Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics & IT

Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India initiated “Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics and IT” 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 (Rupees Four Hundred Sixty Six Crores Only)

Objectives:

• To enhance the number of PhDs in Electronics System Design & Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES) sectors in the country.
• Give thrust to R&D, create an innovative ecosystem and enhance India’s competitiveness in these knowledge intensive sectors.
• To fulfil the commitments made in National Policy on Electronics (NPE 2012) and National Policy on Information Technology (NPIT 2012) which recommend to give 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.
• To Support 1500 PhD Candidates including both Full-Time (500) and Part-Time (1000) in each of ESDM and IT/ITES sectors (Total: 3000 PhDs).
• The scheme is also expected to encourage working professionals and non-PhD faculty members to pursue PhD.

Salient features of the PhD Scheme are as follows:

• This Scheme provides 25% more fellowship amount than most of the other PhD Schemes.
• Part-time PhD candidates get one time incentive on completion of the PhD.
• 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.

Support for Institution Under Scheme:

• “Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme” is an Institutional Scheme, where the PhD seats are allocated to the institutions and the institutes enroll the PhD candidates on these seats following their admission procedures.
• The support under the scheme will be provided to the institution granting the PhD degree and no direct funding support will be provided by Government of India to the PhD candidates or faculty members or to the departments in the supported institution. The institution will be responsible for seeking financial support and for furnishing utilization certificates of the funds released and based on the scheme parameters, and as per conditions of the sanction of grant-in-aid.
• The institutes are allocated the PhD seats for a particular Academic Year expecting the enrollment of PhD candidates on allocated seats in same Academic Year.
• Click here for the eligibility criteria for the institution seeking support under the scheme
• Click here for the ‘Terms & Conditions’ governing the Grant in Aid under the scheme
• The scheme also provides infrastructural grant of ₹ 5,00,000/- per Full Time PhD candidate to the academic institutions for creation/ up-gradation of laboratories etc. (excluding civil construction/ expansion of building). The support is provided @ 50% of the actual cost subject to a ceiling of ₹ 5 lakhs per Full Time PhD candidate under the scheme.
• Scheme provides Institutional Overhead of ₹ 25,000/- per year per Full Time PhD candidate for a maximum of five years to the academic institutions.
• Deserving non-Indian students at supported academic institution of the country can be provided support under ‘Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics and IT’. However, for any institution / university the number of such non-Indian students shall not be more than 10% of the Indian students (rounded off to nearest full number) supported under the scheme.
• List of institutions supported under the scheme as on date is available at the link
• Each institution supported under the scheme has nominated a nodal officer at the institute to coordinate with PhD Cell for matters related to the scheme.

Full Time PhD Candidates:

• The candidates would be enrolled at the supported institution under the scheme as per the procedural norms and ‘Terms & Conditions’ of that institution. Hence, the interested candidates are advised to contact the institution supported under the scheme.
• Candidates already registered under the scheme at the supported institutions are advised to contact nodal officer at their institution for any issues or query related to the scheme. The nodal officer in turn may contact PhD Cell in case further clarifications.
• Financial support provided to each Full Time PhD candidate is as mentioned below.
• Fellowship : ₹ 31,500/- per month (I & II year); ₹ 35,000/-(III to V year);
• Annual Contingency Grant support of ₹ 30,000/- per year for consumables etc.
• Reimbursement of Rent for those Full Time PhD candidates who are not provided accommodation or choose not to avail the accommodation provided by the institution.
• 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.
• Support for attending international conferences (Supports for 1000 conferences with an amount up to ₹ 50,000/- per conference). Any individual Full Time PhD candidate would be eligible to avail the support for attending a maximum of 2 conferences under this scheme. The list of conferences supported under the scheme as of now is available at the link

Part Time PhD Candidates:

• • The candidates would be enrolled at the supported institution under the scheme as per the procedural norms and ‘Terms & Conditions’ of that institution. Hence, the interested candidates are advised to contact the institutions supported under the scheme.
  • One time incentive of ₹ 2,50,000/- would be provided to Part Time PhD candidates on successful completion of the PhD.

Young Faculty Research Fellowship(YFRF)

• As per guidelines of the scheme for Young Faculty Research Fellowship (YFRF), each institute supported under the scheme is eligible for award of 01 YFRF for each 05 Full Time PhD candidates, enrolled under the scheme.
• Since Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme is an institutional scheme, the institution forwards the nomination for awardee of YFRF as per eligibility to PhD Cell.
• The guidelines for the same may be referred at link
• Financial support provided to the YFRFs is as mentioned below:
  1. Fellowship @ ₹ 20,000/- per month in addition to the regular income
  2. 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. For detail guidelines, refer at
  3. Click here to download the application form.
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