Implemented by the Department of Science and Technology, Innovation in Science Pursuit Research (INSPIRE) Scholarship Scheme is an innovative program that attracts and enhances young talent to science.

Objectives

The objective of the INSPIRE scheme is to communicate and bring to India’s youth the enthusiasm of creative pursuit of science, interest young talent to the field of science, and ultimately, build important human resource pool and database for reinforcing and extending Science and Technology industry and Research and Development sector.

There are no competitive exams for applying for this scholarship scheme. The schematic program is based on the proficiency of the existing educational system.

INSPIRE is divided into three components as follows:

  1. Scheme for the early attraction of talent

This scheme is implemented to attract young talent to the field of science by proffering the INSPIRE Award of Rs. 5000 to over 1 million students in the age group of 10–15 years. Summer and winter camps are organized annually for over 50,000 participants at nearly 100 locations in India.

  1. Scholarship for higher education

Scholarship for higher education works to inspire young talent to opt for higher education, such as Bachelors’s and Master’s Degrees in science-intensive programs. Herein, participants are eligible for a scholarship and mentorship. Under this scheme, nearly 10,000 scholarships of Rs. 80,000 annually to the age group of 17–22 years.

  1. Assured opportunity for research careers

This specific program envisions to attract, attach, retain, and nourish young talent in order to strengthen the R&D sector, especially Basic and Applied Sciences in engineering and medicine, by availing doctoral INSPIRE fellowships to the age group of 22–27 years. The scheme provides various opportunities to Ph.D. researchers for 5 years.

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