Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme : https://www.digitalindia.gov.in/initiative/visvesvaraya-phd-scheme/

DETAILS:

A scholarship scheme by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with an objective to enhance the number of PhDs in Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES) sectors in the country. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved the scheme in 2014 for a period of nine years with a total estimated cost of ₹ 466 crores. The duration of the scheme is five years for the purpose of selecting candidates for support under the scheme. However, the funding would be continued till the 9th year for the commitments already made during the scheme period.

Objectives:

1. To enhance the number of PhDs in Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES) sectors in the country.

2. Give thrust to R&D, create an innovative ecosystem and enhance India’s competitiveness in these knowledge-intensive sectors.

3. To fulfill the commitments made in National Policy on Electronics (NPE 2012) and National Policy on Information Technology (NPIT 2012) which recommend giving special thrust on significantly increasing the number of PhDs in the country to enable India to compete globally in the coming decades, to develop an ecosystem of research, development and IP creation in these knowledge-intensive sectors.

4. To Support 1500 Ph.D. Candidates including both Full-Time (500) and Part-Time (1000) in each of the ESDM and IT/ITES sectors (Total: 3000 PhDs).

5. The scheme is also expected to encourage working professionals and non-PhD faculty members to pursue Ph.D.



Salient features of the Ph.D. scheme are as follows:

1. This Scheme provides 25% more fellowship amount than most of the other Ph.D. Schemes.

2. The scheme also provides an infrastructural grant of ₹ 5,00,000/- per candidate to the academic institutions for the creation/ up-gradation of laboratories.

3. Part-time Ph.D. candidates get a one-time incentive on completion of the Ph.D.

4. The scheme also supports 200 Young Faculty Research Fellowships in the areas of ESDM and IT/ITES with the objective to retain and attract bright young faculty members in these sectors.

Full-Time Ph.D. Candidates

1. Fellowship: ₹ 31,500/- per month (I & II years); ₹ 35,000/-(III to V year); revised to 38,750/- per month (I & II years); ₹ 43,750/-(III to V year).

2. Annual Contingency Grant support of ₹ 30,000/- per year. Following items may be booked under 'Annual Contingency grant/support" meant for a full-time Ph.D. candidate- Books/Documents of relevance to the research topic; Equipment/software exclusively for research; Consumables/Chemical/Electronic components for research work; ReprintlOff-Prints of research papers, reports, etc; Registration fee for attending Symposia/Seminars/Conferences in India/abroad provided the Ph.D. candidate is presenting a paper that has been accepted; Similar items of relevance / directly contributing towards the furtherance of the candidate's research work for his Ph.D., etc.

3. Reimbursement of Rent for those Full-Time PhD candidates who are not provided accommodation or choose not to avail of the accommodation provided by the institution.

4. The ceiling for Reimbursement of Rent would be 30%, 20%, and 10% of the fellowship amount as per the Government of India norms for class X, Y, or Z cities respectively.

5. Support for attending international conferences (Supports for 1000 conferences with an amount up to ₹ 50,000/- per conference). Any individual Full-Time Ph.D. candidate would be eligible to avail of the support for attending a maximum of 2 conferences under this scheme.



Part-Time Ph.D. Candidates

1. A one-time incentive of ₹ 2,50,000/- would be provided to Part-Time Ph.D. candidates on successful completion of the Ph.D.



Young Faculty Research Fellowship(YFRF)

1. Financial support provided to the YFRFs is as mentioned below:

2. Fellowship @ ₹ 20,000/- per month in addition to the regular income

3. Contingency/ Research Grant of ₹ 5,00,000/- per annum for presenting paper and research work at national and international conferences and other research expenses for a maximum of five years.



1) Equipment, manpower, and other similar expenses of relevance to support the research work of the ‘Young Faculty Research Fellow (YFRF)’ could be met from the Research/ Contingency Grant of Rs. 5 Lakhs/year.



2) The research contingency grant of Rs. 5 Lakh/year may also be utilized by the YFRF awardee towards attending the International Conference by the researchers working under his/her guidance for presenting a paper in which the researcher (working with the YFRF awardee) is a co-author with him/her (the YFRF awardee) and the YFRF awardee he/her self is not attending the same event. The above clarification is to facilitate the use of the Grant rather than to limit the wisdom/freedom of the ‘Young Faculty Research Fellow’ i.r.o. the use of the grant for the furtherance of the research work.



3) The unspent balance in a particular year under “Research Contingency grant/support" for each YFRF may be carried forward to the next year, till the time the YFRF is supported under the scheme at the Institute.

[The Eligibility Criteria for this scheme vary with the institute]



Eligibility Criteria for the Applicant

Minimum Grade Point Average of 6.5/10 or 60% (55% marks for SC/ST) of marks in M.E./M.Tech/M.S. in Electronics/Communications/ComputerScience/Instrumentation/Biomedical/Mechanical/Microelectronics/Solid-state Technology/MEMS/Nano Science/Nano Technology/Material Science/Engineering Physics or equivalent.

OR

Minimum Grade Point Average of 6.5/10 or 60% (55% marks for SC/ST) of marks in Bachelor degree in Electronics/Communications/Computer Science/Instrumentation/Biomedical/Mechanical Engineering or equivalent with a valid GATE score.

OR

Bachelor's degree in Electronics/Communications/Computer Science/Instrumentation/Biomedical/Mechanical or equivalent from an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) with a minimum CGPA of 8.0

OR

First Class (6.5 grades point out of 10) or 60% marks (55% marks for SC/ST) in Masters or equivalent degree in Physics/Chemistry or relevant Science subject/B. Tech. in engineering physics with a valid GATE score or UGC/CSIR-NET or an equivalent qualification.



Eligibility Criteria for the Institute

The minimum requirement for the Institutions/Universities, Research Centers, etc. for being eligible to receive grants under the scheme is compliance with the UGC’s minimum standards and procedures for the award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degree, Regulation, 2009 (ref. The Gazette of India July 11, 2009, Part III sec 4) as amended time to time.



All institutions falling in the following seven categories are eligible to participate in the scheme and receive grants:

1. Indian Institutes of Technologies (IITs)

2. National Institutes of Technologies (NITs)

3. Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

4. Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs)

5. Central Universities

6. Deemed Universities under Central Government

7. Colleges/Institutions of National Importance



Institutions falling into the following six categories also are eligible to participate in the scheme -

1. Universities created under a Provincial Act/State Act

2. State Universities

3. Private Universities

4. Private Deemed to be Universities

5. Colleges that are allowed to offer PhDs

6. Other academic and R&D institutions

subject to meeting the additional eligibility criteria as mentioned below -

1. The Institution should have an existing postgraduate stream in ESDM/IT/ITES and have produced PhDs in these areas for the last 3 years.

2. The Ph.D. student(s) under this scheme to be admitted as per UGC admission norms.

3. The Institution should be recognized by AICTE and NBA (National Board of Accreditation) accredited with respect to ESDM & IT/ITES Programmes. OR The Institution should be accredited by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council of UGC).

4. Such an institution would be required to furnish a copy of documents in support of meeting the above-mentioned eligibility criteria for the Ph.D. Cell, MeitY.



Proposals for Young Faculty Research Fellowship (YFRF) are invited till Friday, May 16, 2025 23:59:59

The registered institutions may submit the proposal by logging into their accounts. Please register first, if not registered.

For assistance, please contact us at:
Landline: 011-24301284
Email: phd-scheme[at]digitalindia[dot]gov[dot]in

Click here for the guidelines including eligibility criteria of YFRF awardees.

Click here for the User Manual.

Young Faculty Research Fellowship (YFRF) User Manual: https://phd.dic.gov.in/guidelines/UserManualYFRF.pdf