Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PM-ECRG)

What is the Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant?

Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PM-ECRG) is a research funding programme of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), the national research funding body set up under the Ministry of Science and Technology that absorbed the earlier Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB).

PM-ECRG targets a narrow but important group: faculty members who have just taken up their first regular academic or research position. According to the ANRF portal, the grant provides up to Rs 60 lakh plus overheads for a fixed period of three years, and up to 700 grants are awarded each year across all subject areas.

Key objectives

• Give newly appointed faculty seed funding to set up an independent research laboratory in the first years of their career.
• Remove the funding gap that new appointees face before they build the publication record needed for larger competitive grants.
• Spread research funding beyond established institutions to researchers in newer universities and colleges across India.
• Support all subject areas of science, engineering and medicine on a single common application route.

Main features

• Grant ceiling of Rs 60 lakh plus institutional overheads.
• Fixed three-year duration; ANRF states the term is non-extendable.
• A one-time career grant. A researcher can receive PM-ECRG only once.
• No Co-Principal Investigator is allowed, except where a PIO or OCI applicant must partner with an Indian Co-PI.
• Applications and review are handled entirely online through anrfonline.in.

Who is eligible for PM-ECRG?

You qualify if:

• You are an Indian citizen. Persons of Indian Origin and Overseas Citizens of India who are regular employees of public-funded, recognised R&D laboratories or institutions in India may apply as Principal Investigator with an Indian Co-Principal Investigator.
• You hold a PhD in science or engineering, or an MD, MS, MDS or MVSc degree.
• You hold a regular academic or research position in a recognised academic or R&D institution in India.
• You joined your current institution on or after 1 February 2023, and you are applying within two years of that joining date.
• You are not more than 42 years old, with a relaxation of three years to 45 for SC, ST, OBC, physically challenged and women applicants.
• You have not previously held a Young Scientist Scheme, Early Career Research Award, Start-up Research Grant or Core Research Grant from SERB or ANRF.

You cannot apply if you fall into any of these categories:

• Research associates and postdoctoral fellows, these are not regular faculty positions.
• Ad-hoc, guest or contractual faculty whose contracts are renewed annually.
• Visiting scientists, consultants and project fellows.
• PhD students, who have no independent research position.
• Anyone who joined their institution before 1 February 2023, or who has already completed two years in the institution.
• Anyone who already holds or has held one of the listed SERB or ANRF individual grants, or who has already received PM-ECRG once.

The eligibility rules are cumulative. Meeting the age limit alone is not enough if the joining-date condition fails, and vice versa.

What documents are required for PM-ECRG?

How to apply for PM-ECRG online

1. Open the ANRF online portal at anrfonline.in and create a researcher account if you do not already have one.
2. Complete your profile; qualifications, current position, date of joining, publications and previous grants. PM-ECRG eligibility is checked against these fields, so enter the joining date exactly as it appears on your appointment letter.
3. Open the Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant call from the list of live calls on the portal. Applications can only be submitted while a call is open.
4. Fill in the application form with project title, subject area, objectives and the proposed three-year budget within the Rs 60 lakh ceiling.
5. Upload the technical research proposal as a single PDF of not more than 10 MB, along with the plagiarism undertaking.
6. Upload the supporting documents, degree certificate, joining proof, age proof and, if applicable, the category certificate.
7. Forward the application to your host institution for endorsement. The head of the institution must approve it online before it reaches ANRF.
8. Submit and save the acknowledgement number for tracking. ANRF accepts online submissions only; printed applications are not entertained.

How much benefit does PM-ECRG provide?

PM-ECRG provides a grant of up to Rs 60 lakh over three years, plus overheads paid to the host institution. The sanctioned amount depends on the budget approved by the expert committee — Rs 60 lakh is a ceiling, not a guaranteed figure. According to ANRF, the grant meets the cost of equipment, research personnel, consumables, travel and contingency, over and above the institutional overheads; international travel connected to the sanctioned project is also permitted within the approved budget.

The three-year duration is fixed and, per the ANRF portal, cannot be extended. Researchers should therefore plan equipment purchases early, because procurement delays cannot be absorbed by a project extension.

PM-ECRG is a one-time career grant. Once awarded, a researcher cannot apply again, and the grant is intended to be a stepping stone to larger ANRF competitive funding later in the career.

How is a PM-ECRG application evaluated?

PM-ECRG applications are assessed by ANRF expert committees for scientific merit, feasibility within three years, and the applicant's capability to run an independent project. With up to 700 grants against a much larger applicant pool, the technical proposal carries most of the weight.

Practical points that affect the outcome:

• The budget must be justified line by line: equipment, consumables, manpower, travel and contingency.
• The proposal must fit a three-year horizon; work that plainly needs five years is penalised.
• Institutional endorsement must confirm that space and basic infrastructure are actually available.

Important dates and deadlines for PM-ECRG

PM-ECRG runs through announced calls rather than a permanently open window. ANRF publishes the opening and closing dates for each call on anrfonline.in, and applications can be submitted only while a call is live. Because the two-year window from your joining date is short, check the portal regularly rather than waiting for a general announcement.

Since PM-ECRG requires application within two years of joining an institution that you joined on or after 1 February 2023, an eligible applicant typically has only one or two calls in which to apply.

Common reasons PM-ECRG applications are rejected

• Joining date outside the window: either before 1 February 2023, or more than two years before the application date.
• Position is not regular; ad-hoc, contractual or annually renewed appointments do not qualify.
• Previous ANRF or SERB grant held, which triggers automatic exclusion.
• Missing institutional endorsement, so the application never reaches ANRF.
• Technical proposal above 10 MB or in the wrong format.
• Budget exceeding the Rs 60 lakh ceiling or lacking justification.

Help and grievance redressal for PM-ECRG

• ANRF helpline: 011-26552179 and 011-26552197
• Email support: support[at]anrfonline[dot]in
• Portal: anrfonline.in; call notices, formats and FAQ are published here

Applying for PM-ECRG is free. ANRF does not use agents or consultants, and no fee is payable to any intermediary to get an application accepted or approved.