Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE)

What is TARE?

Teachers Associateship for Research Excellence (TARE) is a research-mobility scheme of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), the body that now runs the schemes formerly operated by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) under the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology. TARE addresses a specific problem: many capable teachers in state universities and colleges have PhDs and research ideas but lack the laboratories, equipment and research environment to pursue them.

According to the ANRF/SERB awards and fellowships listing, TARE lets such a teacher attach themselves to a mentor at a well-equipped central institution and carry out a funded research project there while keeping their regular teaching job. The teacher gets a fellowship on top of their salary, and the money for the research follows the project rather than the institution.

What TARE provides

• A TARE fellowship of Rs 60,000 per year, paid in addition to the applicant's normal salary.
• A research grant of Rs 5 lakh per year, split between the parent institution and the host institution.
• Overhead charges as per ANRF norms.
• Support for a fixed period of three years.

Who is eligible for TARE?

You can apply if:

• You hold a regular academic or research position in a state university, a state or private college, or a private academic institution.
• You have a PhD in Science or Engineering, or an MS/MD in Medicine.
• You are under 45 years of age, with a five-year relaxation (up to 50) for SC, ST, OBC, women and physically challenged applicants.
• You are not currently running an externally funded research project or holding another fellowship.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an ad-hoc, guest, visiting or contract faculty member. The position must be regular.
• You already hold a funded project or fellowship from ANRF/SERB, DST or another agency.
• You are already based at a central institution, IIT, IISER or national laboratory. Those serve as host institutions, not applicant institutions.
• You want the proposed mentor to be your former PhD supervisor; the scheme is intended to build new collaborations.

TARE is deliberately narrow. It is not a general research grant that any scientist can seek; it is a bridge for teachers in less-resourced institutions to access better facilities.

What does a host institution do under TARE?

The host institution is a central university, IIT, IISER, national laboratory or comparable central research institute where a mentor agrees to host the applicant's work. The TARE associate spends a defined minimum period at the host each year using its laboratories and equipment, and typically publishes jointly with the mentor. Half of the annual research grant is routed to the host institution to cover the cost of consumables, equipment use and other project expenses, and the other half goes to the applicant's parent institution.

What documents are required for TARE?

How to apply for TARE

1. Register on the ANRF research portal at anrfonline.in (applications earlier ran through serbonline.in). Create a login and complete your researcher profile and biodata.
2. Identify a mentor and host institution — a scientist at a central university, IIT, IISER or national laboratory willing to host your project, and obtain their written consent.
3. Log in, open the proposal submission section and select the TARE scheme.
4. Fill in your research proposal: title, objectives, methodology and a year-wise budget within the Rs 5 lakh per year grant.
5. Attach your degree certificate, proof of regular position, institutional endorsement and mentor consent, plus a category certificate if you are claiming the age relaxation.
6. Have your parent institution forward the application and submit before the call deadline announced on the portal.

Proposals are then peer-reviewed and selected on merit by ANRF's expert committees.

How long does TARE support last, and what are the conditions?

TARE support is for three years. The fellowship and grant are released annually against satisfactory progress reports. Associates are expected to spend a minimum number of days each year physically at the host institution, to acknowledge ANRF/SERB support in all resulting publications, and to publish the work: usually jointly with the mentor. The scheme is not designed to be renewed back-to-back; it is a one-time, time-bound boost.

Help and where to check details

TARE calls, formats and current guidelines are published on the ANRF portal (anrfonline.in) and on the ANRF/SERB website at serb.gov.in under Awards and Fellowships. Because scheme parameters and the application portal have been migrating from SERB to ANRF, confirm the live call, exact age cut-off date and document formats on the official portal before applying. There is no dedicated toll-free helpline for individual applicants; queries are handled through the online helpdesk on the ANRF/SERB portal and through your institution's research and development office.