SERB Science and Technology Award for Research (SERB-STAR)

Preamble

SERB Science and Technology Award for Research (SERB-STAR) is a prestigious award instituted by SERB to recognize and reward outstanding performance of Principal Investigators (PIs) of SERB Projects. SERB has been supporting basic research in frontier areas of science and engineering through its various programs and schemes. The number of researchers under the ambit of SERB has increased over the years and they contribute significantly towards the progress of science and engineering in the country through their research endeavour. SERB-STAR is an initiative to acknowledge such exemplary contributions in research and also to motivate the PIs of ongoing projects for outstanding performance

Nature of Support

  • Fellowship of Rs. 15,000/- per month, research grant of Rs. 10 lakh per annum and Rs.1 lakh per annum as overhead charges for a period of three years.
  • Upto 30 awards per year and not more than 90 at any time

Eligibility

  • The nominee should have completed individual-centric SERB project in previous three financial years with “Excellent” grading. Only the PI of such projects and not the Co-PIs shall be eligible.
  • The applicant must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized academic institution or national laboratories or any other recognized R&D institutions. [The term “Regular” refers to: (1) Those who are appointed by the institutions against the ‘sanctioned ‘post. Such positions are regularized/confirmed after the probation period is over (2) Those who are appointed in a tenure post but are likely to be renewed after the end of the tenure]
  • The age of the nominee should be within 40 to 50 years as on December 31 of the year in which the call is made.
  • PIs who have an ongoing fellowship/honorarium such as JC Bose Fellowship, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Swarnajayanti Fellowship, etc. are not eligible.
  • Individuals who are nominated for SERB STAR but are unsuccessful can be renominated for consideration in the following year subject to fulfilling other eligibility criteria.

Application and Selection Process

  • The application would be by nomination which must be submitted online through the website www.serbonline.in
  • Call for nomination would be made once in a year.
  • Nomination shall be made by the Head of the Institution of the nominee.
  • At Stage 1 - Preliminary Scrutiny, verification of eligibility criteria including “Excellent” grading will be carried out by SERB. Only those nominations found eligible, would be considered for Stage 2 – Award Selection Process.
  • The selection by a competent committee will be based on performance of completed projects and other research work would carry a top up weightage.

Instructions for Online Submission

  • PI need to register in SERB online portal, www.serbonline.in
  • After log-in, PI need to fill all the mandatory fields in Profile Details section under User Profile which includes Bio data, Photo, Institution Address, etc.
  • Under ‘Form Submission’, choose Scheme: STAR, and fill the STAR nomination form which includes details of completed project, other scientific contribution, nominator details, etc.
  • After filling the details, PI should select “Send STAR nomination form to Nominator”
  • Nominator would receive intimation via email with a link to SERB online portal, to view the filled-in STAR Nomination form.
  • Nominator can choose to submit the nomination to SERB or resend the form to Nominee with his comments for any revision.
  • Once submitted, PI and Nominator will receive intimation regarding successful submission.

    • Documents Required (in PDF format)

    • Project completion report (PCR)
    • List of publications resulting from the completed project (if any)
    • Reprints of publications (if applicable)
    • Details of patents from the completed project (if any)
    • Patent documents (if applicable)
    • Documents related to technology transfer (if any)
    • List of complete publications, patents and any other significant contribution
    • Endorsement certificate (Download Template)
    • Certificate from PI (Download Template)
    • Technical Document (Download Template)
       

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Q1: Can I apply for EMEQ Opportunities after my superannuation in academic institutions/national labs or any other recognized R&D institutions in the field of Science and Engineering?

    A1: No. The applicant should have at least four years of service remaining before superannuation as on the date of submission of the proposal.

    Q2: I am working abroad as post-doc, and I want to return to India. I intend to apply for EMEQ. But I have not yet finalized my place of work. Am I eligible to apply under the scheme?

    A2: No. The applicant should be an active researcher belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category working on regular basis in academic institutions/national labs or any other recognized R&D institutions in the field of Science and Engineering.

    Q3: Can I apply for a project under EMEQ scheme when I am already implementing another project (such as EMR) of SERB?

    A3: Yes

    Q4: A Can I apply for a project under EMEQ scheme when I am already implementing another project within the same scheme in SERB?

    A4: No. Researchers/Scientists who are running an ongoing project under this program as on the date of submission of the proposal, are not eligible to apply.

    Q5: Is there any specific time-line for applying proposals under this scheme?

    A5: The project proposals for consideration under EMEQ scheme can be submitted only when the call for proposal is made. The call will be made in the website www.serbonline.in and www.serb.gov.in

    Q6: What is the maximum amount of the grant the Board will fund?

    A6: The funding is provided up to a maximum of Rs. 50.0 lakh (excluding overhead charges) for a period not exceeding four years. The budget should be proposed based on the requirement for the successful implementation of the project. The final decision regarding the budget will be made by the Expert Committee.

    Q7: Can I apply for a project under EMEQ scheme when I am already implementing another project (such as EMR) of SERB?

    A7: Yes

    Q8: Can I have a Co-PI in EMEQ project?

    A8: No

    Q9: If I am from the SC/ST category, am I eligible to apply only in EMEQ and not in EMR scheme?

    A9: No. This scheme is specially meant to support scientists belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe only.You are eligible to apply in both the schemes provided the proposals are distinctly different.

    Q10: Does the Board have any priority areas for funding under EMEQ scheme?

    A10: No. The Board funds all the areas of Science and Engineering without discriminating any discipline. Research proposals outside the normal activities of such institutions (i.e. National R&D Programs, Programs in newly emerging and front-line areas of research etc.) will be preferred. Further, proposals involving purely survey-oriented work and routine studies will not be normally considered. The proposal will be funded if it has novelty and the investigator has the competence to execute the project.

    Q11: Does the Board allow to travel abroad under EMEQ scheme?

    A11: International travel is not supported under the EMEQ project.

    Q12: Do I need to provide any special document/certificates for project involving Recombinant DNA work or experiments with human/animal material or Earth science under this grant?

    A12: The following documents should also be included along with the proposal Projects which involve Recombinant DNA work should be examined and certified by Institutional Biosafety Committee. Projects, which are clinically oriented or projects, which involve experiments with human and/or animal material, should be examined and certified by Institutional Ethics Committee. Proposals in the area of Earth Sciences should contain the geological map of the region to be studied.

    Q13: Does SERB discriminate Project Investigators working in Private Universities/Institutions in funding?

    A13: No. SERB does not discriminate Project Investigators working in Private Universities/Institutions. Funding decisions are made based on merit of the proposal, competence of the Investigator(s), and the infrastructure available in the implementing institution, and not on the category of institutions the Investigator is working.