and colleges by fostering collaboration for high-end research.
Eligibility: PI and Co-Investigator(s) should hold PhD./M.D./M.S./M.D.S./MVSc. degree at the time of applying for the grant.
Grant: The total research grants not exceeding Rs. 30 lakhs (Including Overhead) for a period of three years are provided for minor equipment/s, research personnel, consumables, domestic travel, contingency and other costs (analytical charges, equipment user charges, fieldwork charges, etc.,).
Opening Date: May 02, 2023.
Closing Date: May 31, 2023 (05:00 PM).
The Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science (EMEQ) scheme is aimed at providing research support to researchers belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in undertaking research in frontier areas of science and engineering.
Eligibility: The applicant should hold Ph.D. degree in Science or Engineering or M.D. / M.S. / M.D.S. / M.V.Sc. degree.
Grant: Funding is provided up to a maximum of Rs. 50.0 lakh (excluding overhead charges).
Opening Date: May 15, 2023.
Closing Date: June 14, 2023 (05:00 PM).