SERB Science and Technology Award for Research
SERB-STAR is a prestigious award for Principal Investigators whose completed SERB projects were rated Excellent, recognizing their outstanding research contributions. Winners receive ₹15,000/month plus ₹10 lakh/year in research funding for 3 years. Nominations are made once a year by the institution head through the SERB online portal at serbonline.in.
About This Scheme
SERB-STAR is a prestigious award for Principal Investigators whose completed SERB projects were rated Excellent, recognizing their outstanding research contributions. Winners receive ₹15,000/month plus ₹10 lakh/year in research funding for 3 years. Nominations are made once a year by the institution head through the SERB online portal at serbonline.in.
Full official description
The "SERB Science and Technology Award for Research (SERB-STAR)” is a prestigious award instituted by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) to recognize and reward the 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.
Scientific Social Responsibility:
SERB has adopted the Scientific Social Responsibility (SSR) Policy to imbibe a culture of social commitment among SERB Grantees. The policy intends to effectively utilize the scientific infrastructure and expertise of SERB grantees to benefit other S&T stakeholders, especially the less-endowed researchers and society. SERB Grantees need to undertake some SSR activities during their project period. SSR activities need to be chosen during the submission process. Depending on the activities chosen additional budget would be provided under a separate head to carry out the chosen activities.
Benefits
- ₹15,000 per month fellowship (top-up, on top of regular salary) for 3 years
- ₹10 lakh per year research grant
- ₹1 lakh per year overhead charges for the host institution
- Up to 30 awards given per year (not more than 90 active at any time)
Who Can Apply (Eligibility)
- Must be the Principal Investigator (not Co-PI) of a completed individual-centric SERB project rated Excellent in the last 3 financial years
- Must hold a regular academic or research position at a recognized institution in India
- Age: between 40 and 50 years as of December 31 of the year the call is made
- Ineligible if already holding JC Bose Fellowship, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Swarnajayanti Fellowship, or similar prestigious fellowships/honoraria
- Unsuccessful nominees may be re-nominated the following year if eligibility criteria are still met
How to Apply
Nomination Procedure:
Call for nomination would be made once in a year.
Nomination shall be made by the Head of the Institution of the nominee.
The application would be by nomination which must be submitted online through the website www.serbonline.in
Application Procedure:
Step 01: The Principal Investigator needs to register in the SERB online portal. Click here to register Step 02: After login, the Principal Investigator needs to fill all the mandatory fields in the Profile Details section under User Profile which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institution Address, etc. Step 03: Under ‘Form Submission’, choose Scheme: STAR, and fill out the STAR nomination form which includes details of the completed project, other scientific contributions, nominator details, etc. Step 04: After filling in the details, Principal Investigator should select “Send STAR nomination form to Nominator”. Step 05: The nominator will receive intimation via email with a link to the SERB online portal, to view the filled-in STAR Nomination form. Step 06: The Nominator can choose to submit the nomination to SERB or resend the form to the Nominee with his comments for any revision. Step 07: Once submitted, the Principal Investigator and Nominator will receive an intimation regarding the successful submission.
Selection Procedure:
- The selection by a competent committee will be based on the performance of completed projects and other research work will carry a top-up weightage.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for STAR Award?
Principal Investigator (PI) with a completed SERB project (in the last three financial years) with "Excellent" grading, is eligible for the award. PI must be in regular service, within 40-50 years of age as on December 31 of the year of call. PI should not have any ongoing fellowship/honorarium such as JC Bose Fellowship, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, Swarnajayanti Fellowship, etc.
How often the awards will be granted?
Call for nominations would be made and awards would be granted once in a year.
Is there any age limit for PI to be eligible for the award?
PI should be within 40 to 50 years as on December 31 of the year in which call is made.
I am already implementing another project under CRG. Am I eligible for STAR?
Yes. STAR is an award of recognition and can be concurrently held with other SERB projects.
How is the "Excellent" grading of project determined?
The Project Completion Report (PCR) of completed project are evaluated by concerned Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), and the performance are graded based on quality of research work done in the project, its impact, publications, patents, research personnel generated, etc.
I have not sent PCR, but my output in my project is excellent. Can I be considered for the award?
No. It is essential to send the PCR of the completed project for evaluation by the concerned PAC.
I have forgotten to acknowledge SERB in many of my publications, but I have large number of publications from the project. Will I be considered for the award?
Only publications in which SERB grant is acknowledged will be taken into account as project output.
Will all the PIs whose projects are rated excellent receive award under STAR Scheme?
No. The PIs of excellent rated projects should also fulfill other eligibility criteria. The selection committee would choose the awardees based on performance of the completed project and other research work. Up to 30 STAR awards would be granted per year.
My project has been rated excellent, and I fulfill all other eligibility criteria. How should I apply for the STAR Award?
The PI cannot apply directly for the award. Entry would be by nomination by the Head of the Institution.
I have completed an EMR project 5 years ago, and it was rated "Excellent". Will I be considered for the award?
No. Only projects which have been completed in previous three financial years will be considered.
I completed EMR project in the year 2016-17 and my project was rated Excellent. I was considered for Distinguished Investigator Award but was unsuccessful. Can I be considered for STAR?
Yes, subject to fulfilling other eligibility criteria, the nomination would be considered.
Ready to apply?
Visit the official government portal to apply for this scheme.
Apply on myScheme.gov.inDocuments Required
- Passport size photograph
- 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
- Certificate from PI
- Technical Document
- Plagiarism undertaking