Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)

One of the most notable developments in the Science and Technology sector in the XI Plan has been the setting up of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) through an Act of Parliament, viz. the Science and Engineering Research Board Act, 2008. Promoting basic research in Science and Engineering and to provide financial assistance to persons engaged in such research, academic institutions, research and development laboratories, industrial concerns and other agencies for such research and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto are the primary and distinctive mandate of the Board.

SERB aims to build up best management systems which would match the best global practices in the area of promotion and funding of basic research.

Objectives of SERB

• Serve as a premier agency for planning, promoting and funding of internationally competitive research in emerging areas
• Identify major inter-disciplinary research areas, and individuals, groups or institutions and funding them for undertaking research
• Assist in setting up infrastructure and environment for scientific pursuit
• Enable in order to achieve synergy between academic institutions, research and development laboratories and industry for promoting basic research in science and engineering
• Evolve a system of approach to expeditiously provide funding for research, including monitoring and evaluation, by adopting modern management practices

Schemes and Programs

Core Research Grant (CRG)

Extramural Research (EMR) funding scheme of SERB to academic institution, research laboratories and other R & D organizations to carry out basic research in all frontier areas of Science and Engineering is in limelight for more than four decades since from the inception of SERC. This scheme encourages emerging and eminent scientist in field of science and engineering for individual centric competitive mode of research funding. Since the scheme provides core research support to the active researchers, the existing name Extramural Research (EMR) has been renamed as Core Research Grant (CRG).

National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS)

Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) are new class of engineered systems that integrate computation and physical processes in a dynamic environment. CPS encompasses technology areas of Cybernetics, Mechatronics, Design and Embedded systems, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and many more.  The CPS systems are intelligent, autonomous and efficient and are expected to drive innovation in sectors as diverse as agriculture, water, energy, transportation, infrastructure, security, health and manufacturing. Thus, it is heralded as the next paradigm shift in technology that can exponentially spur growth and development.

To harness the potential of this new wave of technology and make India a leading player in CPS, the Union Cabinet approved the launch of National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to be implemented by the Department of Science & Technology (DST) with a total outlay of Rs. 3660 Crore for a period of five years. The Mission aims to create a strong foundation and a seamless ecosystem for CPS technologies by coordinating and integrating nationwide efforts encompassing knowledge generation, human resource development, research, technology and product development, innovation and commercialization. The mission will be implemented through a network of 15 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs), 6 Sectoral Application Hubs (SAHs) and 4 Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs). Each hubs and technology parks will follow a technology life cycle approach, addressing all stages viz.
Knowledge-Development-Translation-Commercialization.

SERB Science and Technology Award for Research (SERB-STAR)

The SERB-STAR is a prestigious award instituted by SERB to recognize and reward outstanding performance of Principal Investigators (PIs) of SERB Projects. SERB has been supporting basic research in frontier areas of science and engineering through its various programs and schemes. The number of researchers under the ambit of SERB has increased over the years and they contribute significantly towards the progress of science and engineering in the country through their research endeavour. SERB-STAR is an initiative to acknowledge such exemplary contributions in research and also to motivate the PIs of ongoing projects for outstanding performance.

Industry Relevant R & D (IRRD)

The objective of the IRRD Scheme is to utilize the expertise available in academic institutions and national laboratories to solve industry specific problems for the larger benefit of society.

Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science (EMEQ)

The EMEQ Scheme is aimed at providing research support to researchers belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe in undertaking research in frontier areas of science and engineering.

Intensification of Research in High Priority Area (IRHPA)

The IRHPA Program supports proposals in high priority areas where multidisciplinary / multiinstitutional expertise is required which will put our nation in international science map in that particular discipline. The Board identifies the priority areas in consultation with the stakeholders. The necessary facilities required for implementing the identified high priority areas will be supported through this scheme. Routine analytical instruments like NMR, XRD etc will not be supported under the scheme. The Program is under review. Further details will be available shortly.

Start-up Research Grant (SRG)

The SRG Scheme aims to assist researchers to initiate their research career in a new institution. It is a two-year grant meant to enable researchers working in frontier areas of science and engineering to establish themselves and move on to the mainstream core research grant. Criteria for selection would be based on the track record of the applicant and the proposed research plan.

MATRICS

The objective of MATRICS is to provide fixed grant support to active researchers with good credentials in Mathematical Sciences, Theoretical Sciences and Quantitative Social Sciences. The main attribute of this scheme would be submission of a simple 1-2 page Mathematical / Theoretical proposal. The funding provided would cater to the specific needs of Mathematical / Theoretical Sciences research.

International Travel Support (ITS)

ITS Scheme provides financial assistance to Indian researchers for presenting a research paper in an international scientific event (conference, seminar, workshop etc.) held abroad. In addition, support is also provided to young scientists (age limit below 35 years as on date of start of the event) for attending training programs, Short-Term Schools and Workshops.

Assistance to Professional Bodies & Seminars / Symposia

The Assistance to Professional Bodies & Seminars / Symposia Program extends partial support on a selective basis, for organizing seminar / symposia / training programs / workshops / conferences at national as well as international level. The support is provided to Research Institutes / Universities / Medical and Engineering Colleges and other Academic Institutes / Professional Bodies who organize such events for the scientific community to keep them abreast of the latest developments in their specific areas. The support is generally given for encouraging participation of young scientists and research workers in such events and publication of proceedings / abstracts for wider dissemination. The program also supports S & T Professional bodies.

Start-Up Research Grant (Young Scientists)

The two new schemes of Start-Up Research Grant for Young Scientists are:

• Early Career Research Award (ECRA)
• National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (NPDF)

Accelerate Vigyan (AV)

Accelerate Vigyan (AV) strives to provide a big push to high-end scientific research and prepare scientific manpower which can venture into research careers and knowledge-based economy. Recognizing that all research has at its base as development of quality, well-trained researchers; AV will initiate and strengthen mechanisms of identifying research potential, mentoring, training and hands-on workshops, on a broad-based national scale. The aim is to expand the research base in the country, with three broad goals:

• Consolidation / aggregation of all scientific training programs
• Initiating high end orientation workshops 
• Creating opportunities for research internships

Awards and Fellowships

National Science Chair

The main aim of the National Science Chair Scheme is to recognise active eminent senior resident Indian superannuated scientists for their outstanding contributions both nationally and internationally, in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Medicine, to promote excellence and growth in R & D.

J C Bose National Fellowship

The J C Bose National Fellowship is awarded to active scientists in recognition for their outstanding performance. The fellowship is scientist-specific and very selective. All Areas of Science (in the broadest terms) will be covered by the fellowship.

Ramanujan Fellowship

Ramanujan Fellowship is meant for brilliant Indian scientists and engineers from outside India to take up scientific research positions in India, those Indian scientists / engineers who want to return to India from abroad. The fellowship is scientist-specific and very selective. The Ramanujan Fellows could work in any of the scientific institutions and universities in the country and they would be eligible for receiving regular research grants through the extramural funding schemes of various Science & Technology agencies of the Government of India.

Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE)

The Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE) Scheme aims to facilitate mobility of faculty members working in a regular capacity in State Universities / Colleges and in private Academic Institutions to carryout research work in an established public funded institution such as IITs, IISc, IISERS, National Institutions (NITs, CSIR, ICAR, ICMR labs and other central institutions) and Central Universities, located preferably nearer to the institution where the faculty member is working. Research work will be carried out in such a manner to ensure that PI continue to work in the host institute as well as his / her parent institute on mutually agreed terms between the PI and Mentor.

Early Career Research Award

The Early Career Research Award Scheme aims to provide quick research support to the young researchers who are in their early career for pursuing exciting and innovative research in frontier areas of science and engineering.

SERB Overseas Postdoctoral Fellowship (SERB-OPDF)

The SERB-OPDF Scheme aims to build national capacity in frontier areas of Science and Engineering, which are of interest to India by providing postdoctoral fellowship for a period of one year. The applicant should have completed Ph.D. degree in Science and Engineering not earlier than the preceding two years from recognized institutions in India. For researchers who are in regular employment, the 2 years' period may be relaxed. The program admits candidates in identified areas and sends them to top institutions around the globe, other than USA and also to institutions where internationally acclaimed scientists are working.

SERB Women Excellence Award

SERB Women Excellence Award is a one-time award given to women scientists below 40 years of age and who have received recognition from any one or more of the following national academies such as Young Scientist Medal, Young Associate etc.

• Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi
• Indian Academy of Science, Bangalore
• National Academy of Science, Allahabad
• Indian National Academy of Engineering, New Delhi
• National Academy of Medical Sciences, New Delhi
• National Academy of Agricultural Sciences, New Delhi

These women researchers will be supported with a research grant of Rs. 5 lakh per annum for a period of 3 years.

National Post Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF)

The National Post Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF) is aimed to identify motivated young researchers and provide them support for doing research in frontier areas of science and engineering. The fellows will work under a mentor, and it is hoped that this training will provide them a platform to develop as an independent researcher.

SERB Research Scientists Scheme

In SERB Research Scientists Scheme, the INSPIRE Faculty Scheme of Department of Science and Technology (DST) and Ramanujan Fellowship Scheme of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) offer opportunities for young scientists to initiate and sustain research careers in various fields of science and engineering. These schemes do not offer extension of the fellowship after completion of five years. The support link is broken after the end of the tenure of the respective fellowships.

In order to provide a platform for sustainment of their research for some more time, SERB Board has recently approved a new ‘SERB Research Scientist (SRS) Scheme’ for the awardees of INSPIRE Faculty and Ramanujan Fellowships, who fail to secure regular positions after completion of the regular tenure of five years in the respective schemes. The fellows will be called ‘SERB Research Scientists’.The scheme provides an opportunity for them to continue their research activities and also to explore for regular positions during the intervening period.

National Partnership Programs

Prime Minister’s Fellowship for Doctoral Research

The government and industry have jointly developed the Prime Minister’s Fellowship Scheme to attract talent for doctoral research, nurture leadership qualities in scholars, provide exposure to international best practices & innovations and encourage industrial research in academic institutions. The scheme has the provision to award up to 100 new scholarships every year, of up to Rs. 8.7 lakh per annum per candidate. This means, a monthly stipend of between Rs. 55000 to Rs. 72800 depending on HRA.  As per the provisions of the scheme, as approved by the Department of Science and Technology, the scholarship is given for a maximum period of four years, 50 per cent of which comes from the government and 50 per cent from the partner company.

The scheme is open-ended and applications can be submitted through the portal www.primeministerfellowshipscheme.in any time during the course of the year. Areas covered are Science, Technology, Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine.

Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National (TIN) Fellowship

SERB announce the launch of Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowship to recognize, encourage and support translational research by Indian Nationals to achieve excellence in engineering, innovation and technology development.

Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE) will co-ordinate and award Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellowships to outstanding engineers to recognize, encourage and support translational research by individuals to achieve excellence in engineering, innovation and technology development in association with SERB-DST. All areas of engineering, innovation and technology will be covered by this fellowship.

R & D Scheme of Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI)

In order to implement its Research & Development Scheme in the area of food processing, Ministry of Food Processing Industries has approached SERB. In turn, SERB has started handling the R & D Scheme of MoFPI from the financial year, 2012-13 using its well established and widely acknowledged expertise in the formulation, evaluation and implementation of R & D programs.

Cell Tower and Mobile Radiation Program

Cell Tower and Mobile Radiation Program is a joint initiative has been launched with Department of Telecommunication, Ministry of Communication & Information Technology in campaign mode to study the possible impact of EMF radiation exposure from mobile towers and handsets. On life Humans, Living Organism, Flora & Fauna & Environment and related R & D initiatives on next generation technologies for environmentally benign solution for wireless and mobile communication.

Impacting Research Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT)

IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology (IMPRINT), the first-of-its-kind Pan-IIT and IISc joint initiative, is a Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) initiative to address major engineering challenges that the country must address and champion to enable, empower and embolden the nation for inclusive growth and self-reliance. Department of Science and Technology is partnering with MHRD in implementing this program. This novel initiative with a twofold mandate is aimed at:

• Developing new engineering education policy
• Creating a road map to pursue engineering challenges

IMPRINT provides the overarching vision that guides research into areas that are predominantly socially relevant.

International Partnership Programs

Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA) Faculty Scheme

The VAJRA Faculty Scheme is instituted to bring a strong international connect to the R & D ecosystem of India. The scheme offers adjunct / visiting faculty positions to overseas scientist / faculty / R & D professional including Non-Resident Indians (NRI) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to undertake high quality collaborative research in public-funded academic and research institutions of India. VAJRA Faculty will engage in collaborative research in cutting edge areas of science and technology with one or more Indian Collaborators. VAJRA Faculty may also be involved in technology development, start-ups, etc.

Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW)

The Graduate Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW) program is a partnership between the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India and the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide NSF Graduate Research Fellows with opportunities to enhance their professional development through research collaborations at top-caliber science and engineering research sites in India.

India-U.S. Grand Challenge

The purpose of this India-US Grand Challenge Initiative between Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), NIH, USA is to encourage collaborative research within and between both the countries to propose new approaches to the measurement of Blood Pressure that are unobtrusive or passive, low cost and which can automatically provide frequent data recording and reporting to healthcare workers as well as feed back to the patients. It is expected that this partnership between the two countries will leverage knowledge and material resources to develop new technologies which are relevant for low resource settings not only in their respective political domain but other similar settings all over the world. Primary focus of the work is "accurate measurement" and "simplicity & ruggedness" of the device, doing away the need of cuffs and clinical expertise to carry out the measurement.

SERB and NIBIB have launched two separate and parallel, but fully coordinated, funding opportunity announcements in India and the U.S. respectively to promote research in this area and generate alternate scientific approaches and technological options. It is expected that this partnership between the two countries will leverage knowledge and material resources to develop new technologies which are relevant for low resource settings not only in their respective political domain but other similar settings all over the world.

Newton - Bhabha International Fellowships

A joint proposal of The Royal Society, of the United Kingdom and SERB to encourage and support increased research capacity in the area of research and innovation was under discussion between the two bodies. A MoU has been signed between The Royal Society and SERB to institute 15 Newton - Bhabha International Fellowships per year to the Indian research community, covering fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

SERB Overseas Doctoral Fellowship

In SERB Overseas Doctoral Fellowship, SERB has entered into an agreement with several leading universities in the world for the Indian students to do doctoral programs abroad. The Board will provide fellowship amount of $2000 pm for a duration of 4 years, to and fro air fare and preparatory allowance. The students should apply directly to the concerned universities following their admission schedule. The selection is made by the overseas institution in consultation with the SERB. The following are the overseas institutions where agreements have been signed:

• Cambridge University, UK
• Stanford University, USA
• Carnegie Mellon University, USA
• University of Southern California, USA
• University of California, Irvine, USA
• Rice University, USA
• The State University of New York, University at Buffalo, USA
• University of British Columbia, Canada

Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE)

The Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) is a program supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), USA, and promotes international activities across all NSF-supported disciplines. PIRE seeks to catalyze a higher level of international engagement in the U.S. science and engineering community which is essential to addressing critical science and engineering problems. With this background, in 2014, the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a Statutory Body under the administrative control of Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India, entered into a formal understanding with NSF to partner for the PIRE program. The primary goal of PIRE is to support high quality projects in which advances in research and education could not occur without international collaboration. In the global context, U.S. researchers and educators must be able to operate effectively in teams with partners from different nations and cultural backgrounds. PIRE promotes excellence in science and engineering through international collaboration and facilitates development of a diverse, globally-engaged science and engineering workforce.

S.N. Bose Scholars Program

The S.N. Bose Scholars Program is a dynamic student exchange program developed in partnership with Indo-U.S. Science and Technology Forum (IUSSTF) and WINStep Forward, USA. It provides an opportunity to Indian and U.S. students (enrolled in Bachelors and Masters programs in Atmospheric and Earth Sciences; Chemical Sciences; Engineering Sciences; Mathematical and Computational Sciences; and, Physical Sciences) to undertake a research internship. The internship program is conducted for 50 Indian students to intern at partner Universities in the U.S. for a period of 10-12 weeks beginning each summer. The program also supports 30 U.S. students to intern at a recognized Indian educational institution for a similar duration.

Visiting Advanced Joint Research (VAJRA) Faculty Scheme

The VAJRA Faculty Scheme is instituted to bring a strong international connect to the R & D ecosystem of India. The scheme offers adjunct / visiting faculty positions to overseas scientist / faculty / R & D professional including Non-resident Indians (NRI) and Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) to undertake high quality collaborative research in public-funded academic and research institutions of India. VAJRA Faculty will engage in collaborative research in cutting edge areas of science and technology with one or more Indian Collaborators. VAJRA Faculty may also be involved in technology development, start-ups, etc.

Source: Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)