DST INSPIRE Fellowship (for Doctoral Research)

About this scheme

The INSPIRE Fellowship (for Doctoral Research) is a flagship component of the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scheme, implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. It offers up to 1,000 fellowships every year to attract talented students to pursue regular doctoral degrees in Basic and Applied Sciences — including Engineering, Medicine, Agriculture, Veterinary Sciences, and Pharmacy — after a Master's or Bachelor's degree in the relevant field. The fellowship provides financial support at par with National Eligibility Test (NET) qualified candidates, with Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) stipend for the first two years and Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) stipend thereafter, along with a contingency grant and House Rent Allowance (HRA) as per Government of India norms. Each fellowship is tenable for a maximum of five years or until the completion of the Ph.D. programme, whichever is earlier. Selection is done through a two-stage competitive process — Level-I screening for eligibility and Level-II evaluation by Subject Expert Committees (SEC) assessing academic merit, host institution profile, and the research proposal.

Eligibility

• Age: Preferably in the age group of 22–27 years
• Academic qualification (Option A): INSPIRE Scholar with minimum 70% marks (or CGPA equivalent) in aggregate at M.Sc. or Integrated M.S./M.Sc.
• Academic qualification (Option B): 1st Rank Holder with minimum 70% marks (or CGPA equivalent) at University-level Post-Graduate examination in Basic/Applied Sciences including Engineering, Pharmacy, Agricultural Sciences, and Veterinary Sciences from any recognised University or academic Institution (excluding autonomous colleges) in India
• Academic qualification (Option C): 1st Rank Holder at University-level Graduate or Post-graduate degree in Medicine from any recognised Indian University, Institute, or Statutory Body
• Citizenship: Must be an Indian Citizen
• Exclusions: College-level (including autonomous college) rank holders, candidates who obtained degrees through Distance Education Mode, and 1st Rank Holders in M.Sc. 2nd year / last year specialisations are NOT eligible
• Concurrent fellowship: Must not be already receiving Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) or a higher position in any project or otherwise

Benefits

• JRF stipend of ₹37,000 per month for Years 1 and 2
• SRF stipend of ₹42,000 per month from Year 3 onward (normally after 2 years of JRF; after 1 year if at least one first-author paper is accepted in an international peer-reviewed journal)
• Contingency Grant of ₹20,000 per annum
• House Rent Allowance (HRA) as per Government of India norms depending on the location of the host institute
• Fellowship tenable for up to 5 years or until Ph.D. completion, whichever is earlier
• Up to 1,000 fellowships awarded annually
• Opportunity to pursue doctoral research at any recognised University or Institute in India

Required documents

• First Rank CertificateIn the prescribed INSPIRE Fellowship format available on the INSPIRE web portal
• INSPIRE Scholar Certificate(optional)Required if applying under the INSPIRE Scholar category
• M.Sc. / Integrated M.S./M.Sc. marksheets and degree certificate
• Undergraduate degree certificate
• Ph.D. Admission Letter(optional)Required for Final Offer; applicants not yet admitted receive a Provisional Offer valid for one year
• Detailed Research ProposalCritical for Level-II evaluation; must be prepared and attested by the proposed Research Supervisor
• Aadhaar card
• Bank passbook (SBI)Personal savings account
• Category Certificate (SC/ST/OBC)(optional)
• Photograph

Frequently asked