National Science Chair - Scientific Excellence

What is the National Science Chair - Scientific Excellence?

The National Science Chair (NSC) is a national honour and support scheme of the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology. It was introduced by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB); now subsumed into the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): to keep India's most accomplished retired scientists active in research. The Scientific Excellence mode (Mode-1) is aimed at senior, performing scientists with an outstanding research record who have superannuated but wish to continue research with proper institutional backing.

According to the SERB/ANRF description, the chair recognises Indian scientists who have made exceptional contributions in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Medicine, and gives them a fellowship and research grant so that their expertise is not lost to the system after formal retirement.

Key facts

• Reported fellowship of about Rs 1.5 lakh per month for the Scientific Excellence mode, plus a research grant and host-institution overhead.
• Awarded initially for 3 years, extendable by up to 2 more years.
• Up to 30 chairs in the Scientific Excellence mode (Mode-1); up to 5 in the Science Leadership mode (Mode-2).
• Filled by nomination only; there is no self-application.

Because exact monetary figures are periodically revised, applicants and nominators should confirm the current fellowship and grant amounts on the latest SERB/ANRF notification.

Who is eligible for the National Science Chair?

The chair is deliberately selective and honour-based.

A person may be nominated if they:

• Are a resident Indian scientist or academician who has superannuated: generally aged over 65, or within six months of turning 65.
• Have an outstanding research track record in STEM or medicine, with strong output emphasised over the last 5 years for Mode-1 (and last 10 years for the Mode-2 Science Leadership stream).
• Hold recognition from national or international scientific bodies, such as fellowships of science academies or major S&T awards.
• Will be affiliated with a recognised Indian research institution or university that hosts the chair.
• Hold no current administrative role and draw no other salary, honorarium or fellowship.

Who cannot get it:

• A scientist cannot apply for themselves, the scheme takes no self-applications.
• Scientists who are still in regular service or hold administrative positions, or who draw another salary, honorarium or fellowship, are not eligible.
• People without the required outstanding, nationally/internationally recognised research record do not qualify.

This is an individual honour, but it is not something a member of the public or even a serving academic can apply for directly. The only route in is nomination by an authorised nominator.

What does the National Science Chair provide?

The Scientific Excellence mode provides:

• A monthly fellowship; reported to be around Rs 1.5 lakh — to the awardee.
• A research grant to fund the chair's ongoing research work.
• An overhead / contingency to the host institution that provides space and facilities.

The support lets a distinguished retired scientist continue mentoring, guiding research students and running a research programme within a host institution, turning what would otherwise be lost post-retirement expertise into continued national scientific output.

How to apply for the National Science Chair (nomination route)

There is no application form for an individual. The chair is filled through a structured nomination process. The steps are:

1. An eligible nominator identifies a candidate: nominators include presidents of national science academies, directors of premier institutes, vice-chancellors of universities and secretaries of government science departments.
2. The nominator prepares the nomination with the nominee's detailed CV, a research proposal (for the Scientific Excellence mode), and a statement of the nominee's achievements.
3. A host institution endorses the nomination, confirming it will provide space and facilities for the chair.
4. The complete nomination, with the nominee's consent certificate and banking details, is submitted to SERB/ANRF through the prescribed (offline) channel.
5. Expert committees evaluate the nominations and recommend awardees within the limited number of chairs available.

Tenure and continuation

The National Science Chair is awarded for an initial period of 3 years and can be extended by a maximum of 2 more years, taking the total tenure to up to 5 years, subject to the review committee's assessment of the chair's performance and output.

Help and where to check

• Scheme listing: serb.gov.in/page/awards_fellowship
• Scheme details: prism.serbonline.in/RS-NSC
• Nominators and host institutions should refer to the current SERB/ANRF notification for exact amounts, the nomination format and deadlines

Because the scheme is nomination-based and highly selective, prospective host institutions and nominators; rather than individual scientists, are the ones who initiate the process, always through official SERB/ANRF channels.