Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) Scheme: Objective, Eligibility & Application Process

If you are someone who wants to pursue PhD courses in the field of science and technology, the PMRF scheme can be a golden opportunity to get started. This scheme gives you a chance to pursue PhD studies in reputed educational institutes in India. PMRF stands for Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship.

Continue reading this article to know more about PMRF guidelines and eligibility criteria!

In the Budget 2018-2019, PMRF scheme was introduced in order to upgrade the research quality in various higher educational institutes of India. The Ministry of Human Resource Development administers all activities under this scheme. This scheme intends to attract talented individuals in the field of research, which will lead to the country's development through innovation.  

The selection of candidates will be made based on a rigorous procedure, and the performance will be judged through a national convention. However, this PMRF program is only applicable in areas of technology and science.

This scheme will cover three thousand students across India who will be selected for a three-year time period, beginning from 2018-2019. The approved cost of this scheme is ₹ 1,650 crores. Among these students, thousand best candidates who have completed or pursuing their final year in streams like B.Tech, M.Sc in Science or Integrated M.Tech from leading educational institutes, namely, IISc, NITs, IITs, IIITs and IISERs, will get direct admission in a PhD course in IITs and IISc.

For Lateral Entry

• Applicants must be doing a PhD course in one of the universities that give the facilities for this PMRF scheme. Furthermore, the candidates must complete twelve months of PhD if they have a Master's degree or twenty-four months of PhD course in case of UG with PhD. The counting of the period will be done from the PhD admission date to the lateral entry date. Under this scheme, an applicant can apply only twice. Moreover, candidates pursuing Integrated M.Tech/M.Sc and PhD courses must apply within a year of the PG degree.
• Candidates who opt for lateral entry will not apply for direct admission in the next year.
• Criteria on which the contestants are judged include a strict analysis program, publication record and grade.
• Candidates must opt for at least four subjects in the PhD course. The applicants must score a CGPA of 8.5 (minimum) out of 10.

For Direct Entry

• Candidates must complete the GATE examination and pursue or complete M.Tech / MS by research in any institution that grants the PMRF scheme. Moreover, applicants must have a minimum of 8.0 CGPA or CPI out of 10 by the end of the first semester with a minimum of four programs.
• Metrics on which candidates' judgment will take place consist of research exposure, publication, letter of recommendation, international competitions, and grades.
• After admission, the PMRF panel will monitor the improvement of the candidates in 12 – 18 months of the PhD course. Once the officials get satisfactory performance from the applicants, the facilities under the PMRF scheme will continue for them.

The following steps make a successful PMRF application – 

• Step 1: Applicants need to visit the official website for the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship scheme. 
• Step 2: Click on the ‘Apply Online’ option on the landing page. 
• Step 3: The instructions will appear on your screen.
• Step 4: After reading all the guidelines, hit the 'Click Here to Apply' button. 
• Step 5: An application form will appear where you have to fill in all the necessary details. 
• Step 6: Upload scanned copies of the documents. 
• Step 7: Submit the downloaded SBI fee receipt.
• Step 8: Finally, click on ‘Submit’. 
• Step 9: Download the application form and save it for further use.

Individuals need to submit the following documents to apply for a PhD course in any institute that grants PMRF – 

• Passport Size Photographs
• Scanned Copies of Grade Sheets/Mark Sheets/Transcripts
• Scanned Copies of Qualifying GATE Certificate
• Abstract Copy (Maximum 1,000 Words in PDF Format)
• CV (Two A4 Pages in PDF Format)

Note – A CV should contain details about the academic skills and achievements such as merit certificates, publications, ranks, internships, software skills related to research, etc.