The fellowship programme is broadly divided in to two categories i.e National Renewable Energy Fellowships and National Renewable Energy Science Fellowships (NRESF).
1. National Renewable Energy Fellowship (NREF)
Fellowships will be provided for pursuing higher studies in renewable energy viz. M.Sc, M. Tech, Ph.D in renewable Energy technologies. Research Associates, Post-Doctoral Fellows will be provided financial support in MNRE institutions and other key institutions to pursue advanced research. Ministry would be guided by the norms of CSIR/DST/UGC for eligibility of the candidates for JRF/SRF/RA/PDF, AICTE guidelines for M.Tech and Department of Biotechnology norms for M.Sc in renewable energy. Fellowship programs are directly aligned to the overall requirement of renewable energy, research thrust areas identified by MNRE, identification of technology readiness levels and focus on commercialization. The technology areas will not be of generic nature but should involve frontier edge research in technology development with focused approach. The total number of fellowships to be supported during the period FY 2021-2022 to FY 2025-2026 is given in table below:
| Course | Duration of course/ Fellowship/ scholarship | Intake every year | For Five years |
|---|---|---|---|
| M.Tech | 2 year | 35 | 175 |
| M.Sc | 2 year | 10 | 50 |
| JRF | 2 year+ 3 year SRF | 20 | 100 |
| SRF(direct) | 3 year | 5 | 25 |
| RA/PDF | 3 year | 5 | 25 |
| Total | 75 | 375 |
Selection criteria of the Institutes and candidates for fellowships under NREF are available in administrative approval of HRD scheme( 1,022kb, PDF)
Funding pattern for fellowships under NREF
The funding pattern for fellowship for JRF/SRF/RA/PDF will be as per DST/MHRD/CSIR guidelines. For M.Tech and M.Sc., guidelines of AICTE and Department of Biotechnology respectively would be followed. These fellowship rates would automatically get revised as and when the CSIR/AICTE/DST revises the rates. The present fellowship rates are as follows:
| Category | Fellowship (Rs/month) | HRA | Contingency (Rs/annum) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JRF | Rs. 31000/- | As per central govt. norms | Rs. 20000/-PM | 2 years |
| SRF | Rs. 35000/- | -do- | -do- | 3 years |
| PDF/RA | I – Rs. 47,000/- II – Rs. 49,000/- III – Rs. 54,000/ |
-do- | -do- | 3 years |
| M.Tech/M.S | Rs. 12,400/- | – | – | 20-24 months (as per institutes norm) |
| M.Sc (Renewable Energy) | Rs. 4000/- | – | – | 24 months (as per institute norms) |
List of candidates provided NREF( 134kb, PDF)
Publications by the National Renewable Energy Fellows (NREFs)(1mb, PDF)
2. National Renewable Energy Science Fellowship (NRESF)
In view of the fast developments in renewable energy, Ministry supports National Renewable Energy Science Fellowship (NRESF) to provide a platform to young scientists to pursue advanced research in development of frontier RE technologies/systems. The targeted beneficiaries will be Ph.D degree holders in the field of science / engineering with specialization in RE/ and renewable energy sciences, with outstanding track record with experience of at least ten years. Under this programme, fellowship@ Rs. 1.2 lakh (including tax) per fellow / per month would be provided to five (5) fellows for a period of five years. In addition, they would be eligible for a research grant upto Rs. 15 lakh / annum and contingent grant of Rs. 5 lakh / annum to undertake research work in cutting edge areas of renewable energy. The fellows will pursue in advanced research areas as identified thrust areas for R&D by MNRE.