Prime Minister Research Chair (PMRC) Scheme 2026
Why in News?
The Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education officially opened applications for the PMRC Scheme 2026 on June 1–2, 2026.
About
- The scheme aims to reverse brain drain by bringing 120 global Indian-origin scientists/researchers back to India's premier institutions over 5 years
- It offers substantial research grants (up to ₹14 crore for top researchers) to attract distinguished talent
Key Objectives
- Attracting Global Talent: To bring highly accomplished Indian-origin researchers, scientists, technologists, and industry leaders working in foreign universities or laboratories back to India.
- Institutional Reinforcement: To increase the institutional research capacity and boost the domestic patent and Intellectual Property (IP) ecosystem in premier Indian institutes.
- Research Quality Upliftment: To cultivate an elite environment of mentorship, knowledge creation, and cross-border academic collaboration.
Target Talent Pool & Eligibility
- Eligible Personnel: Indian nationals residing abroad, Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholders, and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO).
- Target Profiles: Professionals with exceptional tracking records in research, high-end innovation, and commercializable technology development.
The Three Core Pillars
The organizational framework of the PMRC scheme is strictly anchored across three essential blocks:
- Lead Institutions: Seven premier administrative core hubs have been designated to drive the standard implementations:
- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi
- IIT Bombay
- IIT Madras
- IIT Kanpur
- IIT Hyderabad
- IIT (ISM) Dhanbad
- Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru
- Host Institutions: Government Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) ranking in the top 100 overall/engineering list under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), top 50 Research institutions, and designated national labs.
- PMRC Fellows: The individual global researchers selected to carry out frontier research.
Deployment Structure & Positions
- Total Intake: The scheme will strategically offer 120 high-level research positions rolled out over a five-year execution period.
- Three Engagement Categories: Positions are tiered to accommodate varying experience levels:
- Young Research Fellows: Tailored for early-career overseas researchers.
- Senior Research Fellows: Aimed at highly experienced global researchers.
- Research Chairs: Reserved for world-class, globally accomplished research leaders.
13 Priority Thematic Areas
The chosen fellows will strictly orient their research across 13 nationally critical strategic fields:
- Advanced Computing (Artificial Intelligence, Supercomputing, and Quantum Computing)
- Semiconductors
- Space & Defence Tech
- Next-Generation Communications
- Cybersecurity
- Energy, Sustainability & Climate Change
- Manufacturing & Industry 4.0
- Healthcare & MedTech
- Biotechnology
- Advanced Materials & Critical Minerals
- Agriculture & Food Technologies
- Blue Economy (Deep-sea exploration)
- Atomic Energy
Key Benefits & Administrative Governance
- Financial and Infrastructure Incentives: PMRC Fellows receive multi-year institutional fellowships, robust research grants, relocation financial assistance, and access to state-of-the-art laboratory ecosystems.
- Autonomy: High levels of operational and administrative independence are granted to the fellows to maintain high-impact output.
- Strict Evaluation: Applications and periodic progress reviews are directly managed by an Empowered Committee chaired by the Principal Scientific Adviser (PSA) to the Government of India.
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