INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship Statistics: Fellows, Funds and States

What the numbers show

The INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship is the top rung of DST's INSPIRE programme. It gives early-career researchers five years of salary and research money so they can work independently at an Indian institution. A Rajya Sabha reply published on 23 July 2026 says 477 fellows were supported in 2025-26. Each receives Rs 1,25,000 a month and a research grant of Rs 35 lakh over the fellowship.

The trend over the years

The number supported fell for three years in a row, from 474 in 2021-22 to 338, then 299, and 225 in 2024-25, before rising to 477 in 2025-26. Funding moved the same way. DST spent Rs 86.57 crore on the component in 2021-22 and Rs 35.31 crore in 2024-25, then Rs 76.06 crore in 2025-26 up to 12 March 2026.

Part of the dip lines up with a change in how money reaches fellows. From 16 January 2025, DST moved fellowship payments to the Hybrid TSA Model-1A system. Host institutions had to onboard to the new system and file utilisation certificates and progress reports before grants were released, and the ministry told Parliament this took considerable time.

State differences

Fellows are counted by the state of the institution that hosts them, not where they come from. Karnataka leads with 72 of the 458 fellows counted in February 2026. West Bengal has 56, Delhi 34 and Maharashtra 33. Several smaller states, including Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh, had none in that count.

What the figures do not tell you

The year-wise figures are the number of fellows supported in a year, which includes people in the second to fifth year of their fellowship. They are not the number of new fellowships offered. A separate reply of April 2026 gives lower counts for some years, which appear to cover a narrower group, so it is best to compare figures from the same reply. Funding figures include fellowships and research grants together.

Where to check the live numbers

DST publishes calls, results and guidelines on the INSPIRE portal at online-inspire.gov.in. Updated counts usually appear in DST answers to Parliament questions, which PIB publishes during each session.

How many INSPIRE Faculty Fellows are there?

DST told the Lok Sabha in February 2026 that 458 INSPIRE Faculty Fellows were current, and grants for all of them had been released for 2025-26. A later reply put the number supported in 2025-26 at 477.

How much does an INSPIRE Faculty Fellow get?

Fellows receive Rs 1,25,000 a month with an annual increment of Rs 2,000, plus a research grant of Rs 35 lakh over the five-year fellowship, according to a Rajya Sabha reply of July 2026.

How much does the government spend on the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship?

Funds under the component were Rs 86.57 crore in 2021-22, Rs 35.31 crore in 2024-25 and Rs 76.06 crore in 2025-26 up to 12 March 2026.

Which state has the most INSPIRE Faculty Fellows?

Karnataka, with 72 fellows in the February 2026 count, followed by West Bengal with 56 and Delhi with 34. A few states, including Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, had none.

Why were INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship payments delayed?

DST changed the fund flow system to the Hybrid TSA Model-1A from 16 January 2025. Host institutions had to onboard and submit utilisation certificates and progress reports before grants could be released, which took time.