Prime Minister Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme Details, Features, Benefits

Prime Minister Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme Approved- Details, Features, Benefits

The Union Cabinet has approved the implementation of Prime Minister Research Fellows (PMRF) Scheme for doctoral students pursuing research in areas related to technology.

The Union Cabinet has approved the scheme at an allocation of Rs1,650 crores for a period of seven years, starting from 2018-19.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has proposed the Prime Minister Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme during his Budget speech for 2018-19.

Under PMRF scheme, the identified top 3,000 B.Tech graduates of the country will get an opportunity to pursue a PhD programme in the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

As per source, the top noticed students who have completed or are in the final year of B.Tech or integrated M.Tech or M.Sc in science and technology streams in the IISc/IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIITs will be offered direct admission in the PhD programme in the IITs/IISc.

Under PMRF scheme guidelines, students, who will meet the eligibility criteria and get shortlisted through the selection process would be offered a fellowship of Rs70,000 per month for the first two years, Rs75,000 per month for the third year and Rs80,000 per month in the fourth and fifth years.

Under PMRF scheme, a research grant of Rs2 lakh each will also be provided to the fellows for a period of five years to manage their foreign travel expenses for presenting research papers at international conferences and seminars.

Under PMRF scheme, a total of 3,000 fellows will be selected over a three-year period, beginning 2018-19.