The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has launched the Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PM ECRG) program to support early career researchers in India. The program aims to foster a culture of research and innovation by providing a flexible budget and ease of doing research. The PM ECRG program subsumes the Startup Research Grant (SRG) scheme of the erstwhile SERB.

Scope of Work

The PM ECRG program provides a research grant of Rs. 60 lakh plus overheads for a period of three years. The grant covers equipment, research personnel, consumables, travel, and contingency, apart from overheads. The program also allows for international travel for project-related activities.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the PM ECRG, applicants must be Indian citizens with a PhD degree in Science or Engineering or an MD/MS/MDS/MVSc degree. They must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized academic institution, national laboratories, or any other recognized R&D institution. Applicants must have joined the institution within two years of applying and must be under 42 years of age. There is a relaxation of three years for SC/ST/OBC/Physically challenged and women candidates.

Budget and Duration

The PM ECRG program provides a research grant of Rs. 60 lakh plus overheads for a period of three years. The grant covers equipment, research personnel, consumables, travel, and contingency, apart from overheads. The program also allows for international travel for project-related activities.

Additional Information

The PM ECRG is a one-time career grant, and project tenure extensions are prohibited. The program is open to all subject areas, and a maximum of 700 grants will be awarded per year.

Key Dates

The call for applications will be notified through the website www.anrfonline.in. The application form along with a proper research proposal highlighting the research work to be undertaken should be submitted online through the website www.anrfonline.in during the call opening period.

Application Process

• Applicants must first register on the ANRF online portal, www.anrfonline.in.

• After logging in, applicants must fill in all the mandatory fields under the User Profile section, which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute address, etc.

• 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.

• 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).

Selection Process

Selection will be based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee.

Contact Information

For technical issues related to the ANRF online portal, contact support[at]anrfonline[dot]in or call 011-26552197, 26552179.

Reporting Requirements

The PIs should upload annual Progress Report and financial statements at the end of each financial year. The release of the next instalment of the grant will be considered only after submission of Utilization Certificate (separately for Recurring & Non-recurring) and Statement of Expenditure, financial year wise. The Principal Investigator is responsible for the timely submission of progress reports, utilization certificates, project closure report (PCR), refund of unspent balance amount etc. at the end or early closure of the project.

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