The Prime Minister’s Fellowship for Doctoral Research launched on 8 November 2012

The Prime Minister’s Fellowship for Doctoral Research is a prestigious public-private partnership initiative launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to promote high-quality, industry-relevant Ph.D. research in India. It aims to encourage bright young researchers to pursue doctoral studies addressing real-world challenges faced by industry and society.

🎯 Objective

The main objective of the program is to strengthen industry-academia collaboration by supporting doctoral research projects that have direct industrial or technological relevance. The fellowship enables Ph.D. scholars to work on applied research problems jointly guided by academic and industry mentors.

💰 Fellowship Amount

The fellowship provides a financial support of ₹6.0 lakh per annum for up to four years.
It is jointly sponsored by:
- SERB (Government of India) – ₹3.0 lakh per annum
- Industry partner – ₹3.0 lakh per annum
This is in addition to the regular institute fellowship or research assistantship.

🧪 Key Features

Promotes industry-oriented doctoral research in science, engineering, technology, and applied areas.
Strengthens collaboration between universities, research institutions, and industries.
Enhances the employability and research capacity of scholars through exposure to industrial R&D environments.
Provides dual mentorship — one from academia and one from industry.

👩‍🎓 Eligibility Criteria

The candidate must be registered for a full-time Ph.D. in a recognized Indian university or research institution.
The research topic must have industrial relevance and must be jointly proposed by the academic guide and an industry partner.
The candidate should have outstanding academic credentials (typically first-class or equivalent in postgraduate studies).
The Ph.D. registration should be within the past 14 months at the time of application.
Both Indian nationals and OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) candidates are eligible.

🏢 Role of the Industry Partner

Provides financial contribution of ₹3 lakh per annum.
Offers technical guidance, access to data, and research facilities.
Collaborates with the scholar and academic institution to ensure research applicability.

📅 Duration

The fellowship is awarded for a maximum of four years or until the scholar completes the Ph.D., whichever is earlier.
Continuation of the fellowship is subject to satisfactory annual progress review.

📄 Application Process

Visit the official website: www.primeministerfellowshipscheme.in