Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science 2017

What is Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science 2017?

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) has introduced Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science (EMEQ) 2017 for scientists belonging to SC or ST communities. The main objective of the scheme is to provide research support to scientists in undertaking research in newly emerging fields of science and engineering. 

The Application starts from 01 August 2017.

Who can apply for this scholarship ?

To be eligible for the scheme, a candidate must -

• An Indian national only
• Be an active researcher belonging to SC and ST category working on regular basis in academic institutions or national labs in the field of Science and Engineering. 
• Have at least three years of service remaining before superannuation as on the date of submission of the proposal.

Note: Researchers/Scientists who are having an ongoing project under this program as on the date of submission of the proposal are not eligible to apply.

How can you apply ?

The online application procedure involves the following steps -
Step 1: Visit the official website to register.
Step 2: Once registered, log in with the help of user name and password. 
Step 3: After login, go to Menu>Proposal Submission>Form Submission and select scheme "Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science". 
Step 4: Clik on "Start Submission" button and upload all required documents. 
Step 5: Finally submit the form. 

Terms and Conditions

Important guidelines

• The duration of the project should be maximum of three years.
• The funding is provided up to a maximum of Rs. 50.0 lakh (excluding overhead charges) for a period not exceeding four years.
• Funds are provided for major equipment, manpower, consumables, travel, analytical charges and contingency etc.
• Overhead Charges as per SERB rules will be provided to the implementing institution.
• No Co-Investigator(s) is/are allowed in this program.
• Projects, which involve Recombinant DNA work should be examined and certified by Institutional Biosafety Committee. Certificate from this committee should accompany the project proposal.
• Projects, which are clinically oriented or projects, which involve experiments with human and/or animal material, should be examined and certified by Institutional Ethics Committee. Certificate from this committee should accompany the project proposal.
• Proposals in the area of Earth Sciences should contain the geological map of the region to be studied.
• Please make sure to quote the File No. (Given by SERB) and title of the proposals in all your future communications.
• Before final submission, Principle Investigator (PI) must check the completeness of the proposal (including the attachments). The scanned attachments should be clearly legible. Incomplete proposal or proposals with illegible documents will be summarily rejected.

Note: Research proposals from scientific institutions, research laboratories under various scientific departments, which are in line with the normal research activities of the institutions, may not be considered for support. Only research proposals outside the normal activities of such institutions (i.e. National R&D Programs, Programs in newly emerging and frontline areas of research etc.) will be considered. Further, proposals involving purely survey-oriented work and routine studies will not be normally considered.

Documents Required

• Caste Certificate
• Biodata (under user profile section)
• Certificate from Principal Investigator 
• Endorsement Letter from the Head of Institution

Proposal Details
The candidates need to enter the following facts while preparing the proposal -
Project Title (max 500 characters), Project summary (max 3000 characters), Keywords (max 6), Objectives of the project (max 1500 characters), Expected output and outcome of the proposal (max 1500 characters), Budget (Manpower, Consumables, Travel, Equipment, Contingency, Overheads).
Other relevant information of the proposal has to be uploaded in single PDF file not more than 10 MB as other technical documents (OTD). 

Important Links

• Latest scholarship link
• Apply online link
• Original website