Catalyzing India’s Research Revolution: A Policy Analysis Of Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF), 2018

Policy Update
Diva Bhatia

Since its announcement in the Union Budget 2018–19, the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF) has stood at the forefront of India’s effort to nurture a world-class research ecosystem by attracting top domestic talent into doctoral studies. Conceived as a response to both the country’s growing demand for high-quality research and concerns over “brain drain,” PMRF offers one of the most generous stipend-and-grant packages in India’s higher-education landscape. Under the banner “Dream – Innovate – Transform,” it seeks not merely to fund individual scholars but to galvanize institutions and industries toward cutting-edge research and innovation (Ministry of Education).

Since its inception, PMRF has been administered collaboratively by the Ministry of Education’s Department of Higher Education and a network of twenty-one Nodal Institutions, including all Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), IISERs, and selected central universities, tasked with nominating and mentoring Fellows. A National Coordination Committee, chaired by the Secretary of Higher Education, oversees final selections and annual performance reviews, ensuring that only those demonstrating sustained research excellence continue to receive support.

Background

The Fellowship was formally launched in July 2018 to leverage India’s premier technical and scientific talent pools. Originally conceived to award up to 1,000 new slots per annum over five years, PMRF promised a monthly stipend of ₹70,000 for the first two years, escalating to ₹80,000 for Years 4 and 5, plus an annual contingency grant of ₹200,000 (Ministry of Education). In its first phase (2018–2024), a total of 3,688 scholars were admitted statewide, reflecting brisk uptake among eligible graduates (Government of India, Ministry of Education, 2024-25).

By 2025, buoyed by positive early outcomes, the Union Budget for 2025–26 announced an expansion to 10,000 new Fellowships over the next five years, accompanied by a total outlay of ₹1,650 crore for the scheme’s scaling (Press Information Bureau, 2025). This expansion underscores the government’s sustained commitment to amplifying domestic research capacity.

Salient Features and Functions

PMRF’s appeal lies in its combination of generous financial support, stringent selection, and structured review:

Fellowship Stipend: ₹70,000/month for Years 1 and 2; ₹75,000 for Year 3; and ₹80,000 for Years 4 and 5.
Research Grant: ₹200,000 per year (₹1,000,000 over five years) to cover project costs, travel, and consumables (Ministry of Education).

Entry Pathways.

Direct Entry: Outstanding candidates admitted at the outset of their PhD.
Lateral Entry: Scholars already enrolled in a PhD at a qualifying institution may apply within two years of initial registration.
Selection Process: Two-stage evaluation: institute-level nomination and scrutiny at the national level by subject panels, followed by final approval from the National Coordination Committee (India Science & Technology Portal) .
Annual Review: The Fellow reports on research progress at a national symposium; continuation of stipend depends on meeting milestones agreed upon.

The structure hence provides for a blend of accountability and flexibility that allows Fellows to pursue risky ventures with high rewards in the burgeoning sectors of engineering, physical sciences, life sciences and more recently interdisciplinary domains.

Performance and Impact

In the past three years, the impact of the PMRF has been growing with visibility on many scores:

1. Admission and Diversity
Each bi-annual batch from Dec 2023 to Dec 2024 saw the recruitment of roughly 600-650 new Fellows, maintaining extremely competitive acceptance rates of fewer than 5% of all who applied to do their PhD at the assigned nodal institutions. While initially almost dominating the selection pool, the share of Fellows with alumni of the IITs and IISc has lessened for a better geographical reach from 12% in 2022 to 18% in 2024, with Central Universities and NITs occupying the rest (Annual Report, 2022–23, pp. 58–60) .

2. Research Outputs
Between 2022 and 2024, the PMRF Fellows have published 300+ papers in peer-reviewed international journals and conferences. Among those outputs were also advances in catalysts for green hydrogen production (IIT Madras), deep-learning algorithms for disease diagnosis (IISc Bangalore), and advanced composites for aerospace (IISER Kolkata) (Ministry of Education, Annual Report, 2022–23, p. 61) .

3. Patents and Technology Transfer
The Fellows have been applying for patents in excess of 45 in areas of unprecedented energy-storage systems, biomedical devices, and sensor technologies. Three incubated start-ups, founded by PMRF scholars at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IISc, have received seed funding from national venture funds, thus exhibiting successful lab-to-market research (Press Information Bureau, 2024).

4. Collaborations and Societal Impact
The collaboration with ISRO, DRDO, and CSIR labs has made Fellows stand at the very interface of academic and applied research. For instance, a 2023 heat-resilient-materials-for-satellites project led by PMRF scholars at IISc has been incorporated into ISRO’s upcoming satellite programmes (Government of India, 2023).

These results speak to PMRF playing a twin role in elevating India’s standing in international research and creating a pathway for aligning scholarly pursuit and national development agendas.

Emerging Issues

Despite clear successes, several challenges warrant policy attention:

Institutional Concentration
More than 80% of fellows continue to be concentrated within eight institutions (IITs Bombay, Delhi, Madras, IISc, IISER, Pune, IISER, Kolkata, IISc Bengaluru, central universities) compromising the scheme’s democratizing potential (Ministry of Education, Annual Report, 2022-23) .

Disciplinary Gaps
Less than 5% of all fellowships are awarded in the humanities and social science disciplines even if there are emerging national priorities (public health, education and governance) that clearly indicate new research considerations must include insights from these fields.

Administrative Bottlenecks
Fellows report that delays in the disbursement of stipends and grants average 4-6 weeks, creating challenges for all involved and extending research gaps. With the annual reviews presently weighted heavily on quantitative measures, exploratory and interdisciplinary work is frequently not discussed or understood.

Issues with Gender and Social Inclusion
Female scholars represent less than 15% of the overall awardees and underrepresented candidates (SC/ST/OBC) are only 20% of fellows although they represent an important group, and they comprise more than 50% of the undergraduate population (Department of Higher Education, 2024) .

Post fellowship pathways

No formal tracking of PMRF alumni exists so many, after their stipend ends, must navigate uncertain career pathways. Many return to post graduate education or seek faculty roles in either program or research development. An “alumni-ecosystem” was not formally established.

Way Forward

To consolidate PMRF’s achievements and address its challenges, the following policy reforms are proposed:

1. Expand Institutional Base
Award granting status to top performing state universities and developing technology institutes that meet or exceed research-infrastructure minimums. This will decentralize PMRF and develop regional research clusters. It also increases access and eliminates institutional chokepoints.

2. Disciplinary Rebalancing
Set aside at least 15% for humanities, social sciences, and interdisciplinary fields as a part of the Fellowship programme (India Science & Technology Portal). This endorsement of scholarship in addressing contemporary societal challenges in education, governance, environment, through PMRF will ensure these are prioritised in India’s multi-sectoral development plans.

3. Streamlined Administration
Create a single online disbursal/grant-management portal to ensure that all stipend payments take place within no more than two weeks of approval. Include qualitative review in annual reviews which focuses on peer-reviewed outputs, mentorship contributions and/or impacts on society, and infrastructure.

4. Widespread outreach and mentoring
Imaginative series of targeted awareness campaigns and mentoring initiatives in Tier-2 & 3 cities, and minority serving institutions. Work with the Department of Education to identify places with potential optimal candidates and fund or help candidates with potential scholarships through workshops and/or webinars to demystify the application processes.

5. Alumni Network and Professional Pathways
Establish an official PMRF Alumni Council to help with track record or employment pathways, provide industry linkages, and develop post-doctoral fellowships and seed grants; introduce formal stakeholders from governmental research labs and private R&D centres to develop professional pathways for PMRF Fellows.

Conclusion

In its first seven years, the Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship has achieved a great deal toward lifting India’s research enterprise; attracting talent, producing publications, and developing innovations. However, if PMRF is to achieve its transformational opportunity, it has to change: it has to broaden its institutional and disciplinary scope, eliminate administrative friction, and develop an ecosystem to support scholars during and beyond their fellowship. With these policy adjustments, PMRF can continue to “Dream – Innovate – Transform”, developing a new generation of researchers to propel India forward in the global knowledge economy.

References

All India Council for Technical Education. Revised guidelines for Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship (PMRF). https://www.aicte-india.org/sites/default/files/PMRF.pdf
Department of Higher Education. (2024). Improving the research ecosystem [RU3077]. Ministry of Education, Government of India https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/RU3077.pdf
Government of India, Ministry of Education. Prime Minister’s Research Fellowship Scheme https://www.pmrf.in/
Government of India, Ministry of Education. (2023). Annual Report 2022–23 https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/document-reports/Annual%20Report_2022-23_English.pdf
India Science & Technology Portal. Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF). Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India. https://www.indiascienceandtechnology.gov.in
Press Information Bureau. (2024). Efforts made by the Ministry of Education to make ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/PIB2114325.pdf
Press Information Bureau. (2025, April). Higher education institutions in the country in STEM [Press release]. Ministry of Education. https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/PIB2114326.pdf

About the Contributor: Diva Bhatia is a research intern at IMPRI and currently pursuing a major in Political Science from Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi. Her research interests include gender studies, international relations and exploring the socio-political intricacies of North East India.

Acknowledgement: The author extends her sincere gratitude to the IMPRI team and Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja for her invaluable guidance throughout the process.

Disclaimer: All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organisation.