POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research)

 

• Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, and Health & Family Welfare today launched a Scheme titled “SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research)”, designed exclusively for women scientists, in a function today on an e-platform. The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, has been contemplating to institute a scheme to mitigate gender disparity in science and engineering research in various S&T programs in Indian academic institutions and R&D laboratories.

SERB – POWER Scheme will have two components namely 

• SERB-POWER Fellowship 
• SERB- POWER Research Grants. 

The salient features of each of these are as follows:

Salient features of the SERB-POWER Fellowship:-

• Target: Women researchers 35-55 years of age. Up-to 25 Fellowships per year and not more than 75 at any point in time.
• Components of support: Fellowship of Rs. 15,000/- per month in addition to regular income; Research grant of Rs. 10 lakh per annum; and Overhead of Rs. 90,000/- per annum.
• Duration: Three years, without the possibility of extension. Once in a career.

Salient features of the SERB – POWER Research Grants :

• POWER Grants will empower women researchers by funding them under the following two categories:
• Level I (Applicants from IITs, IISERs, IISc, NITs, Central Universities, and National Labs of Central Government Institutions): The scale of funding is up to 60 lakhs for three years.
• Level II (Applicants from State Universities / Colleges and Private Academic Institutions): The scale of funding is up to 30 lakhs for three years.
• POWER Grant will be regulated through terms of reference conforming to SERB-CRG(Science and Engineering Research Board-Core Research Grant) guidelines.
• While a Search-cum-Selection Committee constituted for the purpose will help in identifying the POWER Fellowship, the existing Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) mechanism will be used to select the POWER Research Grants.
• It is proposed to institute 25 POWER Fellowships annually. A total of 50 Power Grants each will be sanctioned in Level I & Level II per annum.
• It was felt that  SERB-POWER Fellowships and Grants will also serve as a benchmark of recognition in the national scenario. These Schemes of the Government will definitely empower women scientists and cultivate a women-friendly culture in our academic and research institutions and ensure more women in leadership positions in decision-making bodies.
• The launch which was attended by Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Chairman, SERB & Secretary, DST, Professor Sandeep Verma, Secretary, SERB, and Scientists from the Ministry of Science and Technology echoed the intent of the government to bring more numbers of women scientists in the R&D ecosystem.

Source: PIB