N-PDF

The “National Post Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF)” was launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India to identify motivated young researchers and provide them support for doing research in frontier areas of science and engineering.

The “National Post Doctoral Fellowship (N-PDF)” was launched by the Science and Engineering Research Board, Government of India to identify motivated young researchers and provide them support for doing research in frontier areas of science and engineering. The fellows will work under a mentor, and it is hoped that this training will provide them with a platform to develop as independent researchers.

> Duration of fellowship:

• The fellowship is purely a temporary assignment and is tenable for a period of 2 years.

• The applicant should be an Indian citizen.
• The applicant must have obtained PhD/M.D/M.S degree from a recognized University. Those who have submitted their PhD/M.D/M.S. thesis and are awaiting the award of the degree are also eligible to apply. However, such candidates, if selected, will be offered a lower fellowship amount till they qualify for the eligible degree.
• The upper age limit for the fellowship is 35 years at the time of the submission of the application, age will be calculated by taking the date of closure of the respective call. Age relaxation of 5 (five) years will be given to candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC/Physically Challenged & Women candidates.
• NPDF can be availed only once by a candidate in his/her career.
• The mentor must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized institution in India. Should hold a Ph.D. degree in Science or Engineering.
• A mentor shall not have more than two SERB NPDF fellows at any given time.

Note 01: The fellowship is tenable only in India and can be implemented in any of the recognized academic institutions, national laboratories, and other recognized R&D institutions. The host institution should provide the necessary administrative and infrastructural support.

Note 02: The fellows will not be allowed to work with the Ph.D. guide/co-guide. It is also normally not availed at the same Department/institution where the candidates have earned their PhD/M.S./M.D degree.

The fellows will be entitled to receive the grants as given below:

Sl. No.Budget HeadAmount1Fellowship₹55,000/- per month (consolidated) and ₹35,000/- per month for candidates who have submitted the thesis but degree not awarded2Research Grant₹2,00,000/- per annum3Overheads₹1,00,000/- per annumNote 01: Research grants can be used for minor equipment, consumables, contingencies, and domestic travel. There is no provision for providing research personnel support under this scheme. The Fellow is expected to undertake the research objectives by himself/herself during the entire duration of the fellowship.

Note 02: The fellows are not eligible to receive any other fellowship from any Government or Non-Governmental source during the tenure of the fellowship.

Note 03: The fellows must seek the consent of SERB if he/she intends to be away from the implementing institute (except for field work related to the project) continuously for a period of more than eight weeks.

> Leave:

SERB PDFs are entitled to leave as per the rules of the host institution. Participation in scientific workshops held in India or abroad will be treated as on duty. Maternity leave as per the Govt. of India instructions issued from time to time would be available to female candidates in all categories.