The “Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant” is a program initiated by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), under the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India. It aims to assist researchers to initiate their research career in a new institution with a flexible budget and progressive initiatives for ease of doing research.
Objectives:
- To empower and support the early career researchers in their pursuit of research excellence, providing them with an enabling environment to effectively conduct research with ease and flexibility.
- To contribute in positioning the country as a global leader in science and technology as well as creating a vibrant research ecosystem.
- To produce research of the highest quality, bringing in new skills, breakthrough ideas and the zest to explore new frontiers, thereby expanding the boundaries of knowledge.
Benefits
Nature & duration of support:
- Research rant up to ₹60 lakh plus overheads for a period of three years.
- The measures for ease of doing research include flexibility to utilize resources under recurring head; flexibility in manpower recruitment; enhanced travel, contingency and overhead charges; and support for expenses related to open access publications and patent filing charges.
- International travel for project related activities is also permitted.
- Maximum of 700 grants would be awarded per year across all subject areas.
Documents Required
- Biodata (under user profile section)
- Certificate from Principal Investigator
- Endorsement Letter from the Head of Institution
- Age Proof Certificate (Class X marksheet or Birth certificate)
- Category Certificate (in case of Age Relaxation)
- Plagiarism undertaking Any other documents if required
Eligibility
- The applicant should be an Indian citizen.
- Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) or Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) working as regular employees in any publicly funded and recognized R&D laboratories/institutions in India are eligible to apply as Principal Investigator (PI), in collaboration with an Indian Co-PI, provided they meet the eligibility criteria specified by ANRF (ANRF Funding Guidelines for PIO/OCI).
- The applicant should hold a Ph.D. degree in Science or Engineering or an MD/MS/MDS/MVSc degree.
- The applicant should be in a regular academic/research position at a recognized academic institution, national laboratory, or any other recognized R&D institution.
- The applicant is eligible to apply within two years of joining the institution.
- The upper age limit is 42 years, with a relaxation of three years for SC/ST/OBC/Physically Challenged and women candidates.
- The applicant should not have received funding under YSS, ECR, SRG, CRG (erstwhile EMR), EMEQ, or any other project grant from the erstwhile SERB or ANRF.
Other conditions
- An applicant is eligible to apply only one proposal during a call.
- Only a one-time career grant will be provided.
- Extension of the project tenure is not permitted under this programme.
Application Process
Step 1: Applicants should first register in the ANRF online portal,
Step 2: After log-in, applicants are required to fill in all the mandatory fields under User Profile section, which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute address, etc.
Step 3: Some of the details of a proposal like Project Title (max 500 characters), Project summary (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of the 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.
Step 4: Other relevant information of the proposal has to be uploaded as a single PDF file, not more than 10 MB, as a Technical Document (TD)
FAQs
How should I apply for PM ECRG?
All applications should be submitted through the ANRF online portal www.anrfonline.in
What is the nature of support under PM ECRG scheme?
PM ECRG is a one-time grant and carries a maximum research grant of Rs. 60 Lakhs (excluding overheads) for a period of three years. The research grant covers equipment, research personnel, consumables, travel and contingency apart from overheads.
