Call for proposals under Prime Minister Professorship
for catalysing world class research and innovation in emerging institutions

Scope:

Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) announces call for proposals for the new program PM Professorship, to utilize the expertise of superannuated scientists and faculty from reputed academic institutions, research laboratories and industry, who are willing to serve in the state universities where research is still at nascent stage. Prime Minister Professor is expected to mentor faculty and students of less endowed universities to improve/raise their research eco-system to be world class.

Objective:

Leveraging expertise of active, eminent and superannuated scientists for their outstanding contributions both nationally and internationally in the areas of engineering, science, and technology including agriculture, medicine and social sciences at the interface of science and technology. The program aims to strengthen R&D culture in less endowed state universities, by boosting their research and innovation aspects in collaborative mode.


Eligibility Criteria for Prime Minister Professorship:
  • Superannuated or retired faculty or scientists from reputed Indian institutions, research laboratories or from private institutions.
  • Overseas scientists i.e. Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs).
  • Professionals from industry/experienced Professors of Practice with a distinguished record of research and innovation.
  • Applicants should have strong research credentials, must be actively involved in research and innovation activities, and demonstrate a strong commitment to mentor faculty at the eligible state universities where research and innovation is still at a nascent stage.
  • Eligible host institutions are the state universities that have been qualified as spoke institutions in Category A of the recently awarded PAIR program of ANRF. To view the eligible host institutions, click here
  • Applicants must be willing to relocate to the proposed host institution on full time basis and should have a proper plan to contribute significantly to the development of its research capabilities and innovation culture.

Responsibilities of the Prime Minister Professor:
  • Enhancing the Research and Innovation capabilities of target host universities.
  • Mentoring faculty and students of target universities for pursuing worldclass research in frontier areas of national interest including translational research.
  • Strengthening research and innovation collaborations between established institutions, industry with less endowed universities.
  • Promoting sustainable knowledge exchange.

Proposal Submission & Evaluation Process:
  • A joint proposal must be submitted by the superannuated or retired faculty member/scientist/industry professional or Professor of Practice in collaboration with the various departments from the proposed host university. The proposal should clearly articulate the mentor’s role in the proposed activity of research and innovation.
  • The proposal should detail how the mentor will contribute to the formulation of research projects in collaboration with the host university and outline innovative strategies to enhance the quality of research and innovation at the university.
  • It should also include plans to encourage and guide faculty and students in undertaking world-class research and innovation projects having potential to significantly impact the academic and research environment of the host university.
  • Mentor has to collaborate with head of university/various departments willing to participate and work out the plan for raising the R&D ecosystem of the host university.
  • Mentor may also contribute to establish a research lab in a specific department or common research facility in the host university, with the research/infrastructure fund or from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund of the institute, subject to the approval of the head of the institution.
  • Proposals will be evaluated by a designated selection committee based on the academic and professional credentials of the applicants with distinguished records and exceptional contributions in the fields of engineering, science, and technology (including agriculture, medicine and social sciences at the interface of science and technology) as well as the potential merit, novelty, and innovativeness of the approach of raising the target institution’s research ecosystem to globally competitive standards.
  • Performance of the faculty in the proposed departments (to promote interdisciplinary approach in research activity) during the last 5 years w.r.t. publications in SCI journals/patents, awards received by the faculty members, past/present projects with govt. agencies, consultancy provided, collaboration & impact will be evaluated.
  • Proposal should include a projected research plan/activity for next five years. Proposals for mentoring the faculty with their ongoing projects leading to the development of prototype/patents will be encouraged.
  • Details of research facilities and number of manpower available including no. of faculty members with PhD degree and number of research scholars with the proposed departments of the host institute to carry out the proposed activity. The mentioned details are also required in case of proposing for upgrading/establishing a research lab/centre in the department/university with the research/infrastructure fund or from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund available with the university.
  • Participation of a minimum of two departments (close to the expertise of mentor) is mandatory for the program. Not more than one proposal will be entertained from one university.

Duration:
  • The tenure of the PM Professorship will be 5 years. Performance review after 3 years by the expert committee constituted for the purpose .

Additional Criteria: Superannuated or retired on the date of application (for university/institute faculty, lab researchers/scientists). Industry and international senior professionals with minimum of 55 years of age, may apply.


Age limit: An applicant in any case, should not be less than 55 years of age on the date of application. No upper age limit.


Funding Support:
  • A PM professor will receive a fellowship of Rs. 30 lakh (p.a.) plus Rs. 24 lakh as research grant (consumables, domestic travel, contingencies, minor equipment etc.) per annum. Also, an overhead of a fixed amount of Rs.1 lakh per year will be provided under the program.
  • Host university should demonstrate commitment to provide office space, laboratory, library facilities, etc. to the PM Professor.

Note:The applicant should not hold any administrative roles and functions. He/she should not receive any honorarium/fellowship/salary from any other institute or organization during the tenure of PM Professorship.
Obligations / Terms & Conditions
  • During tenure, the PM Professor will work on a full time basis in the proposed host university. All the grants pertaining to the PM Professorship will be released through the Host Institute.
  • The Host Institute shall submit audited statement of accounts and utilization certificate to ANRF. Release of subsequent grants will be subject to receipt of the necessary financial statements.
  • The position will stand terminated from the date the PM Professor accepts any other position yielding a regular salary/honorarium/fellowship in the future.
  • Support by ANRF under the PM Professorship Program should be acknowledged by the awardee in all publications, patents, etc.
  • The intellectual property rights arising out of the research work will be governed by the norms of the Host institute.
  • The PM Professor shall furnish a detailed technical report on the work/activities carried out by him/her during the preceding year up to 31st March relevant to scientific direct contribution or promotion of scientific research. The annual progress/success stories shall also be shared as to be flashed in the online portal of ANRF.
  • In case of requirement of additional equipment (not available in the university) or while upgrading or establishing research lab/centre, a part of research grant can be utilized for procurement of equipment (depending upon necessity of equipment for the purpose) with the approval of ANRF. It has to be purchased along with the contribution from research/infrastructure/CSR fund available with the university.
  • These rules and regulations of ANRF may be revised or amended as and when found necessary.

Online Application Procedure
For online submission of the application the following points may be noted:
  • Applicants should first register in the ANRF online portal at www.anrfonline.in   click here to register
  • After log-in, applicants are required to fill in all the mandatory fields under User Profile section, which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institute address, etc.
  • Some of the details of a proposal like Activity Title (max 500 characters), projected 5 year research plan (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of the activity (max 1500 characters), Expected output and outcome of the proposal (max 1500 characters).
  • Other relevant information of the proposal has to be uploaded as a single PDF file, not more than 10 MB, as a Technical Document (TD).Download Template

Documents required

Application
Applications for the scheme will be submitted online through the ANRF portal www. anrfonline.in.
Expected Outcome and Impact on the less endowed Institutions
  • Improved research environment and quality, jointly authored peer reviewed world class publications/patents.
  • Research & Innovation impact beyond papers/publications/patents.
  • Faculty and student empowerment through research and academic mentoring.
  • Strengthened institutional reputation and collaboration.
  • Long-term sustainability through knowledge transfer.
  • Raising funds (public/private) in collaboration with faculty at the host institute (by submitting collaborative research proposal to the funding agencies, as Co-PI).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. For whom the PM Professorship is meant ?

A1: The PM Professorship is meant to provide opportunity to active and superannuated scientists/faculty from reputed Indian or foreign institutions/universities/ research laboratories / industry with outstanding performance, to mentor faculty and students of less endowed universities to improve/raise their research eco-system.

 

Q2: What are the eligibility criteria for applying/availing PM Professorship?

A2: Should be superannuated and active scientist/ faculty/ professor of practice/ industry professional with a record of outstanding performance apparent from publications in high impact journals, patents, technology transfers, awards, notable research outcomes etc. The applicant should be of Indian origin, superannuated from institutions/industry in India/ abroad and is ready to serve in India.

 

Q3: What are the areas covered under PM Professorship?

A3: All areas of science and technology (in the broadest terms) are covered under this program, including engineering, agriculture, medicine and social sciences at the interface of science and technology.

 

Q4: What is the nature of support for the PM Professors?

A4: The PM Professor will receive a fellowship of Rs. 30 lakh (p.a.) plus research grant of Rs.24 Lakh (p.a.). Additionally, an overhead of a fixed amount of Rs.1 lakh per year will be provided under the program.

 

Q5: Who are the eligible host institutes/ universities?

A5: Eligible host institutions are the state universities which have been qualified/listed as spoke institutions, in Category A of recently awarded PAIR program of ANRF.

 

Q6: What is the upper age limit up to which the PM Professorship can be availed? Can a PI avail other fellowships together?

A6: No upper age limit. Applicant must be superannuated/retired on date of application or eligible industry/ international senior professional. No, at a time only one fellowship can be availed. PM professor cannot draw salary/fellowship of any kind from any other organisation during its tenure.

 

Q7: When can a person apply for the PM Professorship?

A7: Proposals will be invited through call for proposals in the online portal i.e. www.anrfonline.in.

 

Q8: Who can submit the proposal?

A8: Superannuated and eligible candidates have to identify the host institute from the list of eligible host universities, where the research & innovation is still at the nascent stage and formulate the joint proposal with various departments of the host institute, with 5 year plan of activities/approach to be adopted to raise the R&D ecosystem of that host university, where mentor will be the Principal Investigator and various departments in the host institution will be the Collaborators. Only one proposal from one university will be entertained.

 

Q9: Who can be mentored by PM Professor?

A9: Regular faculty with registered scholars across various departments qualifying to participate can be mentored.

 

Q10: What is the duration of the PM Professorship?

A10: The PM Professorship duration is 5 years.

 

Q11: What will be the stay period of PM Professor in the host institute?

A11: PM Professorship is not a part time job. A candidate must be willing to relocate to the host university on full time basis.

 

Q12: How/When can the individual start his/her PM Professorship?

A12: On receipt of the offer letter, if awarded, the Individual has to send acceptance through online portal. PI/Mentor can join the host institute within one month of the receipt of the offer.

 

Q13: How does a PM Professor get his subsequent Grant?

A13: The Grant for the subsequent years is released after receiving Statement of Expenditure (SE) and Utilization Certificate (UC) along with progress report through the online portal (www.anrfonline.in). The SE and UC are to be submitted financial year wise i.e. from 01st April to 31st March. For the first year it would be from the Date of Start (DOS) to 31st March and subsequently from 01st April to 31st March.

 

Q14: Can a fellow change the host institute during implementation of PM Professorship?

A14: No, a PM Professor is expected to work towards raising the research and innovation of a specific university while identifying the existing gap between the adopted approach by the university and the contemporary approach adopted across the globe. Changing host institute will mean change of research problem altogether while diluting the purpose of this program. Therefore, change of host institute is not permissible.