Kochi: Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has invited applications for the ‘Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE)’, a component of ‘Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE)’, for 2015. The Scholarship is awarded to selected students studying courses in natural/ basic sciences at three years B.Sc., B.Sc (Hons), four years B.S or five years integrated M.Sc./M.S programs in any UGC recognized College/ University/ Institutions in India.
Eligibility
Applicant should have passed Class XII in the year 2015 from any one of the recognized Indian State and Central Boards.
Applicant should be studying for three years B.Sc., B.Sc (Hons), four years B.S or five years integrated M.Sc./M.S programs in any UGC recognized College/ University/ Institutions in India for courses in natural/ basic sciences. The subjects under Basic and Natural Sciences coming within the scope of INSPIRE Scholarship for pursuing BSc./BS/Int. MSc/Int. MS course, include Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Biology, Statistics, Geology, Astrophysics, Astronomy, Electronics, Botany, Zoology, Bio-chemistry, Anthropology, Microbiology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Atmospheric Sciences & Oceanic Sciences.
The Scheme is not applicable for courses in engineering, medicine, technology and other professional or technical or applied science courses. Eligibility of candidates will be based on (a) performance in Board Examinations and/ or (b) performance in any of the specified Competitive Examinations and recipient of various scholarships and medals.
In respect of eligibility based on performance in Board examination, applicant should have come within the top 1% of students for each State or Central Board Examination in the year 2015 at Class XII level. The cut-off of the top 1% for 2015 for respective Boards shall be finalized in due course.
The cut-offs (%) for 2014 for evaluation purposes, were as follows. Andhra Pradesh- 97.0; Assam- 75.8; Bihar- 72.0; Chhattisgarh- 80.2; Goa-86.76; Gujarat- 69.5; Haryana- 88.8; Himachal Pradesh 84.0; Jammu & Kashmir- 92.2; Jharkhand- NA; Karnataka- 92.3; Kerala- 95.6; Madhya Pradesh- 88.0; Maharashtra -80.8; Manipur- 83.3; Meghalaya -70.2; Mizoram -78.2; Nagaland- 72.2; Odisha- 75.8; Punjab- 87.6; Rajasthan -83.0; Tamil Nadu -96.1; Tripura- 69.4; Uttar Pradesh- 87.2; Uttarakhand- 71.6; West Bengal- 81.8; CBSE- 90.2; ICSE -95.4; Viswa-Bharathi- 90.2 (NA- Board Data not provided by the Board). Receipt of Eligibility Note or Eligibility Certificate on INSPIRE Scholarship from respective Board is not mandatory as an eligibility criteria to apply and also do not guarantee the Scholarship.
In respect of eligibility through National Level Competitive Examinations, applicant should come within the top 10,000 Rank as per Common Merit List (CML) of JEE (Main) or JEE (Advanced) or AIPMT or NEET for Medical. All Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojna (KVPY) Fellows, National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) Scholars, International Olympiad Medalists and Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) Scholars are also eligible to apply for SHE.
Those who have gone through Other National Level Competitive Examinations for admission to the following institutions/courses are also eligible.
(i) 4 years BS or 5 years Integrated M.Sc. programs in Basic & Natural Sciences at all Indian Institute of Technology (IITs) within top 10,000 rank in JEE (Advanced)
(ii) All Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISERs)
(iii) National Institute of Science Education & Research (NISER)
(iv) Department of Atomic Energy - Centre for Basic Science (DAE - CBS)
(v) University at Under-graduate or Integrated M. Sc. program in Natural Sciences and Basic Sciences following National Level Competitive Examinations indicated in pre-para.
Scholarship amount
A total of 10,000 scholarships are available annually under ‘SHE’. Each eligible candidate will receive scholarship valued at Rs.80,000/- annually. The cash value payable to the SHE scholarship holder is Rs.60,000/- per annum along with a summer time attachment fee of Rs.20,000/- which will be paid for undertaking summer time research project.
Selected candidates will be supported for a maximum period of five years starting from 1st year course in B.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons), BS and integrated course leading to M.S. or M.Sc. or till completion of the course, whichever is earlier. Continuation of the scholarship for selected candidates is based on performance in the examinations conducted and certified by the institution imparting education.
The selection will be subject to evaluation of each application based on the above eligibility criteria including finalization of actual top 1% cut-off of Class 12 examination 2015 for each Board. In the case of receipt of more than 10,000 eligible applications in the given year, the selection will be on the basis of Board inclusive model within the available number of Scholarships in that year.
How to apply
Applications can be submitted on-line, up to 1700 hrs on 15th December 2015 at http://www.online-inspire.gov.in, following the process prescribed therein. The guidelines for filling up On-line applications are available at http://www.inspire-dst.gov.in/guidelineforSHE_Online.pdf.
Before filling application form, applicant should scan and store the following documents as separate files as per the prescribed size. The same needs to be uploaded as required during the ‘On-line Application’ process.
(i) Passport size photograph (Mandatory)- JPEG - 50 KB
(ii) Community/Caste Certificate (only if the applicant belongs to OBC/SC/ST)- PDF -1 MB
(iii) Eligibility Note/Advisory Note if provided by the State/Central Board (Not Mandatory)- PDF- 1 MB
(iv) Class XII Mark sheet (Mandatory) -PDF- 1 MB
(v) Class X Mark sheet or Certificate, for proof of Date of Birth. (Mandatory) -PDF -1 MB
(vi) Certificate specifying Rank or Award in JEE (Main)/ JEE (Advanced)/ NEET/ KVPY /JBNSTS/ NTSE / International Olympic Medalists [Only if the candidate is eligible under this criteria] -PDF- 1 MB
(vii) Endorsement Form signed by the Principal of the College/Director of the Institute/Registrar of the University (Mandatory) – PDF-1 MB (The blank format is available at http://www.inspire-dst.gov.in/EndorsementForm.pdf)
(viii) Any other supporting documents- PDF- 1 MB
The students who apply for the scholarship should first register in the website http://www.onlineinspire.gov.in by providing the required details. The email ID used for registration must belong to the applicant. The email address must be valid and functional. There is no scope for changing the registered email address in future. All communications shall be sent only to the registered email address.
After successful registration, a pop up shall appear with a message that the user id and password has been sent to the applicant’s registered email id. Applicant must open his/her email and click the activation link provided therein and activate the account.
Applicant should then log into the portal by entering the registered e-mail ID as user name and the registered password. A screen will appear where the applicant will have to click ‘Scholarship’ link and then, the button ‘Apply for Scholarship’. The fields are to be filled up one by one by clicking the ‘Edit’ button.
Applicant must ensure that all aspects of the application and supporting documents are correct before submitting. Applicant will not be able to Edit/Modify the application once the ‘Submit’ button is clicked. Applicant may click ‘Print Preview’ button to view the details entered. Once applicant clicks the ‘Submit’ button, a page will appear mentioning that the application has been submitted successfully. Applicant may make note of the Application Reference No. /IVR No. for future reference and correspondence.
Applicants are not required to send the printout of the online application or any other documents by Post. The applicants may take and keep a print out of the submitted online application for his/her records. Those who have passed Class XII examination in the previous years need not apply now.
The status of the application will be informed to the applicant’s email that is registered in the On-line portal.
For more details, visit http://www.online-inspire.gov.in and http://www.inspire-dst.gov.in
