E-YUVA Scheme: BIRAC's E-YUVA Fellows (for undergraduate students)

What is the E-YUVA Fellows scheme?

E-YUVA (Early and Young Innovators for Unnati and Value Augmentation) is a programme of the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), a public sector enterprise of the Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology. The E-YUVA Fellows component supports undergraduate student teams to pursue innovation and entrepreneurship in biotechnology and allied areas while they are still in college.

According to BIRAC, E-YUVA aims to promote a research-and-innovation culture among young students by giving them hands-on exposure to the biotech innovation ecosystem. The undergraduate component channels support through E-YUVA Centres (EYCs); host institutions that mentor teams, provide lab access and administer the grant.

The scheme is deliberately narrow: it targets undergraduate teams with a workable biotech idea, not the general student population. This makes it a niche, call-driven programme rather than an always-open scholarship.

Who is eligible for the E-YUVA Fellows scheme?

You can apply if:

• You form a team of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 Indian students.
• All team members are pursuing an undergraduate degree at an Indian institute or college.
• The team has a biotech or allied innovation idea to develop.

Students may be from the same college or different colleges, and BIRAC encourages inter-disciplinary teams drawn from different departments.

You cannot apply if:

• You are a single student applying alone — the undergraduate component requires a team of 3 to 5.
• You are not an undergraduate (postgraduate and doctoral candidates are covered by other BIRAC schemes, not this undergraduate E-YUVA Fellows component).
• Your team is not affiliated to or routed through a participating E-YUVA Centre when a call is open.

What does E-YUVA Fellows provide?

According to BIRAC's E-YUVA scheme documentation:

• Stipend: each E-YUVA Fellow receives Rs 7,500 per quarter.
• Research grant: each team receives Rs 2,50,000 per year to build the innovation.
• Mentorship and infrastructure: fellows are expected to spend three to four weeks at the E-YUVA Centre during the fellowship to use advanced tools, receive mentorship and connect with the innovation ecosystem.

The stipend recognises the student's time; the research grant funds consumables, prototyping and project costs at the team level.

E-YUVA sits within BIRAC's wider innovation ecosystem, which also runs programmes for graduate, postgraduate and early-stage entrepreneurs. The undergraduate Fellows track is the entry rung: it is meant to convert a classroom idea into a tested prototype and, where a team shows promise, to feed it into BIRAC's later incubation and start-up support. Selection is competitive, and only a limited number of teams are supported per E-YUVA Centre in each call, so a clear, well-defined biotech problem statement matters more than a broad idea.

What documents are required for E-YUVA Fellows?

How to apply for the E-YUVA Fellows scheme

1. Form a team of 3 to 5 undergraduate students, ideally across disciplines, around a clear biotech or allied innovation idea.
2. Identify a participating E-YUVA Centre (EYC) and connect with its mentors; the centre hosts the team and routes the application.
3. Watch for BIRAC's call for proposals under the E-YUVA scheme on the BIRAC website (birac.nic.in); applications are accepted only during an open call.
4. Prepare and submit the team proposal through the E-YUVA Centre following the format in the E-YUVA scheme guidelines, with student proofs and mentor endorsement.
5. Present / defend the idea if shortlisted; selected teams are onboarded at the E-YUVA Centre, and the stipend and research grant are released as per the scheme terms.

Help and where to verify

E-YUVA does not publish a single public helpline number for applicants. The authoritative sources are the BIRAC E-YUVA page (birac.nic.in/e_yuva.php), the E-YUVA scheme guidelines PDF hosted on the BIRAC site, and the current call for proposals listing. Because the amounts and eligibility can be revised between calls, teams should confirm the stipend, grant and deadline in the specific call for proposals open at the time they apply, and route all queries through their chosen E-YUVA Centre or the BIRAC contact given in the call document.