This page covers Phase II of the Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics and IT. MEITY has approved implementation of Phase-II of Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme for Electronics & IT with the objective of enhancing the number of PhDs in the Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) and IT/IT Enabled Services (ITES). The PhD Cell of the Digital India Corporation works under MeitY and runs the scheme’s administration. The scheme pays PhD scholars a monthly fellowship and rent support, and it pays research money to their institutes.
You do not apply to MeitY. The scheme reaches students through universities and institutes, so you apply to a participating institution for a PhD seat. The scheme aims at generating a total of 1000 Full-time PhD Candidates (@200 Candidates per year) and 150 Part-time PhDs (@30 Candidates per year) in emerging research areas of ESDM and IT/ITES sectors over a period of 5 years. It also funds 50 Young Faculty Research Fellowships and 225 Post-Doctoral Fellowships.
What you get
These are the rates for full-time PhD scholars. Support lasts up to five years, or until the PhD is complete, whichever comes first.
| Support for a full-time PhD scholar | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fellowship in years 1 and 2 | Rs. 38,750 a month |
| Fellowship in years 3, 4 and 5 | Rs. 43,750 a month |
| Rent reimbursement, linked to your fellowship | 24%, 16% or 8% of the fellowship, by city class |
| Research contingency grant (paid to your institute) | Rs. 1,20,000 a year, of which up to Rs. 30,000 covers day-to-day research items |
| Institutional overheads (paid to your institute) | Rs. 25,000 a year |
The rent rate is 24%, 16% and 8% of the fellowship for X, Y and Z class cities or towns. Those city classes follow the Finance Ministry notification used for HRA reimbursement. Once your institution recommends you and the competent authority approves the award, the fellowship and rent go straight to your bank account through DBT. The research grant and overheads go to the institute.
The rates above come from the Phase II guidelines. A PIB note on the scheme lists the same Phase II fellowship and institute-level amounts, with the scheme period given as 2021-2030. The sources I read do not say whether any rate changed for 2026-27.
Other support for full-time scholars:
- Visit to a lab abroad. The scheme gives a one-time support for all enrolled full-time scholars from the 3rd year, for a 6-month visit to a lab abroad. During the visit, the monthly fellowship is Rs. 1,50,000, and travel and visa costs are covered up to Rs. 1,50,000. The domestic fellowship and rent support stop during this period.
- International conference. Support covers travel and other costs from the 3rd year of PhD, for attending an international conference where your paper has been accepted. The paper must be presented orally, not as a poster, at a conference on the approved list. A review paper does not qualify, and the grant cannot be used for winter or summer schools. The institution may claim up to Rs. 1,50,000 for conference support under Phase II.
Part-time PhD scholars. Part-time seats are for professionals working at a reputed place or organisation, and selected candidates must not hold any other PhD fellowship from a central or state scheme. Part-time candidates who get no PhD fellowship from a central or state government receive a one-time incentive of Rs. 3,00,000 after completing the PhD.
Faculty and post-doctoral fellowships. These are not for students. The Young Faculty Research Fellowship pays Rs. 20,000 a month with a Rs. 5,00,000 yearly research grant, and the upper age limit is 40 years on the date of submission of application. The Post-Doctoral Fellowship pays Rs. 1.08 Lakh a month, with a contingency of Rs. 1 Lakh for one year, paid on reimbursement and pro-rata basis.
Who can apply
- You must be enrolled or registered for PhD during the scheme period. Only candidates enrolled during the scheme period can apply for the financial support, and the scheme applies to new PhD scholars after the scheme is notified.
- Your research must be in ESDM or IT/ITES. The scheme’s focus is these two sectors.
- Your institution must be eligible. IITs, NITs, IISc, IISERs, Central Universities, Central Government deemed universities, Colleges and Institutions of National Importance are eligible. Other universities and R&D institutions qualify if they have a postgraduate stream in Electronics or IT and have produced PhDs in these areas for the last 3 years, and are recognised by AICTE and accredited by NBA, or accredited by NAAC.
- The admission must follow UGC norms. The PhD students under this scheme must be admitted as per UGC admission norms. The official sources I read do not set a common marks, degree or age rule for full-time PhD scholars. Your institution sets those.
Who cannot apply:
- Anyone already getting PhD support from another Government of India or state scheme. Candidates who have received PhD support from another scheme of the Government of India or the States are automatically disqualified.
- Anyone transferring from another scholarship scheme. Transfer from other scholarship schemes would not be permitted.
How to apply
- Check that your research fits ESDM or IT/ITES.
- Choose a participating institution from the eligible list above.
- Apply through that institution’s PhD admission notice. The institutions enrol PhD candidates for the seats allotted to them for ESDM and IT/ITES. Each institution publishes its own notice and form, and the official sources I read do not provide a common application form.
- Wait for your institution to recommend you. After the competent authority approves the award, the fellowship is paid to your bank account by DBT.
- For conference or lab-visit support, submit your request through your institution to the PhD Cell. The scheme’s PhD portal is phd.dic.gov.in, which hosts the guidelines.
Documents you need
The official guidelines do not list the documents for PhD admission. Check your institution’s notice. For the lab-abroad support, the applicant must submit a valid offer letter from a lab abroad, a recommendation letter from the guide, a copy of a valid passport at the time of application, and details of publications from the research work. Copies of the publications for the research undertaken under the scheme are also required.
How students are selected
- Proposals are invited from eligible institutions for PhD seats, and the Academic Committee constituted by MeitY considers them. The seats are then allocated to the institutions.
- Your institution runs the admission process. The guidelines do not describe a national test or interview.
- For the lab-abroad support, the proposal is examined by the Academic Committee, with a physical interaction with the PhD candidate, before final recommendations.
Renewal
- You stay eligible for the fellowship while you are in good standing and meet the PhD requirements. Support lasts up to five years or until PhD completion, whichever is earlier.
- Your institution submits an annual performance report for each candidate. If a candidate is not performing, the institution must inform the PhD Cell.
- The PhD Cell can hold or stop support for the lab-visit component if progress is poor, the grant is misused, or the guidelines are breached.
Important dates
The official guidelines do not set one application date for the whole scheme. Each participating institution sets its own dates. For example, the opening date of online application at IISER Berhampur was October 01, 2026, and the closing date was October 14, 2026, for the Ph.D. programme under Phase II for AY 2026-27 (January 2027 session). That window has closed. Dates vary across institutions: IIT Goa’s 2026-27 Ph.D. portal, which was due to close on 3 May 2026, was extended to 10 May 2026.
Official sources
- phd.dic.gov.in/guidelines/phase2Guidelines.pdf
- Visvesvaraya PhD Scheme
- IISER Berhampur
- Ph.D. Admissions
Checked against these official sources on 5 November 2026.
