Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme

The Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme was introduced in the 2018-19 Budget to increase the quality of research at many of the country's higher educational institutions. This program aims to attract the brightest research talent by offering attractive fellowships, allowing the vision of development through innovation to be realized. Candidates will be chosen through a rigorous process, and their performance will be evaluated in a national convention under this plan. However, this system is solely applicable to science and technology.

Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) Granting Institutions and Seat allocation

The Prime Minister's Research Fellowship (PMRF) is offered by the following institutions:

• All IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology),
• IISERs (Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research)
• Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and Central Universities/NITs (National Institutes of Technology) offering science or technology degrees and appearing in the top 25 institutions in the previous year's NIRF (National Institute Ranking Framework) ranking (overall)

The above institutions are termed as ‘PMRF Granting Institutions’

• Every year, Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) seats are granted to PMRF granting universities according to the following rules:
• PMRF-granting universities in the top ten NIRF rankings receive 3.5 percent of their existing PhD student strength as PMRF seats on May 1 of each academic year.
• PMRF-granting universities in the top 11-25 NIRF rankings receive 2.5 percent of their existing PhD student strength as PMRF seats on May 1 of each academic year.
• On May 1 of each academic year, remaining PMRF issuing institutions receive 1.5 percent of the existing PhD student strength as PMRF seats.

The Prime Minister's Research Fellowship Scheme (PMRF) Eligibility Criteria:

Candidates can apply through either the Direct Entry Channel or the Lateral Entry Channel starting in the academic year 2020-21, according to the updated PMRF Guidelines.

• Candidates who have been accepted into a standard PhD program at one of the PMRF granting schools are eligible to apply through the Direct Entry channel if they meet any of the following criteria:
• Pursuing or having completed the final year of undergraduate or integrated M.Tech. or M.Sc., or undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programs in Technology and Science streams from IISc/NITs/IITs/IIEST/IISERSs and centrally funded IIITs with a CPI/CGPA of at least 8.0 (on a 10-point scale) in the previous three years,
• Currently pursuing or having completed undergraduate or integrated M.Tech. or M.Sc. or undergraduate-postgraduate dual degree programs in Technology or Science streams from any other Indian Institute or University recognized in the last three years with a minimum CGPA of 8 or equivalent and a minimum score of 650 in the relevant GATE subject.
• GATE qualified and finished or pursuing M.Tech./MS by research at one of the PMRF awarding universities with a minimum of four courses with a CPI or CGPA of 8.0 at the end of the first semester in the previous three years. The CGPA or CPI requirement of 8.0 for students who apply after the first semester is based on all of the candidate's courses, thesis, and labs.

Candidates who apply through the Lateral Entry route must meet the following requirements:

• Completing a PhD from one of the PMRF-accredited institutions.
• If a candidate attended the PhD program after completing a Master's degree, he or she must have finished at least 12 months in the program, and if he or she entered the PhD program after completing a Bachelor's degree, he or she must have completed at least 24 months in the program.
• Through lateral entry, a candidate can only apply for PMRF twice.
• A candidate must have completed at least four Ph.D. program courses with an 8.5 or higher cumulative grade point average.

The candidate must remain at the host institute and is not permitted to move to another PMRF institute. When a candidate enrolls in a Ph.D. program through the lateral entrance route, he or she is not eligible to apply for the direct admission route the following year.

Application Process for Prime Minister's Research Fellows

Candidates interested in applying for the PMRF scheme must apply and be accepted into a PhD program at one of the PMRF-granting universities via a direct or lateral entrance channel. The PMRF granting institute would nominate and strongly recommend the candidate for the PMRF program on the PMRF web page if the candidature is determined to be strong enough. An expert team will review the nominations and make a decision when they have been submitted. The proposed applicants will be evaluated based on their research experience, participation in international competitions, publications, letters of recommendation, and grades.

Prime Minister's Research Fellows Selection Process

The central discipline-specific selection panel will analyze the application and make a decision once the PMRF granting institutes nominate individuals for the PMRF scheme by submitting the appropriate documents and information to the PMRF web portal. The following is the procedure for shortlisting and selecting candidates for the PMRF scheme:

• A team of experts from each Nodal Institute (NI) assigned to a discipline will analyze the suggested individuals and develop a shortlist of applications.
• The PMRF National Level Committee will be notified of the shortlisted applicants.
• The National Level Committee will send the selected applicants a link to submit their application, which will include information about their academic background, transcripts, research experience, research proposal, CV, list of publications, and a reference person who will write a strong letter of recommendation.
• The National Level Committee will issue the final seat distribution when the final selection of applicants is completed based on their applications.

Documents Required – PMRF

Candidates may be required to submit the following documents when applying for a Ph.D. program at one of the PMRF granting institutes:

• Passport size photographs
• Scanned copy of mark sheets/grade sheets/transcripts
• A scanned copy of the GATE qualifying certificate is required.
• Copy of the abstract (max 1,000 words in a PDF file)
• CVs are restricted to two A4 pages and must be sent in pdf format only. Only academic achievements and talents, such as grades, merit certificates, internships, publications, research-related software skills, and so on, should be highlighted on the CV.

Terms and Conditions of the PMRF

• At the time of joining, each fellow will be given deliverables to meet each year. The designated guide and the department that the fellow will be joining will decide on the deliverables.
• Fellows must submit to an annual evaluation in order to maintain their fellowship. The fellowship will be extended if the evaluation committee finds their performance satisfactory.

The fellowship will be extended if the evaluation committee finds their performance satisfactory.

• Since the evaluation process is thorough, it can be carried out as a national convention (for each discipline).

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