PURSE — Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence Documents Required: Complete Checklist

What documents does a PURSE proposal need?

A PURSE proposal needs eight core documents uploaded on onlinedst.gov.in: the UGC recognition letter, a Vice-Chancellor or Registrar endorsement, NIRF ranking proof, H-index and i10 index evidence, a DST Conflict of Interest declaration, the signed Terms and Conditions, the Project Implementation Group (PIG) details, and a two-page project summary: alongside the full proposal in the prescribed format. This checklist explains what each proves and where applicants slip; for the eligibility and budget rules, read the parent guide on PURSE, Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence. The one-line reminder: PURSE is applied for by the university, not an individual, and only one consolidated proposal is allowed per call.

The complete PURSE document checklist

#	Document	What it proves	Signed / sourced from
1	UGC recognition letter	The applicant is a UGC-recognised university (not an agency-based one)	UGC
2	VC / Registrar endorsement	Institutional backing and nomination of the PURSE Coordinator	Vice-Chancellor or Registrar
3	NIRF ranking proof	The overall NIRF rank claimed for the category	NIRF / MoE
4	H-index and i10 index evidence	Category thresholds on research output	Web of Science (H-index) and Google Scholar (i10)
5	Conflict of Interest declaration	Compliance with DST's CoI policy	PURSE Coordinator
6	Signed Terms and Conditions	Acceptance of funding and cost-sharing terms	Coordinator, VC and Registrar/Finance Officer
7	Project Implementation Group details	Governance and Coordinator's remaining service	University
8	Two-page project summary	The thematic thrust of the proposal	PURSE Coordinator

What each document must establish

• UGC recognition letter. PURSE is exclusively for the university sector; IITs, NITs, IISERs, colleges and agency-based universities are outside its scope. The letter must confirm the university's recognised status.
• VC or Registrar endorsement. On university letterhead, it nominates the PURSE Coordinator and accepts the funding and cost-sharing terms. The Coordinator must have at least five years of remaining service, so pick the nominee with that in mind.
• NIRF proof. Supports the overall university NIRF ranking claimed — Category A needs top-40, Category B needs 41-100, Category C needs no rank. Use the overall ranking, not a subject ranking.
• H-index and i10 evidence. The H-index must be from Web of Science and the i10 index from Google Scholar, with a bifurcation for the top 25 STEM faculty. Mixing databases is the single most common evidence error.

Format and submission rules

The proposal is prepared in the DST-prescribed format only, any other format is summarily rejected, and email submissions are not entertained. Keep the format file as Word and PDF within the 5 MB size limit for upload. Everything goes through onlinedst.gov.in (the e-PMS portal); no hard copy is required. Use Preview to verify every field, then Submit before the call's last date, after which the web link is disabled automatically.

Common document mistakes to avoid

• Quoting an H-index from Scopus or Google Scholar when PURSE requires Web of Science for the H-index.
• Nominating a Coordinator with under five years of service left, which invalidates the PIG requirement.
• Submitting a subject-wise NIRF rank instead of the overall university rank.
• Missing the top-25 STEM faculty bifurcation in the index evidence.
• An unsigned Terms and Conditions page, it needs the Coordinator, the VC and the Registrar or Finance Officer.
• A proposal file over 5 MB or in a non-prescribed format, which fails or is rejected.
• Forgetting the Conflict of Interest declaration in the DST-prescribed format.

FAQ

Do individual researchers submit any of these documents? No. Individuals cannot apply for PURSE at all; the university submits one consolidated proposal. Researchers seeking personal grants should look to ANRF/SERB routes.

Is a hard copy of the documents needed? No. All documents are uploaded on the e-PMS portal, and proposals sent by email or post are not entertained.

Can documents be revised after upload? The portal allows up to three submission chances, but only the last submitted proposal is evaluated, so ensure the final version carries every correct document.

Assemble all eight documents before the call closes, because the web link disables automatically at the deadline and there is no grace period. Applying for PURSE is free.