UGC BSR Fellowship 2023: UGC BSR Fellowship is a program for meritorious students to pursue advanced study and research leading to PhD degree in various disciplines of science. UGC BSR Fellowship has been merged with NET-JRF and the fellowship amount has been updated with effect from January 1, 2023. Full form of UGC BSR is University Grants Commission Basic Scientific Research.
Graduate, Post Graduate students and Research Fellows can also find more fellowship articles to explore various fellowships across India to know the funding opportunities.
The program strives to translate cutting-edge theoretical research into practical applications that can be used in a variety of fields. The initial duration of the course is two years, which can be extended for an additional three years. The total duration of the fellowship will be five years and will not be extended under any circumstances. Read on to know about the eligibility criteria, selection process, benefits of UGC BSR Fellowship.
UGC BSR Fellowship Eligibility Criteria
Candidates are considered eligible if they fulfill the following criteria:
- Candidates should belong to any department
- Science
- Bioscience
- Agriculture Science
- Engineering Science
- Candidates must have already been selected to register for the PhD program through the UGC selection process.
UGC BSR Fellowship Application and Selection Process
- Only candidates selected to apply for the PhD program are eligible to enroll for fellowship under the scheme.
- Candidates have to apply to the selected institutes or universities for research fellowship. Registration for PhD can be done after the admission process.
- The selection process involves screening and scrutiny of applications followed by an interview.
- The interview panel includes
- A leading scientist – nominated by the Vice-Chancellor
- One Professor and one Reader – nominated by the Vice-Chancellor
- Head of Department
- Two experts – nominated by the Vice-Chancellor (outside the University)
UGC BSR Fellowship Benefits and Nature of Assistance
The nature of assistance and benefits provided by UGC BSR Fellowship is as follows
financial help
- For GATE/NET qualified candidates
- JRF – INR 31,000/- per month
- SRF – INR 35,000/- per month
- For other candidates
- JRF – INR 21,700/- per month
- SRF – INR 24,800/- per month
- contingency
- JRF – INR 12,000/- per year
- SRF – INR 25,000/- per year
house rent allowance
- HRA is not allowed to Fellows living in hostel accommodation. In these cases, Fellows are eligible to charge only hostel charges (water and electricity charges are not included). Its certificate is to be submitted through the Principal/Registrar/Director. Please note: Hostel accommodation is subject to availability at the host institution.
- If hostel accommodation is not available, Fellows will be provided with single accommodation by the host university. In these cases, the rent paid to the Fellow will be reimbursed (subject to the limit of HRA and the amount reimbursed as per Government of India norms).
- If the Fellows make their own accommodation arrangements, they will be entitled to receive HRA as per the classification of cities by the Government of India.
Holiday
- Fellows will be entitled to a maximum of 30 days leave in a year.
- Fellows will also be entitled to avail public leave (subject to the approval of the Head of the University).
- Fellows are entitled to maternity or paternity leave at full rates (as per Government of India) during the period of fellowship.
Grant release process
UGC will disburse the fellowship amount into the fellow’s bank account through a designated agency. Fellows are required to contact the designated branch and submit the prescribed documents:
- Continuity Certificate (to be submitted at the end of every three months)
- Annual Progress Report (to be submitted after completion of one year of fellowship)
- contingency grant account
- HRA certificate.
A list of designated branches can be found here. List of designated branches.
FAQs on UGC BSR Fellowship
Question 1.
What is the official website to access UGC BSR Fellowship Application Form?
Answer:
Candidates can get the application form from the official website of UGC.
Question 2.
What are the selection criteria for the fellowship?
Answer:
Only candidates selected to apply for the PhD program are eligible to enroll for fellowship under the scheme.
