SERB POWER Grant & Fellowship 2024 : Science and Engineering Research Board

What is SERB POWER Grant & Fellowship?

POWER Grant & Fellowship is sponsored by SERB Science and Engineering Research Board. SERB – POWER (Promoting Opportunities For Women in Exploratory Research) program is formulated to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research funding in various S&T programs in Indian academic institutions and R&D Laboratories. Women Scientists cannot hold POWER Fellowship and POWER Grant at the same time. The call for proposals under SERB – POWER Grant is opened from 1st January 2024 to 31st January 2024.

Related / Similar Scholarship : India Fellow Fellowship 2024

SERB – POWER Research Grants

This scheme aims to encourage emerging and eminent women researchers for individual-centric and competitive mode of research funding to undertake R&D activities in frontier areas of science and engineering. POWER Grants will empower women researchers by funding them under following two categories:
Level I: The scale of funding upto 60 Lakhs for three years.
Level II: The scale of funding upto 30 Lakhs for three years.

Eligibility of POWER Grant

** Applicants [Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator(s)(Co-PI(s))] should be Indian citizens.
** The Applicant(s) must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized academic institution or national laboratory or in any other recognized R&D institution in India .

** Applicants from IITs, IISERs, IISc, NITs, Central Universities, and National Labs of Central Government Institutions will be considered under Level I category, whereas applicants from State Universities/Colleges and Private Academic Institutions should apply under Level II category.

** POWER Grant will be regulated through terms of reference confirming to SERB-CRG guidelines.
** The selection will be based on the recommendations of Program Advisory Committee (PAC) constituted by the Board. If required, the applicants may be called for discussion/presentation.
** SERB POWER grant will be regulated through terms of reference conforming to SERB CRG guidelines except sharing of 50 % non- recurring cost by National Laboratories and Research Institutions.
** Woman scientists can not hold POWER Fellowship and POWER Grant at the same time.

** Faculties recruited through UGC-Faculty Recharge Program are eligible to apply. INSPIRE Faculty, Ramanujan and Ramalingaswamy Fellows are also eligible to apply provided they have at least three and half years of tenure remaining at the time of submission of application.

** There is a mandatory requirement for female CO-PI from the same institute.
** Male CO-PI is not allowed in POWER Grant Research Scheme.
** PhD guide cannot be CO-PI.
** PIs who have already got a POWER Grant, are not allowed to apply again in POWER Grant Scheme.
** JC Bose fellows and the PIs who have already completed two CRG are not allowed to apply for POWER Grant Research Scheme.
** The number of CO-PIs should not exceed two per project.
** The budget under the equipment head is limited to not more than Rs. 14 lakh for Tier II institutions (30 lakh limit).

How To Apply Online for POWER Grant?

For successful online submission of the application the following points may be noted:
** Applicant(s) should first register into the online website click here to register
** After log-in, applicant(s) are required to fill all the mandatory fields in Profile Detail section under User Profile. which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute Address etc.
** If you have CO-PI in your proposal then ensure that all the CO-PI’s are also registered into the system following the same procedure.

** Some of the details of your proposal like Project Title (max 500 characters), Project summary (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of project (max 1500 characters), Expected output and outcome of the proposal (max 1500 characters), Budget (Research Personnel,Consumables,Travel, Equipment, Contingency, Overheads ) have to be entered at the time of proposal submission.

** Other relevant information of the proposal has to be uploaded in single PDF file not more than 10 MB as other technical document (OTD). Download Template

FAQ on POWER Grant

Frequently Asked Questions on POWER Grant
What is level I & Level II in SERB- POWER research grant?
Applicants from IITs, IISERs, IISC, NITs, Central Universities, and national Labs of Central government Institutions will be considered under level I category. Whereas applicants from state Universities/ Colleges and Private Academic Institutions should apply under Level II category.

SERB – POWER Fellowship

A SERB Power fellow can change the host institute during implementation of SERB Power Fellowship. She has to forward NOCs from both the Institutes along with final financial papers indicating balance unspent grant from the old institute, undertaking certificate and appointment letter from the new Institute indicating the joining date and duration of the appointment.

Eligibility of POWER Fellowship

** This Fellowship will identify and reward outstanding women researchers and innovators working in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories, holding Ph.D.degree in any branch of science and engineering.
** The nominee should be an active scientist with an excellent record of research performance as an independent investigator or innovator.
** The nominee should be an Indian citizen between 35-55 years of age working in an institution in India.
** The nominee should not not be receiving any other fellowship from Government sources during the tenure.

Nature Of Support & Duration for POWER Fellowship

** Fellowship of Rs. 15,000/- per month in addition to regular income.
** Research grant of Rs.10 Lakh per annum. Research grant can be used for minor equipment, research personnel, consumables, contingencies and domestic travel.
** Overheads for the host institute.
** Fellowship duration will be fixed for three years, without the possibility of extension.
** Successful POWER Fellows cannot be re-nominated for the second time.

Nomination Procedure of POWER Fellowship

** Applications for POWER fellowships are invited normally for nominations.The nominations should be sent by the Heads of Institutions or Fellows of National Academies.
** The nominations will be received throughout the year through online only.
** Selection of POWER Fellows will be made twice a year by a specially constituted Search-cum-Selection committee.

FAQ on POWER Fellowship

Frequently Asked Questions on POWER Fellowship
Is there any age limit for PI to be eligible for the award?
PI should be within 35-55 years at the time of submission of proposal.

I am already availing another Fellowship. Am I eligible for SERB Power Fellowship?
No, you can avail only one fellowship at a time from government source.

Is the Fellowship received under SERB Power Fellowship taxable?
Yes, the Fellowship received under SERB Power Fellowship is taxable as per I.T. rules.

What are the areas covered under SERB Power Fellowship?
All Areas of Science (in the broadest terms) are covered by this Fellowship.

What is the duration of the SERB Power Fellowship?
The SERB Power Fellowship duration is for 3 years only, without any possibility of extension.

How many times a person can avail SERB Power Fellowship?
A person can avail SERB Power Fellowship only once. Successful POWER Fellows cannot be nominated for a second time.

When can a person apply for the SERB Power Fellowship? What is the last date of acceptance of the application?
The nominations for the SERB Power Fellowship are accepted throughout the year through online portal only and there is no last date of acceptance of the nomination.

Who can nominate for SERB Power Fellowship?
Heads of Institutions or Fellows of National academies can send the nominations.

Author : Admin