What is the purpose of National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

National Science Chair- Science Leadership is a government welfare initiative designed to support Individual, Individual through benefits related to Science, IT & Communications, financial assistance, subsidies, social welfare, healthcare, education, or livelihood support.

Who can apply for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Eligibility for National Science Chair- Science Leadership may depend on factors such as income category, age, gender, occupation, state of residence, social category, and government-defined beneficiary criteria.

What benefits are offered under National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Benefits under National Science Chair- Science Leadership may include financial assistance, subsidies, scholarships, insurance support, healthcare benefits, pension support, training assistance, or welfare services depending on the scheme guidelines.

Which department manages National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

National Science Chair- Science Leadership is managed by Department Of Science & Technology and may be implemented through district offices, online portals, CSC centres, banks, or authorised government agencies.

Can users apply online for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Yes, eligible applicants may be able to apply online for National Science Chair- Science Leadership through official government portals, authorised service centres, or digital application systems depending on the implementation process.

Is Aadhaar mandatory for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Many government schemes may require Aadhaar verification, identity proof, or linked bank account details for beneficiary validation and direct benefit transfer processing.

Where can users apply for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Applications for National Science Chair- Science Leadership may be submitted through government departments, official scheme portals, CSC centres, district offices, welfare departments, or authorised service centres.

What documents may be required for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Applicants may need Aadhaar card, income certificate, residence proof, bank account details, caste certificate, photographs, educational records, or occupation-related documents depending on scheme eligibility requirements.

Is National Science Chair- Science Leadership a central government scheme?

Yes, National Science Chair- Science Leadership is a central government welfare initiative that may be implemented across multiple states through authorised departments and agencies.

Who is eligible for pension benefits under National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Eligibility may depend on age, income category, social welfare criteria, disability status, widow status, or senior citizen classification defined under the scheme.

How are pension benefits provided under National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Pension assistance under National Science Chair- Science Leadership may be transferred through direct benefit transfer (DBT), linked bank accounts, post office accounts, or welfare department payment systems.

Can CSC centres help users apply for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Many government schemes may be accessible through nearby CSC centres, authorised digital service centres, or welfare facilitation offices.

How can users check the latest updates for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Users should verify official notifications, department announcements, application deadlines, and eligibility updates through authorised government portals or implementing agencies.

Can beneficiaries track application status for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?

Certain schemes may provide online application tracking, beneficiary verification systems, or status-check facilities through official portals.

Where can users get help for National Science Chair- Science Leadership in All India?

Users in All India may seek assistance through CSC centres, district welfare offices, government departments, agriculture offices, social welfare departments, or authorised facilitation centres.

Which nearby public services may help with National Science Chair- Science Leadership applications?

Depending on the scheme, users may require support from Aadhaar centres, CSC centres, banks, hospitals, post offices, or government welfare offices for document verification and application assistance.

National Science Chair- Science Leadership – eligibility, benefits & apply

Scheme profile

DBT (direct benefit transfer): No

Categories: Science, IT & Communications

Sub-categories: Research & Development

Target beneficiaries: Individual

Tags: Science, Chair, Leadership, SERB, Research, Superannuated, Scientist

Details

There are a few chairs/professorships available in the country instituted by various ministries/departments/ academies with public funds. Considering the limited number of such opportunities, Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has been catering to one such scheme - National Science Chair: Scientific Excellence & Science Leadership. The main aim of the scheme is to recognize active eminent senior resident Indian superannuated scientists for their outstanding contributions both nationally and internationally, in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM,) and Medicine, to promote excellence and growth in R&D.
Mode-2: Science Leadership:
This mode has more to do with recognition for thought leadership made by the awardee during the most active part of professional life and also in the recent period. The nominee will be an active researcher with a tangible impact of work carried out and developing an international reputation as a Research and development leader. This may include mentoring younger colleagues, conducting innovative research, publishing results in SCI journals and assisting in policy formulation. The exact nature of work may be any one or a combination of all the aforesaid activities.

Objective:

To recognize outstanding contributions made by any of the resident Indian superannuated Scientists toward excellence at the national and global levels.

Advisory Committee:

A committee referred to as the National Science Chair Advisory Committee (NSCAC) has been constituted to oversee the development of the Chairs, make recommendations for the selection of the awardees, review their progress /extension, undertake assigned activities to ensure promotion, relevance, and quality of R&D, as well as to meet the goal of the awards.

Number of Positions:

The maximum number of positions is restricted to a total of five (5).

Tenure and Commencement:

The award will be given initially for a period of 3 years and is extendable for a maximum of another two years, subject to the recommendations of the NSCAC.
Selected Chairs will have to join within a period of six months from the date of issue of the offer letter.

Benefits

1. An amount of ₹1.5 lakhs per month will be given to the awardee as a fellowship. 1. The Research Grant in this case will be ₹5 lakhs per annum. 1. For overhead expenses
₹1.0 lakh per annum will be given to the host institution. Note: The grant shall be used for manpower equipment travel (including international) contingency etc. It needs to be utilized as per the norms of the Host Institute. Items purchased out of the contingency grant will be the property of the Host Institute after the completion of tenure. However in certain listed items their retention by the awardee will be decided in accordance with the existing government rules and regulations on the subject

An amount of ₹1.5 lakhs per month will be given to the awardee as a fellowship.
The Research Grant in this case will be ₹5 lakhs per annum.
For overhead expenses, ₹1.0 lakh per annum will be given to the host institution.

Note: The grant shall be used for manpower, equipment, travel (including international), contingency, etc. It needs to be utilized as per the norms of the Host Institute. Items purchased out of the contingency grant will be the property of the Host Institute after the completion of tenure. However, in certain listed items, their retention by the awardee will be decided in accordance with the existing government rules and regulations on the subject.

Eligibility

Eligibility for nomination:

The nominee should be a distinguished resident Indian scientist/ academician in any one or more areas of expertise in STEM and Medicine, particularly during the last 10 years.
The nominee must be a Science Leader and have recognition for his/her work from national/international scientific bodies such as fellowship in prestigious academies and S&T awards.
The nominee could be affiliated with an academic institutions/R&D lab or should have consent on the subject from the future host institution.

Note: The nominee should not hold any administrative roles and functions and is not in receipt of any honorarium/fellowship/salary from any other institute or organization at the time of initiation of the NSC award, if offered by SERB.

Assessment Criteria: The assessment criteria for the selection of the awardee will be decided by NSCAC and it will be generally based on the following considerations:

Outstanding research track record of the nominee and international standing in the field.
Quality/originality of proposed research plan.
Ability to mentor young researchers and implement proactive approaches towards the advancement of S&T talent in the country.

How useful is this scheme?

Public benefit analysis

A practical look at this scheme for citizens

AI-generated insights showing how useful, accessible, and practical this scheme may be — combining deterministic scoring rules with a public-policy LLM analyst.

6.3

/ 10

Public Benefit Score

Accessibility 5.0/10 Moderate

Rural usefulness 4.0/10 Moderate

Application complexity 6.0/10 Moderate

Financial impact 9.0/10 Good

Literacy barrier 8.0/10 Challenging

Women inclusivity 6.0/10 Moderate

Awareness 7.5/10 Good

Implementation reliability 8.0/10 Good

Bigger shape means a better fit for citizens

Accessibility5.0
Financial impact9.0
Rural utility4.0
Awareness7.5
Simplicity4.0
Inclusivity6.0

What problem does this scheme solve?

The scheme recognizes eminent senior scientists for their contributions in STEM and Medicine, promoting research excellence.

Key challenges addressed

Recognition of senior scientists
Encouragement of research and development

Most beneficial for

Senior scientists
Research institutions

Likely challenges

Limited number of positions
Complex application process

Practical insights for citizens

Practical for recognized scientists but challenging for those in rural areas

Rural challenges

Limited access to online resources
Lack of awareness among rural scientists

Digital challenges

High digital dependency may exclude non-digital users

Implementation bottlenecks

Complex nomination process
Limited number of awards

Awareness challenges

Low awareness among potential beneficiaries

Application analysis

Application mode: Online portal
Documents burden: Moderate, requires detailed documentation
Verification complexity: High, involves multiple stakeholders
Office dependency: Low, primarily online
DBT dependency: None
CSC support: Limited
Estimated citizen effort: High, due to detailed application requirements

Estimated beneficiary reach

Rural / urban reach Urban-only
Gender reach Moderate
Target income group Not income-specific
Occupation reach Academics and researchers

Benefit analysis

Benefit type: Fellowship and research grant
Benefit frequency: Monthly and annually
Benefit practicality: High for eligible scientists
Financial meaningfulness: Moderate, significant for research but limited to few
Long-term impact: Potentially high if it leads to impactful research

Plain-language guidance

This scheme awards senior scientists for their contributions in research. Eligible candidates can receive a monthly fellowship and research grant.

Who should apply: Distinguished senior scientists in STEM and Medicine.
Who may struggle: Semi-literate individuals and those without digital access.
Best application route: Apply via the SERB online portal.

This intelligence section is generated by an AI policy analyst combined with rule-based scoring. Scores and narrative are estimates derived from the publicly available scheme information shown on this page; actual experience may vary by state, district, and department. Always confirm details on the official portal before you apply.

Application Process

Online

Nomination Procedure:

Call for nomination will not be periodic in nature and will be made from time to time subject to vacancies available every year.
Proposal in the prescribed form will be invited from the current and former Presidents of any of the national science academies (including Engineering, Agriculture, Medicine, etc.), Directors of premier institutes like IISc, Bangalore, IISERs, IITs, NITs, National Laboratories, etc., Vice-Chancellors of Universities as well as members of Scientific Advisory Councils to the Hon’ble PM & Cabinet and members of governing bodies of Science and Engineering Research Board and Secretaries to Govt. of India in Ministries / Departments.
The proposed nomination duly completed in all respects, signed, and routed through the Head of the Institution wherein a scientist/technologist intends to work or get associated with, should be submitted online at "https://anrfonline.in/ANRF/HomePage" as and when the calls are announced.

Application Procedure:

Step 01: The nominee needs to register in the SERB online portal. Click here to register.
Step 02: After login, the Nominee needs to fill in all the mandatory fields in the Nominee Details section under User Profile which includes Photo, Institution, Address, etc.
Step 03: Under Form Submission, choose Scheme: National Science Chair, and fill out the National Science Chair nomination form which includes details of the Nominee Details, Qualification Details, Employment Details, Professional Recognition/Fellowship, Scientific Research Index, Publication Details, Patent Details, Upload Documents, Nominator Details, and Other Information, etc.
Step 04: Proposed area of research and a brief outline of the proposal of Nominee to be uploaded in a single PDF file of not more than 5 pages.
Step 05: After filling in the details, the Nominee should click on "Send to Nominator".
Step 06: Nominators will receive intimation via email with a link to the SERB online portal, to view the filled-in National Science Chair Nomination form.
Step 07: The Nominator can choose to submit the nomination to SERB or resend the form to the Nominee for any revision.
Step 08: Once submitted, Nominee and Nominator will receive an intimation regarding the successful submission.

Selection Procedure:

The proposals will be examined by the NSCAC to ascertain their merit.
The recommendations of the Committee will be considered by the SERB to make funding decisions.

Clarifications

Additional points from the scheme information published on myScheme (not legal advice).

What is the mode to submit my nomination for National Science Chair (NSC) Award?: The nominations are being accepted in online mode only through SERB online portal i.e. www.serbonline.in.
What are the eligibility criteria for applying under the scheme?: The nominee should be a distinguished resident Indian scientist/ academician in any one or more areas of expertise in STEM and Medicine, particularly during the last 10 years. 2. The nominee must be a Science Leader and have recognition for his/her work from national/international scientific bodies such as fellowship in prestigious academies and S&T awards. 3. The nominee could be affiliated with an academic institutions/R&D lab or should have consent on the subject from the future host institution. 4. The nominee should not hold any administrative roles and functions and is not in receipt of any honorarium/fellowship/salary from any other institute or organization at the time of initiation of the NSC award, if offered by SERB.
I am >65 years having Indian Nationality working in a foreign country institution as a Professor from past 5 years. Can I apply for this fellowship?: Yes, you can but after withdrawing your position from the foreign institution and getting a No Objection Certificate from the same institution to apply under NSC Award.
What are the areas covered under NSC Award?: Researchers working in areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Medicine are eligible to apply under this fellowship.
Who will review my nomination?: Your nomination will be reviewed by an approved NSC Advisory Committee (NSCAC).
Who will decide on my nomination?: The final decision on all nominations is based on the recommendations of NSC Advisory Committee. The high level committee comprises of eminent experts in the field of S&T. The SERB solely depends on the recommendations of the Selection Committee.
Will I be notified of the selection?: This will usually follow approximately four to six weeks after the selection committee meeting. Please note that we cannot provide any personalised information before this juncture so as not to delay the notification process.
Can I file a plea against the decision of selection committee for not recommending my nomination?: Yes, you can but the decision on the plea will be taken, after thorough discussion and deliberations in the successive NSCAC meeting only.
Can I apply for Mode-I and Mode-II under NSC at the same time, if I fulfil the formal requirements?: No, it is not possible to apply for both modes at same time. However, if your nomination is not accepted for recommendations, you may apply to any other program as long as you fulfill the eligibility requirements in the successive call(s).
What are the most important selection criteria?: The essential aspect of the nomination is the individual nominee track record. Please refer to the eligibility and assessment criteria sections for more details on the selection criteria.
How/When can the individual start his NSC Award?: A letter is sent by the SERB to the nominee as well as to the host Institute informing the award of NSC. After receiving the same the nominee has to join the chair within six months of the date of the offer letter and to send his / her Acceptance Letter to the Host Institute, indicating the tentative Date / Month when the nominee wants to start the award. Then the Institute will forward his Acceptance / Joining Letter to the Science & Engineering Research Board along with the updated details of the bank for the transfer of funds through RTGS (in the prescribed format). Based on this letter, SERB will process the file for getting administrative and financial approvals and then a Sanction Order is issued to the Host Institute. The start date, as per the joining letter date of the nominee, of the award will be mentioned in the Sanction Order.
Can I avail or carry on already granted other fellowships with the NSC Award at the same time?: The selected NSC fellow, in both modes, cannot avail any other fellowship, during the tenure of the award but they are free to seek additional funds for pursuing research from other funding agencies excluding fellowship / honorarium / salary. However, if they want to switch over and carry out any other fellowship, then they are required to submit the surrender certificate first with other relevant documents i.e. final Statement of Expenditure, Utilization Certificate, Project Completion Report and unspent balance to SERB and then only they should start the other fellowship.
Can I delay the implementation date of the award which is mentioned in the Sanction Order?: No, you cannot delay the implementation date after the issuance of the sanction order for the award. Your joining date of the institute will be counted as the date of start for the fellowship.
Can I join two academic institutions to carry my research at the same time?: It is strongly advised to have one host institution for fund transfer & account management. However, you may get into collaboration with any other institute or organization.
Will my host institute receive any additional funds for the costs it incurs in connection with my research stay?: In general, the host institute will receive overhead @ ₹1,00,000/- per annum, apart from this there is no provision to provide additional funds.
Is the grants received under NSC Award taxable?: Yes, the Grant received under NSC Award is taxable as per I.T. rules.

Official links

References

Official Website: https://serb.gov.in/page/awards_fellowship#National%20Science%20Chair
Scheme Guideline: https://anrfonline.in/ANRF/nationalScienceChair?HomePage=New

Frequently asked questions

What is the purpose of National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: National Science Chair- Science Leadership is a government welfare initiative designed to support Individual, Individual through benefits related to Science, IT & Communications, financial assistance, subsidies, social welfare, healthcare, education, or livelihood support.
Who can apply for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Eligibility for National Science Chair- Science Leadership may depend on factors such as income category, age, gender, occupation, state of residence, social category, and government-defined beneficiary criteria.
What benefits are offered under National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Benefits under National Science Chair- Science Leadership may include financial assistance, subsidies, scholarships, insurance support, healthcare benefits, pension support, training assistance, or welfare services depending on the scheme guidelines.
Which department manages National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: National Science Chair- Science Leadership is managed by Department Of Science & Technology and may be implemented through district offices, online portals, CSC centres, banks, or authorised government agencies.
Can users apply online for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Yes, eligible applicants may be able to apply online for National Science Chair- Science Leadership through official government portals, authorised service centres, or digital application systems depending on the implementation process.
Is Aadhaar mandatory for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Many government schemes may require Aadhaar verification, identity proof, or linked bank account details for beneficiary validation and direct benefit transfer processing.
Where can users apply for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Applications for National Science Chair- Science Leadership may be submitted through government departments, official scheme portals, CSC centres, district offices, welfare departments, or authorised service centres.
What documents may be required for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Applicants may need Aadhaar card, income certificate, residence proof, bank account details, caste certificate, photographs, educational records, or occupation-related documents depending on scheme eligibility requirements.
Is National Science Chair- Science Leadership a central government scheme?: Yes, National Science Chair- Science Leadership is a central government welfare initiative that may be implemented across multiple states through authorised departments and agencies.
Who is eligible for pension benefits under National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Eligibility may depend on age, income category, social welfare criteria, disability status, widow status, or senior citizen classification defined under the scheme.
How are pension benefits provided under National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Pension assistance under National Science Chair- Science Leadership may be transferred through direct benefit transfer (DBT), linked bank accounts, post office accounts, or welfare department payment systems.
Can CSC centres help users apply for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Many government schemes may be accessible through nearby CSC centres, authorised digital service centres, or welfare facilitation offices.
How can users check the latest updates for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Users should verify official notifications, department announcements, application deadlines, and eligibility updates through authorised government portals or implementing agencies.
Can beneficiaries track application status for National Science Chair- Science Leadership?: Certain schemes may provide online application tracking, beneficiary verification systems, or status-check facilities through official portals.
Where can users get help for National Science Chair- Science Leadership in All India?: Users in All India may seek assistance through CSC centres, district welfare offices, government departments, agriculture offices, social welfare departments, or authorised facilitation centres.
Which nearby public services may help with National Science Chair- Science Leadership applications?: Depending on the scheme, users may require support from Aadhaar centres, CSC centres, banks, hospitals, post offices, or government welfare offices for document verification and application assistance.