Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) awards national post-doctoral fellowships to 301 researchers

Subject :

Context-

Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has announced the names of 301 young researchers selected for support under the SERB-National Post-Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF).

About the fellowship-

The fellowship, initiated in 2015, supports young budding researchers to establish themselves as independent scientists.
The fellowship is awarded to work for two years in frontier areas of science and engineering. The selected fellows will work under a mentor who holds a regular academic/research position in a recognised institution in India.
The fellowship amount is Rs. 55,000 per month (consolidated) and Rs. 35,000 per month for candidates who have submitted the thesis, but the degree has not been awarded.
The fellows will receive a research grant of Rs. 2,00,000 and overheads of Rs. 1,00,000 per annum.
To date, around 23000 applications have been received in the last eight years, out of which about 3500 fellows have benefitted.
N-PDF 2022 fellows will bring this number to 3800.

Eligibility-

Candidates within the age limit of 35 years, with a PhD/MD/MS degree from a recognised University, and those who have submitted their PhD/MD/MS thesis and are awaiting the award of the degree are eligible to apply for it.

Areas of research under the fellowship-

The fellowships are broadly given in five thematic areas: Chemical Sciences, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

About the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB)-

A statutory body established by SERB ACT,2008, under the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
The Board is chaired by the Secretary to the Government of India in the Department of Science and Technology and shall have other senior government officials and eminent scientists as members.
Vision is to position science and technology as the fulcrum for social and economic change by supporting relevant, competitive, and quality scientific research and development.
The mandate of SERB includes promoting basic research in Science and Engineering and providing financial assistance to persons engaged in such research, academic institutions, research and development laboratories, industrial concerns, and other agencies for such research.
The Board aims to enable quicker decisions on research issues, significantly improving the responsiveness to the genuine needs of the research scientists and the S&T system of India.

Other fellowships awarded by the SERB-

In addition to the N-PDF, SERB also offers several other awards and fellowships, including the JC Bose National fellowship; Abdul Kalam TIN fellowship; Ramanujan fellowship; SERB Research Scientists Scheme; SERB Power fellowship; SERB Women Excellence Award; Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE); SERB Science and Technology Award for Research (SERB-STAR); SERB Technology Translation Award (SERB-TETRA); and National Science Chair.
Besides offering twelve research grants, it also runs two national and three international research networking programmes.