FAQs

1. What is the basic eligibility criteria for applyingto the PMRF Scheme?
A: You are eligible to apply to PMRF only after getting admitted in one of thePMRF granting institutes, for a PhD program in the area of Science or Engineering/Technology. Please click on the following link  to know the details of the granting institutes: https://www.pmrf.in/
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2. How do I apply for PMRF Direct Entry after joining Phd in any one of the PMRF granting institutes?
A: Based on the eligibility criteria and on the candidature,  the granting institute will nominate you. Institutes may also conduct internal interviews prior to nomination. You should have been selected in the PhD programme at the beginning of the current semester. In case you were selected in the PhD programme earlier, you can only be considered in the lateral entry mode.

Nomination does not guarantee acceptance for PMRF. After nomination, an expert panel will conduct a detailed evaluation of the nominated scholars and make decisions.

3. What are the eligibility criteria for PMRF?
A: Please find the link to know the eligibility criteria  https://www.pmrf.in/guidelines

4. How many times a Scholar can apply for direct entry?
A: Once.

5. How many times can a scholar apply for lateral entry?
A: Twice.

6. Can you please tell us about  the admission process?
A: Admission to PMRF is a four-stage process.

Stage 1: Nomination : PMRF Granting institutes send the nominations of eligible candidates to the National Coordinating Institute through the PMRF portal.

Stage 2 : Detailed Application : Nominated  scholars make a detailed application through the PMRF Portal, under one of the Broad Areas. They are also required to give names of recommenders, who are in turn required to login to the portal and submit their recommendations.

Stage 3: Evaluation : The submitted applications are reviewed in detail by a National Panel for each broad area. The  panel considers several aspects, arrives at a collective decision and makes the recommendation to NCC with a rank list.
The broad areas are listed below :
1 : Civil Engineering, Earth Science, Architecture, Ocean and NavalEngineering.
2 : Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Design
3: Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering
4: Computer Science & Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics
5: Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Agricultural Sciences.
6: Chemical Engineering, Textile Engineering
7: Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering, Mining Engineering
8: Physics
9: Chemistry
10: Interdisciplinary areas in Science and Engineering

Stage 4: Final Selections are done by the National Coordination Committee (NCC) based on the ranks and the number of seats allocated for each PMRF granting institute.

7. I am a PhD student in one of the PMRF granting institutes. Who should I approach for Direct or Lateral entry nomination?
A: You should contact the Institute Coordinator. Please find the institute coordinator details in the link https://www.pmrf.in/contact

8. Is there a central portal where I can apply for Direct Entry?
A: No. You have to contact your institute coordinator for your nomination.

9. When will the interviews for PMRF selection be held?
A: As such, there are no interviews for selection.

10. I am enrolled in an Integrated Masters-PhD programme. Will the courses done during the completion of Masters requirements count towards the 4 course requirement for lateral entry?
A: Yes. These will count if you are enrolled in Integrated Masters-PhD programme or you have converted to a PhD programme during the tenure of Masters programme. Note that courses such as Thesis, Project work, Seminar or any other course which only requires one-to-one interaction with an instructor will not count towards the 4 course requirement. These should also be full-subject courses  (and not general courses such as research methodology, literature survey, ethics etc).

11. Is there a reservation quota for PMRF?
A: No

12. Is a PMRF fellowship  available for PhD scholars in Philosophy?
A: PMRF fellowship is open only to scholars pursuing PhD in Science and Engineering/Technology.

13. I converted from a Masters programme to PhD programme in one of the PMRF granting institutes. Am I eligible for direct entry ?
A: No. Candidates who convert from Masters to PhD programme during the tenure of Masters programme, or complete requirement of Masters programme during an Integrated Masters-PhD programme are not eligible for Direct Entry. They may be eligible for Lateral Entry.

14. Once I get nominated by my institute, what is the application process?
A: Once the PMRF committee receives your nomination (through your institute), you will receive a link to the PMRF portal to submit your application. You will be asked to submit details of your academic background along with transcripts, details of research experience or internship, CV, research proposal / statement of purpose, list of publications, and details of recommenders who are willing to write a strong letter of recommendation for you.

Details of documents uploaded by Direct and Lateral Entry Fellows will be sent to you along with the portal login details, once you are nominated.

15. Can you tell us about the TAship in PMRF?  
A: A PMRF fellow is expected to teach once a week in a neighborhood ITI/Polytechnic/Engineering College/School other than their own PMRF granting institute.PMRFs are free to choose to do TAship in schools, science colleges, polytechnics, engineering colleges- either in online or offline mode.The expectation is to transfer technical knowledge to students from other institutes.

Direct interaction in the offline mode is preferred, but in case that is not feasible, PMRF can also teach online.

It should be ensured that the PMRFs complete the teaching responsibility by interacting with students for ~ 1 hour/week,  which would imply 50 hours per year/ 25 hours per semester. Preparation time is not counted towards the teaching hours described above.

Certification of teaching, attested by the respective authorities in the place where the teaching is carried out, should be submitted during the annual review, for the review period.

16. Students who did their B.Tech. from PMRF granting institute and  Master's from non PMRF granting institute are eligible for PMRF direct entry or not?
‍A: The immediate prior degree would be considered, since the PhD admission would have been based on the prior degree. Hence the students are not eligible for direct entry.

17. Can I get a 3B comment eventhough the immediately previous review is comment 1 or 2?
‍A: If any one of the previous review comments is "3A or Needs Improvement",  then, as per the guidelines, review committee will have the option to give 3B or 3C directly based on your performance in the review.