INSPIRE Scholarship 2022: Last Date, Eligibility, Application Form, Awards

INSPIRE Scholarship 2022: Under India’s guided governance and administration, the Department of Science and Technology (DST) provides scholarships for higher education. This scholarship is commonly known as the SHE Scholarship. INSPIRE can be expanded into Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research. All deserving students willing to study natural or basic science courses at the bachelor’s/master’s level can apply for this scholarship. The government offers around 10,000 scholarships annually for selected students to receive a grant amount of INR 80,000 to pursue their research in natural or basic sciences at either bachelor’s/masters’ degrees. This article provides detailed information about INSPIRE Scholarship 2022, including the last date to apply, eligibility criteria, registration process, documents required, selection and renewal process, rewards, and more.

INSPIRE Scholarship 2022

Eligibility for INSPIRE Scholarship 2022

For this scholarship, candidates have to satisfy minimum eligibility criteria to apply. Below we have provided INSPIRE (SHE) Scholarship scheme eligibility in detail.

• The age group of the applicant must be between 17 to 22 years.
• Candidate should have a very high score that puts him in the top cream of successful scorers. For this, the aggregate marks scored by the candidate in his 12th grade shall be considered.
• Students pursuing courses in pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences only need to apply.
• Specifically, students studying in courses like B.Sc/ BS/ Integrated M. Sc/ MS can apply.
• Students should be enrolled in any of these courses in the same year when they clear their 12th-grade examination.
• Those candidates who have cleared their Joint Entrance exam for IIT admission or AIEEE exam amongst the top 10,000 and 20,000 ranks respectively are also eligible to apply if they choose to study pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences further on.
• Those who have cleared CBSE-medical exam or AIPTM with a ranking that is within 10,000 can apply if they choose to study pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences further on.
• Candidates who have sought admission to institutes like IISER (Indian Institute of Scientific Education and Research)/ NISER (National Institute of Scientific Education and Research)/ DAE- CBS (Department of Atomic Energy Center for Basic Science, University of Mumbai) can apply. Candidates should be pursuing courses in pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences, which would award them B.Sc/M.Sc degrees in due course can apply.
• Applicants who have previously received acclamation from KVPY (Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana)/ NTSE ( National Talent Search Examination)/ Olympiad medal holders/ JBNSTS exam (Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search Exam) are eligible to apply, provided these scholars are pursuing courses in pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences which would award them B.Sc/M.Sc degrees in due course.
• Candidates pursuing degree/ masters courses in any of these subject areas Physics, Chemistry, Maths, Biology, Statistics, Geology, Astrophysics, Astronomy, Electronics, Botany, Zoology, Biochemistry, Anthropology, Microbiology, Geophysics, Geochemistry, Atmospheric sciences, Oceanic sciences, Ecology, Marine biology, Genetics and Biophysics.

How to Apply for INSPIRE Scholarship 2022?

The complete procedure for application and disbursal of INSPIRE scholarship has been made ONLINE for an easy and transparent process. The detailed step by step application process has been explained below:

• Go to the INSPIRE scholarship portal [online-inspire.gov.in]
• As a new user, candidates have first to register themselves. Click on the “New User/ Register here” button.
• In the registration form, enter basic candidate details like name, gender, date of birth, e-mail ID, password, eligibility criteria specifications, and the verification code received on mobile for registration.
• After entering all these details, candidates have to check their e-mail id. They obtain their respective user ID and password in their mails and also an activation link to click and activate their account.
• After the basic registration process, candidates now have to log into the portal with the user ID and password thus obtained.
• Go to the application form area and fill up necessary details like personal information, course enrolment information, merit, and academic score information, competitive exam attempt details ( if any), contact details, etc. amongst other details.
• Keep all necessary documentation ready to upload them now as scanned copies in the space provided.
• After entering all information and checking for their correctness, click on the ‘Print preview’ button.
• After thorough validation, click on the ‘SUBMIT’ button.
• After submission, it is advisable for candidates to maintain a copy of their submitted application form for future reference.

Documents Required for INSPIRE Scholarship

Every scholarship application needs to be supported by valid candidate documents to support the applicant’s candidature. The list of all important documents to be uploaded along with the application form is enlisted below:

• Passport size photo of applicant in JPEG format with size less than 50 KB.
• Community/ caste certificate of the applicant (in case candidate belongs to SC/ST/OBC categories) in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Eligibility note/ advisory note that are provided by respective state/central board of education where the applicant studied in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Mark sheets of class 12th in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Mark sheets of class 10th in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Birth certificate in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Rank sheet specifying rank/award obtained in JEE Mains/ JEE Advanced/ NEET exam/ KVPY/ JBNSTS/ NTSE/ international Olympiad exams in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Official endorsement form duly signed by principal/ director/ head of institution/ registrar of the university in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.
• Bank account passbook of the applicant in PDF format with size less than 1 MB.

Learn more about NSP Portal | UP Scholarship | MahaDBT

INSPIRE Programs

The Department of Science and Technology of the government of India has created three programs for the award of scholarships to deserving students willing to pursue a career in pure sciences/ basic sciences and natural sciences. The three programs are detailed below:
INSPIRE Awards scholarship program for students pursuing a career (BSc/ BS/ Integrated M.Sc/ MS courses) in pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences only.

• SEATS or INSPIRE scheme for the early attraction of talent in science studies – INSPIRE awards and internships are awarded in this category to encourage young minds to promote basic scientific research.
• AORC or INSPIRE assured opportunity for research careers – Provides a platform for young scholars and scientific enthusiasts to work in R&D areas. INSPIRE fellowships and INSPIRE faculty awards are given out in this category.

INSPIRE Scholarship Awards

INSPIRE scholarship provides different kinds of rewards due to its various programs and facilitation activities to help students develop an interest in pure sciences and promote research and developmental activities in natural sciences.

• Every year INSPIRE awards around 2, 00,000 candidates in the age group of 10 to 15 years studying from class 6 to 10 with a grant amount of INR 5000 per child.
• INSPIRE internships are awarded to around 50,000 candidates in the age group of 16 to 17 years.
• INSPIRE fellowships are awarded to 1000 fellows every year. For the first two years, they would be eligible for a grant of INR 25,000 per month, followed by INR 28,000 for the last three years of their fellowship tenure. Such scholars shall also be entitled to HRA (House Rent Allowance) plus a contingency grant amount of INR 20,000 per annum.
• INSPIRE Faculty award provides faculties with a scholarship grant amount of INR 80,000 every year ( which would be increased at the rate of 3.3% per annum) apart from the research grant amount of INR 7 lakhs per year continuously for 5 years.

INSPIRE Scholarship Selection Process

All applicants applying through the ONLINE INSPIRE portal shall be verified and cross-examined by an eminent panel of members. Based on their applications and respective eligibility criteria specified, they would be evaluated for a scholarship grant. The key points to note regarding the scholarship selection process are enlisted below:

• All candidates selected for this scholarship shall find their names displayed on the online INSPIRE portal.
• All selected candidates can find and download their provisional scholarship offer letters online.
• Shortlisted candidates have to fulfill the requirement of submitting all pending/ necessary documents within the stipulated time for further processing and finalisation of their scholarship.
• Candidates should compulsorily have a bank account with SBI. The scholarship amount shall be credited directly through DBT (Direct bank transfer) process into the candidate’s account.

INSPIRE Scholarship Renewal Procedure

Every candidate who receives the scholarship amount shall compulsorily fulfill renewal conditions and submit the renewal form within a stipulated time to continue the scholarship. Candidates can download the renewal form for the current year and submit the same with relevant documents within the stipulated time duration. If a candidate fails to perform the renewal procedure within the stipulated time, then the scholarship grant would be discontinued without any further notice to him/her. Key points with respect to renewal procedure are enlisted below:

• Candidate score should mandatorily be at least 60% or 7.0 GPA in the two semesters/ current year of his study.
• If the candidate does not attain the minimum prescribed score, then the scholarship grant would be discontinued for that particular year.
• Based on satisfactory performance and the candidate meeting the eligibility criteria next year, he would be entitled to resume his scholarship amount accordingly.

INSPIRE Scholarship 2022 – Terms & Conditions

All candidates applying for INSPIRE scholarships should keep basic rules and regulations in mind while applying for their schemes. The important terms and conditions with respect to this scholarship are enlisted below:

• INSPIRE scholarships are awarded to a student for his entire course duration or for 5 years, whichever falls earlier.
• This scholarship is awarded to students pursuing courses like BSc/BS/ Integrated M.Sc or MS courses in pure sciences/ basic sciences/ natural sciences.
• Applications complete in all respects shall be taken for further processing else rejected right away.
• INSPIRE scholarships do not support courses like engineering/ medicine/ military science/ defence studies/ psychology/ agriculture and seed technology/ anthropology/ home science/ geography/ economics/ BSc or B.Ed. or dual degrees in education/ biotechnology/ computer science/ computer applications/ bioinformatics/ information technology/ instrumentation technology/ physical education/ courses pursued in distance mode of learning/ open universities/ other technical and professional courses, etc.
• Candidates should mandatorily have an account with any of the branches of SBI bank. Account should be in the candidate’s name only, and joint accounts are not permitted.
• The candidate’s performance report signed by the head of the institution shall be submitted along with the application without fail.
• In the case of renewal applications, the head of the institution shall mention if the candidate is permitted to receive the scholarship for the current year or not.
• In case of the first year release of scholarship, disbursal of the scholarship amount is subject to the submission of the candidate’s performance report plus mark sheets, of course, being pursued.
• In other cases, based on the excellent track record of the candidate in his academic performance, he would be entitled to receive a scholarship grant for two years of his study, ie, INR 1,20,000 would be awarded to him in his second year of study.
• Candidates should not be receiving a scholarship from any other sources while availing this scholarship.

Contact Details

Owing to the massive receipt of applications every year from candidates all over India and their associated queries about the massive programs they hold, the INSPIRE team set up by the DST (Department of Science and Technology) assists students via their helplines. Their contact information is provided below:

E-mail: [email protected]

Note: Subject line should mention any of the following queries to indicate respective program queries

• SHE – Scholarship for Higher Education Program
• Fellowship – Fellowship Program
• FACULTY – Faculty Program
• GENERAL – any general enquiry with respect to INSPIRE scholarship