AICTE Launches Doctoral Fellowship Programme to Support 150 PhD Scholars

AICTE has approved Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellowship Programme, which will support 150 PhD fellowships. Check details here

AICTE Doctoral Fellowship Programme

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has approved AICTE Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellowship Programme (AIEDFP) to strengthen innovation-driven research and encourage doctoral work focused on real-world problems. This programme will have a projected financial outlay of INR 245 crore over five years and will support 150 PhD fellowships. The programme was launched by Prof. Yogesh Singh, Chairman, AICTE, in the presence of Prof. Shyama Rath, Member Secretary, AICTE, and other senior officials.

It aims to promote high-quality, problem-driven and application-oriented research with outcomes in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, commercialisation and societal impact. Under AIEDFP, fellows will receive financial assistance for up to five years, subject to eligibility requirements and satisfactory academic and research progress. The fellowship amount will be

• INR 60,000 per month plus applicable HRA for first three years

• INR 70,000 per month plus applicable HRA for following two years

In addition, each scholar may receive an Innovation Grant of up to INR 10 lakh. The grant can be used for prototype development, testing and validation, field trials, data collection, consumables, travel and other research activities required to convert research findings into deployable solutions.

Focus on Innovation and Industry Applications

The programme will support both technological and non-technological forms of innovation and encourage multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research addressing national and global priorities. AICTE aims to strengthen connection between doctoral research and practical applications by encouraging research that addresses industrial and societal challenges. The programme will also help promising research move towards higher Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs).

Industry Collaboration and Exposure

One important feature of this programme is collaboration between doctoral scholars and wider innovation ecosystem, including industries, startups, research organisations and incubators. Industry partners and external experts may provide problem statements, technical resources, infrastructure and datasets, besides mentoring scholars involved in application-oriented research.

The programme also provides for optional industrial exposure of six to 12 months. During this period, scholars may work on research and development, prototype development, testing, validation, field trials and data collection at partner organisations.

Focus on Measurable Research Outcomes

AIEDFP will place emphasis on measurable outcomes from doctoral research. Depending on discipline, these could include patents, intellectual property, technology development, prototypes, user validation, industry partnerships, incubation and startup opportunities.

The programme will also recognise innovation and impact beyond technology and engineering. For scholars from social science disciplines, outcomes such as qualitative research, policy impact, community-level interventions and social innovation will be considered through an appropriate evaluation framework.