Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Faculty Fellowship

Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Faculty Fellowship.

Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)

INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship (A component under INSPIRE)

Call for Applications under INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship (2023)

Under “Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)” scheme of Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, opportunities are provided to meritorious young Indian students to study basic and natural sciences at the college and university level and to pursue research careers in both basic and applied science areas including engineering, medicine, agriculture and veterinary sciences.

The INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship (IFF) provides an opportunity to doctorates in the age group of 27-32 years for carrying out independent research for 5 years in both basic and applied science areas including engineering, medicine, agriculture, veterinary science and translational research in S&T domain.

Applications are invited for the year 2023, from eligible candidates under INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship component of INSPIRE scheme of DST through the web-portal https://online-inspire.gov.in.

A)    Eligibility:

1.  Essential:

i. Indian citizens and People of Indian origin with PIO status having Ph.D. degree (in science, mathematics, engineering, pharmacy, medicine and agriculture related subjects) from any recognized university in the world.

ii. Candidates should possess a minimum of 60% (or equivalent CGPA) marks throughout their academic profile starting from the Senior Secondary Examination (Class 12 onwards).

iii. Those who have submitted their Ph.D. thesis and are awaiting the award of degree shall also be eligible. However, selection for the Fellowship will be confirmed only after the Ph.D. degree is awarded.

iv. The upper age limit as on 1st January 2023 is 32 years for General Category. However, for SC/ST/Women candidates, the upper age limit will be 37 years on the said date. For persons with benchmark disabilities (Divyangjan with not less than 40 percent of a specified disability), the upper age limit will be 42 years.

v. Publication(s) in highly reputed journals demonstrating outstanding research potential of the candidate. However, candidates applying for Faculty Fellowship in the new subject area ‘Translational Research in S&T’ should have at least one granted patent to their credit.

vi. In case of selection under new subject area ‘Translational Research in S&T’, it is mandatory that the Host institution must be chosen as those S&T institutions which have Central/State Govt supported Technology Business Incubators (TBIs), so that the deep-tech research can be mentored and carried out in conjunction with the TBI. (For reference, applicants may visit https://www.nstedb.com/List-NSTEDB- TBIs.htm.)

vii. Candidates who are employed in regular/contractual positions within India may also apply for INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship for improvement and enhancement in their career prospects but, upon selection, the candidates will need to resign (no lien or deputation or any type of leave would be accepted) from the current job and organization before taking up the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship. The candidates, who get selected for regular position in any institute/university after submission of IFF application, would be entitled to receive the Research Grant only if selected as INSPIRE Faculty Fellows.

2.  Desirable:

Candidates who are within top 1% in Class 12 examination, IIT-JEE, NEET rank holders, 1st rank holders either in graduation or post-graduation level university examinations.

B)    Fellowship:

i. Each selected INSPIRE Faculty Fellow will be eligible to receive a consolidated amount of Rs.1,25,000/- per month as fellowship with annual increment of Rs. 2,000/-. In addition, a Research Grant of Rs.7,00,000/- every year for 5 years will also be provided to each successful candidate. Consolidated amount of Rs.1,25,000/- per month is an all-inclusive fellowship and taxable as per the Indian IT Act.

ii. The INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship is for a maximum period of 5(five) years. Availing of fellowships concurrently from more than one source during the tenure of this Fellowship period is not permitted.

C) How to Apply:

i. Interested and eligible students must apply and submit their application with all essential documents through ONLINE mode only. Applications are to be submitted online on INSPIRE web-portal https://www.online-inspire.gov.in. Those interested in submitting application have to register at this portal and submit the application online. Please read guidelines available on the portal carefully before submitting the application. This web- portal will be open from 18th July 2023 to 31st August 2023 (till 23:59 hrs. IST) for submission of applications. For further enquiries regarding INSPIRE-Faculty Fellowship component, please send email to: [email protected]. For queries, please call us on 0124-6690020, 0124- 6690021.

D) Documents Required Along with Application:

Before filling application form, please scan and save the following documents as separate files. The same need to be uploaded as required during the ‘On-line Application’ process.

Name of DocumentFile TypeMaximum Size
Passport size photograph (Mandatory)JPEG50 KB
Class X Mark Sheet or Certificate, for proof of Date of Birth. (Mandatory)PDF1 MB
Mark sheets of educational qualifications (like 12th, UG & PG Program). (Mandatory)PDF1 MB
Ph.D degree certificate (if awarded)PDF1 MB
Community/Caste Certificate (only if applicant belongs to SC/ST)PDF1 MB
Proof of disability for persons with bench mark disabilityPDF1 MB
Appointment letter (if employed)PDF1 MB
Details of Professional Recognitions, Awards and Fellowships received    Please keep these documents with appropriate word limit before filling the online application.
Proposed area of research and brief outline of proposal (Maximum allowed word count:2500) under following sub-sections:
Title of the Research ProposalOrigin of the proposal
Objectives (in bullet points)
Methodology to be adopted
Significance of the proposal in the context of current status (national/international) in the field
Expected output and outcome of the proposed research work especially with respect to national missions.
For submitting proposal under new Subject area ‘Translational Research in S&T’ see Q. 10 in FAQs for details
Keywords (max 5)
Details of Professional Training and Research Experience, specifying period (Maximum allowed word count: 2000)
Details of work done so far and significance of the scientific contribution. (Maximum allowed word count: 1000)
List of publications in three categories viz. Published, accepted for publication and Submitted. (Publication details should contain Authors Name, Title of the paper, JournalName, Volume, Year, Page Numbers and Impact Factor)
Number of Patents Filed
Number of Patents Granted:
National/International
Name of Inventor(s)
Title of Patent
Year Granted
Name of the patent office
Remarks

Last Date of Application Submission: 31st August 2023 (till 23:59 hrs. IST).

E) Instructions for filling Online Application:

i. Applications must be submitted through online mode only. Application will not be accepted in any other mode except online mode. To apply Online, please visit the website: https://www.online-inspire.gov.in and follow the process prescribed therein.

ii. Please click the link below to download guidelines and FAQs for filling up on-line applications: https://online-inspire.gov.in.

iii. Applicants are advised to take a print out of submitted online application for own records. Please do not send application or any other documents by Post.

iv. Incomplete or wrongly filled up application or application lacking essential documents shall be summarily rejected.

v. Applicant’s own valid and functional email address must be used for submission of online application. Status of application shall be informed only through INSPIRE Web-Portal. Applicant needs to login into own (registered) account to view the status. Use of Institute’s email ID is not permitted.

vi. Do not submit more than one application. Please ensure that all aspects of application are correct before submitting.

vii. Any legal proceedings in respect to any matter of claim or dispute arising out of this advertisement and/or application can be lodged only in Delhi Courts/ Tribunals/ Forums. Delhi Courts/Tribunal/Forums only shall have the sole and exclusive jurisdiction to try any case/dispute.