Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme- Objective, Financial Support and Key Features

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme UPSC Relevance

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme: It is a government initiative to increase the number of PhDs in the country who are globally competitive especially in the field of Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES).

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme is important for UPSC Prelims 2023 and UPSC Mains Exam (GS Paper 3- Indian Economy and increasing the exports from India).

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme in News

Recently, various information about Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme was given by the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, Shri Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha.

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Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme

Visvesvaraya PhD scheme: It has been initiated by the Government with an objective of enhancing the number of PhDs in the country in knowledge intensive sectors of Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES).
Objective: Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme aims to increase number of PhDs in order to compete globally in the knowledge intensive sectors of Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES).
Key Benefits: Under the scheme, financial support is provided to Full-time & Part-time PhD candidates and Young Faculty who are undertaking research and technology development.
- The Scheme also provides infrastructure support to institutions.
Implementation Process:
- Under the scheme, proposals are invited from the eligible institutions for allocation of PhD seats.
- The proposals are considered by the Academic Committee constituted by MeitY for the purpose of the scheme.
- The PhD seats are allocated to the institutions. The institutions enroll the PhD candidates for the allocated seats for ESDM/IT/ITES sectors.
Performance: Under the Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme:
- Phase-I, a total of 1423 PhD candidates have been supported.
- With the objective of covering more scholars, Phase- II of Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme has been initiated for a duration of 9 years to support 1000 Full-time PhD candidates, 150 Part-time PhD candidates, 50 Young Faculty Research Fellowships and 225 Post-Doctoral Fellowships.
- Out of the 1000 Full-time PhD seats, 200 Full-time PhD seats have already been allocated to 70 institutions across the country for the first year i.e. academic year 2022-23.

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Details of Financial Support

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme: Phase-I (2014-2023)

For Full Time PhD Candidates:
- Fellowship: ₹ 38,750/- per month (I & II year); ₹ 43,750/- (III to V year)
- Annual Contingency Grant support: ₹ 30,000/- per year
- Reimbursement of Rent as per GoI rules
- Support for international conferences up to ₹ 50,000/-
For Part Time PhD Candidates:
- One time incentive of ₹ 2,50,000/- after completion of PhD
For Young Faculty Research Fellows undertaking research and technology development:
- Fellowship @ ₹ 20,000/- per month
- Research Contingency Grant of ₹ 5,00,000/- per year for a maximum period of 5 years
Support to the Institution registering PhD candidates under the scheme:
- Research Infrastructural Grant of up to ₹ 5,00,000/- per candidate
- Institutional Overheads: ₹ 25,000/- per annum / Full-time candidate

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Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme: Phase-II(2021-2030)

For Full Time PhD Candidates:
- Fellowship: ₹ 38,750/- per month (I & II year); ₹ 43,750/- (III to V year)
- Reimbursement of Rent as per GoI rules
- Research Contingency Grant @ ₹ 1,20,000/- per year per Full-time candidate to the institutions registering PhD candidates under the scheme
- Support for International Conference up to ₹ 1,50,000/- to the institutions registering PhD candidates under the scheme
For Part Time PhD Candidates:
- One time incentive of ₹ 3,00,000/- after completion of PhD
For Young Faculty Research Fellows
- Fellowship @ ₹ 20,000/- per month
- Research Contingency Grant of ₹ 5,00,000/- per year for a maximum period of 5 years
Support to the Institution registering PhD candidates under the scheme:
- Institutional Overheads: ₹ 25,000/- per annum / Full-time candidate

Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme FAQs

What is Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme?

Ans. Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme aims to enhance the number of PhDs in the country to compete globally in the knowledge intensive sectors of Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (IT/ITES).