National Post Doctoral Fellowship

The fellows will be entitled to receive the grants as given below:

Sl. No.Budget HeadAmount1Fellowship₹55,000/- per month (consolidated) and ₹35,000/- per month for candidates who have submitted the thesis but degree not awarded2Research Grant₹2,00,000/- per annum3Overheads₹1,00,000/- per annumNote 01: Research grants can be used for minor equipment, consumables, contingencies, and domestic travel. There is no provision for providing research personnel support under this scheme. The Fellow is expected to undertake the research objectives by himself/herself during the entire duration of the fellowship.

Note 02: The fellows are not eligible to receive any other fellowship from any Government or Non-Governmental source during the tenure of the fellowship.

Note 03: The fellows must seek the consent of SERB if he/she intends to be away from the implementing institute (except for field work related to the project) continuously for a period of more than eight weeks.

> Leave:

SERB PDFs are entitled to leave as per the rules of the host institution. Participation in scientific workshops held in India or abroad will be treated as on duty. Maternity leave as per the Govt. of India instructions issued from time to time would be available to female candidates in all categories.

1. The applicant should be an Indian citizen.
2. The applicant must have obtained PhD/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized University. Those who have submitted their PhD/M.D/M.S. thesis and are awaiting the award of the degree are also eligible to apply. However, such candidates, if selected, will be offered a lower fellowship amount till they qualify for the eligible degree.
3. The upper age limit for the fellowship is 35 years at the time of the submission of the application, age will be calculated by taking the date of closure of the respective call. Age relaxation of 5 (five) years will be given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/Physically Challenged & Women candidates.
4. NPDF can be availed only once by a candidate in his/her career.
5. The mentor must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized institution in India. Should hold a Ph.D. degree in Science or Engineering.
6. A mentor shall not have more than two SERB NPDF fellows at any given time.

Note 01: The fellowship is tenable only in India and can be implemented in any of the recognized academic institutions, national laboratories, and other recognized R&D institutions. The host institution should provide the necessary administrative and infrastructural support.

Note 02: The fellows will not be allowed to work with the Ph.D. guide/co-guide. It is also normally not availed at the same Department/institution where the candidates have earned their PhD/M.S./M.D degree.

> Application Process:

Step 1: The call for applications for SERB-N PDF will be notified through the website.

Step 2: The application form along with a research proposal highlighting the objectives of the research work to be undertaken, should be submitted online through the website.

Step 3: Applicants should first register on the online website.

Step 4: After login, applicants are required to fill all the mandatory fields in the Profile Detail section under User Profile. which includes Bio-data, Photos, Institute Address, etc.

Step 5: Please ensure that your proposed Mentor is registered into the system by following the same procedure. After login, the Mentor is required to fill all the mandatory fields in the Profile Detail section under User Profile. which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute Address, etc.

Step 6: Details including Project Title (max 500 characters), Project summary (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of the project (max 1500 characters), Expected output and outcome of the proposal (max 1500 characters) should be provided online at the time of submission of the application.

Step 7: Work Methodology and Research plan has to be uploaded in a single PDF file not more than 3 pages (max 10 MB).

Note 1: Please ensure that your proposed Mentor is registered into the system by following the same procedure as PI. After login, the Mentor is required to fill all the mandatory fields in the Profile Detail section under User Profile which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute Address, etc.

Note 2: Applicants of NPDF can submit their proposal only once in a calendar year in any of these schemes.

> Selection Process:

The selection will be based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee that will be constituted by the Board. If required, the applicants may be called for personal interviews.

> Termination of the Fellowship:

• If any fellow wishes to terminate the fellowship, he/she shall inform the SERB through the mentor and host institute immediately. The implementing institute should not incur any expenditure from the date of termination of the project or the date of resignation of the PI. The institute will also arrange for the submission of the documents mentioned above.
• SERB reserves the right to terminate the Fellowship at any stage if it is convinced that appropriate progress is not being made or the grant has not been utilized properly.

Complete guidelines for Principal Investigator for SERB-online system.

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