National Renewable Energy Fellowship Scheme

Launched in 2021, the scheme "National Renewable Energy Fellowship Scheme" has been launched by the Human Resources Development Division, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India, aims to promote education and research in renewable energy. The scheme provides financial fellowships to meritorious students and researchers for higher studies like M.Tech, M.Sc., PhD, and post-doctoral research. It focuses on advanced and industry-relevant research in renewable energy technologies. The scheme is implemented with a total budget of ₹200 crore for the period 2021–22 to 2025–26. Around 375 fellowships will be awarded over five years based on merit and industry demand. It also aims to create skilled manpower and support innovation and commercialisation in the renewable energy sector.

Category****Fellowship (₹**/month)HRAContingency (₹/annum)**DurationJRF₹31,000/-As per the central govt. norms₹20,000/-Per Month2 yearsSRF₹35,000/--do--do-2 yearsPDF/RA₹47,000/- (Level I), ₹49,000/- (Level II), ₹54,000/- (Level III).-do--do-2 yearsM.Tech/M.S ₹12,400/---20-24 months (as per the institute norm)M.Sc (Renewable Energy)₹4,000/---24 months (as per the institute norms)

Notes:

• Flexible Allocation: The number of fellowships in each category (M.Tech, M.Sc, JRF, SRF, RA) is interchangeable based on the quality of research proposals and industry demand. - Monthly Disbursement: All fellowships are disbursed on a monthly basis directly into the beneficiary's bank account via DBT mode upon receipt of attendance/continuation reports from host institutions.

Eligibility Criteria for the Applicant

1. The applicant must be pursuing higher studies in renewable energy, viz. M.Sc, M. Tech, PhD in Renewable Energy technologies OR The applicant must be a Research Associate or post-doctoral Fellow pursuing advanced research in MNRE institutions and other key institutions.
2. These Fellowships will exclusively be awarded for Courses on Renewable Energy related subjects only.
3. These Institutions will select the students for M.Tech /PhD courses through GATE Score, CSIR Score, or CSIR-JRF /AICTE/NET Qualified Score only.
4. M.Sc fellowships will be provided only to students pursuing an M.Sc in renewable energy qualified with NET.

NOTE 1: The Ministry would be guided by the norms of CSIR/DST/UGC for the eligibility of the candidates for JRF/SRF/RA/PDF.
NOTE 2: The Ministry would be guided by the AICTE guidelines for M.Tech and the Department of Biotechnology norms for M.Sc in renewable energy.

Eligibility Criteria for the Institute

1. Only those institutes will be considered for the allocation of fellowship slots that are in the Top 100 institutes under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), with faculty for the required expertise in relevant areas of RE and infrastructure facilities available at such institutes for RE education and research in RE, etc.
2. The scheme is open for Universities, Technical Institutions, and national laboratories having facilities for research in the identified thrust areas of RE, and institutes having M.Tech./ Integrated M.Sc. courses in energy studies/ renewable energy with specialisation in any branch of renewable energy.

Offline

Step 1: Visit the official website in any browser (Preferable Browser: Chrome)
Step 2: Click on "Register" menu option on Home page of HRD portal for creating the account/registration.
Step 3: Download Sandes Application on Android/iOS mobile for mobile number verification.
Step 4: On Registration page, select "Student" category and other mandatory fields followed by clicking on Submit button.
Step 5: Check OTP in Sandes Application and enter the same received OTP to complete registration.
Step 6: Check your inbox for receiving temporary password. Login to account using your registered email ID and password shared via email. .
Step 7: After login, Click on "Entries" menu option followed by "Internship Form".
Step 8: Fill required fields in Internship application and click "Submit".
Step 9: Check your application status by logging to your account.

Call for Applications:

Step 1: The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) publishes annual advertisements inviting applications from universities and institutes engaged in renewable energy education and research.
Step 2: Interested institutes or universities must apply for the allocation of fellowship slots against the advertisement to the Ministry.

Selection Process for the Institutes:

Step 3: The selection of these host institutes is conducted by a committee chaired by eminent scientists and professors, including experts from reputed academic institutions and Directors General of NISE, NIWE, and NIBE.
Step 4: Once an institute is selected and sanctioned with a specific number of fellowship slots, it conducts its own internal selection through its Research or Administrative committees.

Selection Process for the Candidates:

Step 5: The selected institutes identify meritorious candidates who meet the MNRE eligibility criteria and forward the details of these NREF fellows to the Ministry.
Step 6: The host institution must forward the specific details of the students every year against the sanctioned number of fellowship slots allocated to that particular institute.
Step 7: Upon receipt and verification of the names, the Ministry officially awards the fellowships to the individual students/candidates based on their eligibility.