SERB-POWER Fellowship for Women Scientists

What is the SERB-POWER Fellowship?

SERB-POWER Fellowship is a scheme of the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB); whose functions now sit under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF): in the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology. POWER stands for "Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research." The programme was launched to address the under-representation of women in science leadership and to give established women scientists dedicated support to pursue ambitious research.

According to SERB, the POWER framework has two arms: a research grant component for a wider set of women investigators, and the more selective POWER Fellowship, which is the subject of this guide. The Fellowship is a mark of recognition for accomplished women scientists, giving them a monthly fellowship on top of their salary along with funding to carry out frontier research at their host institution.

Around 25 fellowships are awarded in a year, making POWER Fellowship a prestigious, competitive recognition rather than a routine grant.

Who is eligible for the SERB-POWER Fellowship?

You can apply if you are:

• A woman scientist or engineer working in a recognised academic or research institution in India.
• Holding a regular or permanent position. The fellowship is designed for women who already have an established research career, not for those in temporary or training roles.
• Within the age band specified in the current POWER Fellowship guidelines, which targets mid-career to senior researchers.
• Able to present a strong research record and a credible research proposal.

You cannot apply if you are:

• A man: POWER is exclusively for women scientists.
• A student, research scholar or postdoctoral fellow, or anyone without a regular/permanent position.
• Outside the eligible age band, or without an active, demonstrable research record.
• A member of the general public. This is not a citizen-facing benefit or scholarship. Only qualifying women scientists in institutions apply.

Because eligibility hinges on holding a regular research position and a proven track record, POWER Fellowship reaches only a narrow, specialised group.

What does the SERB-POWER Fellowship provide?

A selected POWER Fellow receives three things for a fixed tenure of three years:

• A monthly fellowship paid over and above her regular salary, in recognition of her standing as a scientist.
• A research grant to fund the exploratory research proposed in her application, consumables, equipment, travel and related costs.
• An overhead component to the host institution to support the research.

The fellowship is non-extendable — three years is the full term. This guide does not quote a single fixed rupee figure for the monthly fellowship, research grant and overhead, because these are set in the current SERB/ANRF POWER Fellowship guidelines and are periodically revised. Confirm the exact amounts in the latest call for applications on the ANRF/SERB portal.

How to apply for the SERB-POWER Fellowship

The POWER Fellowship is awarded through a competitive online process managed by SERB/ANRF, not through any public application counter.

1. Watch the ANRF/SERB portal (anrfonline.in / serb.gov.in) for the POWER Fellowship call for applications, which opens periodically.
2. Register and log in to the SERB/ANRF online application system as the applicant scientist.
3. Complete the application with your biodata, research record, proposed exploratory research plan, and proof of your regular position and age.
4. Obtain institutional endorsement from your host institution, confirming it will host the fellowship.
5. Submit the application online before the deadline stated in the call.
6. Await peer review and selection by the SERB/ANRF expert committee, which ranks applications on research standing and the strength of the proposal.

Because selection is competitive and merit-based, meeting the minimum eligibility does not guarantee an award, the small annual intake is filled by the strongest applications.

SERB to ANRF: what changed

SERB was constituted under the SERB Act, 2008. Following the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) Act, 2023, ANRF was established as the apex body for research funding in India, and SERB's schemes; including POWER; now function under ANRF. For applicants this mainly means that the portal, branding and administrative home of the scheme now sit with ANRF, while the core purpose of POWER Fellowship is unchanged. Always use the latest official call for the current rules and amounts.

Help and where to check

• ANRF portal: anrfonline.in: current POWER Fellowship calls, guidelines and the online application
• SERB: serb.gov.in; scheme background and legacy information
• Applicants should route queries through the helpdesk on the ANRF/SERB online portal and through their institution's research/sponsored-projects office

There is no separate public helpline for the POWER Fellowship, and no agent can secure an award: selection is by peer review of the scientist's own application.

How to check your SERB-POWER Fellowship application status

The POWER Fellowship has no separate tracking number or SMS-based status system aimed at the general public, because it runs entirely through the SERB/ANRF online research-grant portal rather than a citizen-facing benefit system. Applicants who have already submitted a proposal can follow up in these ways:

1. Log in to the SERB/ANRF portal (anrfonline.in) with the credentials used at the time of application. Submitted proposals typically show a status such as under review, sent for evaluation, or a decision once the committee has acted, inside the applicant's own dashboard on the portal.
2. Check your registered email regularly. SERB/ANRF communicates key updates, requests for clarification, referee comments, and the final outcome by email to the address used during registration, so an outdated or wrongly typed email address is a common reason applicants miss updates.
3. Confirm with your institution's research or sponsored-projects office. Because the host institution provides an endorsement and is a party to the grant if awarded, its research office is often copied on correspondence and can confirm whether any communication has been received on the institution's side even if an individual applicant has not seen it.
4. Use the helpdesk on the ANRF/SERB portal for a specific, portal-related query (login issues, a stuck submission, a missing acknowledgement). There is no published public helpline number for the POWER Fellowship; queries are routed through the online helpdesk rather than a phone line.
5. Expect a review timeline measured in months, not days or weeks. Peer review of a research proposal, especially one competing for a small annual intake of around 25 awards, takes considerably longer than a typical welfare-scheme application, so an absence of a status update within the first few weeks after the deadline is not unusual and does not by itself mean anything has gone wrong.

Because selection is a competitive, peer-reviewed process and not a first-come-first-served disbursal, there is no intermediate "processing stage" tracker of the kind seen in direct benefit transfer schemes: the two meaningful states are essentially "under review" and "decided," with the final decision (selected, not selected, or shortlisted for a further stage such as interview or presentation, where applicable) communicated once the SERB/ANRF expert committee has completed its evaluation.

Common reasons SERB-POWER Fellowship applications are rejected

Because the Fellowship is small in number and evaluated on merit, most rejections are not clerical but substantive. The following are the reasons that recur, along with the concrete fix for each:

• Applicant does not hold a regular or permanent position. The scheme is restricted to women scientists in an established position at a recognised institution; applications from those in temporary, contractual, visiting, or training roles (including postdoctoral fellows) are turned down at the eligibility stage itself, regardless of research quality. Fix: confirm your appointment status with your institution's HR or personnel office before applying, and apply only once you hold a regular or permanent post.
• Applicant is outside the eligible age band. POWER Fellowship guidelines specify an age range aimed at mid-to-senior career researchers; applications from those younger or older than the stated band are rejected on this ground alone. Fix: check the age criterion stated in the current call for applications on the ANRF/SERB portal before investing time in a proposal, since this criterion is revised from call to call.
• Weak or generic research proposal. Because selection is by peer review against a limited number of awards, a proposal that restates existing or routine work, rather than describing genuinely exploratory or high-risk research with clear objectives and methodology, tends to score poorly against stronger competing applications. Fix: frame the proposal around a specific, well-defined scientific question that goes beyond your institution's or department's routine funded work, with a clear plan for the three-year tenure.
• Thin or inactive research record. Reviewers assess the applicant's own publication and project history as evidence of an active, ongoing research career; a biodata with a sparse or dated publication list, or a long gap in research output, weakens the case even if the current proposal is sound. Fix: apply when your research record can visibly demonstrate sustained, recent activity, and use the biodata section to make that activity clear rather than assuming it will be self-evident from a CV alone.
• Missing or incomplete institutional endorsement. The host institution must confirm it will support and host the fellowship; an application submitted without this endorsement, or with an endorsement that arrives after the portal deadline, is treated as incomplete. Fix: initiate the institutional endorsement process well ahead of the deadline, since it typically requires sign-off from a department head or research office and can take longer than expected.
• Application submitted after the deadline stated in the call. The online portal generally closes submissions strictly at the deadline in the call for applications, with no manual or offline alternative. Fix: treat the stated closing date, and the time it takes to gather documents and endorsement, as fixed, and complete the online submission well before the last day rather than close to the deadline.
• Incomplete documentation on the portal. Applications missing one of the required uploads, such as proof of regular position, age proof, or the research proposal itself, are not considered complete for review. Fix: review the checklist of required documents on the portal against your own upload list before final submission, since an application cannot usually be edited after submission.

Applicants who are not selected in a given cycle are not barred from reapplying in a future call once eligibility and the strength of the proposal have improved; the scheme does not publish a formal appeal process, since the outcome reflects a competitive peer-review ranking rather than a compliance check that can be disputed.