PURSE — Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence: Why Applications Get Rejected and How to Fix It

Why do PURSE proposals get rejected?

PURSE proposals are rejected most often before evaluation even begins, for failing the category thresholds on NIRF rank, H-index or i10 index, for breaching the 10-year cooling-off on SAIF/SATHI/PURSE support, for submitting an individual-centric proposal instead of a consolidated university one, or for the wrong format or a late upload on the e-PMS portal. This article covers each cause and its fix; for the full eligibility table, read the parent guide on PURSE; Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence. The one-line reminder: PURSE gives a performing university up to Rs 30 crore over four years, and only the university, not a researcher, applies.

Rejection reason 1: category thresholds not met

Every PURSE category has a hard floor. Category A needs a top-40 NIRF rank with H-index above 100 and i10 above 1000; Category B needs NIRF 41-100 with H-index above 60 and i10 above 500; Category C needs no NIRF rank but H-index above 30 and i10 above 100. A university that clears none of these is not eligible.

Fix: Before drafting, pull the university's overall NIRF rank, its H-index from Web of Science (not Scopus or Google Scholar) and its i10 index from Google Scholar, and confirm you clear at least one category's three thresholds together, not one metric in isolation. Attach the supporting evidence, including the bifurcation for the top 25 STEM faculty.

Rejection reason 2: cooling-off breached

A university that has drawn support under SAIF, SATHI or PURSE in the last 10 years from the date of the sanction order is not eligible. The DST PURSE page also records exclusion where more than Rs 10 crore of UGC or government support was received in the past five years.

Fix: Check the university's grant history against the 10-year and 5-year windows before applying. If you are inside a cooling-off period, wait for the window to clear rather than submitting a proposal that will be filtered out.

Rejection reason 3: an individual-centric proposal

The DST call is explicit that individual-centric R&D proposals are not entertained and that proposals towards individual R&D support are not accepted. PURSE funds institutional capacity, so a proposal built around one scientist's project is rejected.

Fix: Submit a single consolidated, interdisciplinary thematic proposal identifying 2-3 research strength areas of the university, with broad participation across its science and engineering departments. Individual researchers should instead approach the ANRF/SERB or other DST research-grant routes.

Rejection reason 4: more than one proposal, or narrow participation

A university may submit only one consolidated proposal per call. Although the portal allows three submission chances, only the last proposal submitted is evaluated. Narrow departmental participation also weakens or disqualifies a proposal.

Fix: Coordinate internally so departments feed into one proposal. If you must revise on the portal, ensure the final submitted version is the complete, correct one, since earlier drafts are ignored.

Rejection reason 5: budget outside the prescribed split

The grant must follow the 70% capital (equipment) and 30% recurring structure, with recurring split across manpower 12%, consumables 8%, and smaller heads. Budgets that include buildings, civil construction, permanent staff or teaching aids are non-compliant.

Fix: Rebuild the budget to the 70:30 template. Recruit only scientific/technical manpower, co-terminus with the four-year project, and drop any construction, projectors, smart boards or generators — these are explicitly outside PURSE's scope.

Rejection reason 6: wrong format, missing endorsements or late submission

Proposals in any format other than the prescribed one are summarily rejected, and proposals submitted by email are not entertained. Missing the UGC recognition letter or the Vice-Chancellor/Registrar endorsement also causes rejection, as does uploading after the call's last date, when the web link is disabled automatically.

Fix: Download the current proposal format from the Proposal Formats section on onlinedst.gov.in, keep the file within the 5 MB limit, attach the UGC letter and the signed endorsement, use Preview to verify every entry, and click Submit well before the deadline.

How to fix a rejected or flagged PURSE proposal

1. Check the call notice on dst.gov.in; each PURSE call names a scientist as the contact for queries; use that email for clarifications rather than a generic address.
2. Reach the DST R&D Infrastructure Division on 011-26590452 for portal and process questions.
3. Wait for the next call if the rejection was on eligibility or cooling-off; PURSE is not open year-round, so a corrected proposal is filed against the next published call.
4. Fix format issues immediately if the current call is still open, since the portal allows re-submission and evaluates only the final version.

FAQ

Is there an appeal against a PURSE rejection? PURSE does not publish a formal appeal mechanism; the practical route is to correct the deficiency and reapply at the next call, or seek clarification from the call's named contact.

Can a private or central university that shares 25% costs still be rejected? Cost-sharing (75:25 for private and central universities) is a funding term, not an eligibility test, it does not cause rejection on its own, but the thresholds and format rules above still apply.

Applying for PURSE is free and no hard copy is required; only the online proposal on the e-PMS portal is considered.