The AICTE DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP (ADF) 2023-24 is a fellowship given to students for pursuing a Ph.D. program (Engineering, Management & Design) in AICTE approved Institutions/ Universities.

THE OBJECTIVES OF THE AICTE Doctoral Fellowship SCHEME

• To seed, grow, and facilitate research for transforming the quality and quantity of research in AICTE-approved institutions/ affiliated Universities.
• To fund enhance promote collaborative and outstanding peer-reviewed research between technical institutions and industries leading to start-ups.
• To catalyze quality academic research for developing a robust ecosystem of research in AICTE-approved institutions.

Some of the key benefits of AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF) Scheme 2023-24 Scheme.

THRUST AREAS FOR RESEARCH

• Engineering and Technology
• Management (New)
• Design (New)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA – AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF) Scheme 2023-24

• The candidate must be admitted to Ph. D. in any of the engineering and Technology/ Management/ Design” programs approved by the AICTE at Post Graduate Level.
• The candidate should have qualified for GATE/ GMAT/ CEED during the last 5 years in Engineering and Technology/ Management/ Design respectively. Validity of
• GATE/ GMAT/ Design score at the time of admission is not mandatory.
• The candidate should be below 30 years of age at the time of submission of the application form for admission to the university/ institute. For admission age relaxation of 5 years would be applicable to candidates belonging to SC/ ST/ Women/
• Physically challenged and 3 years for OBC category.

EMOLUMENTS AND ALLOWANCES

• Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) = Rs. 37,000/- pm
• Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) = Rs. 42,000/- pm
• Contingency Grant = Rs. 15000/- per year

House Rent Allowance (HRA):

• All ADF students may be provided hostel accommodation wherever
  available.
• ADF students residing in hostels shall not be entitled to HRA.
• Wherever hostel accommodation is not possible, HRA is allowed as per
  Central Government norms are applicable in the city where the admitting
  institution is located.
• The percentage for calculating HRA will be based on the amount of
  Fellowship.
• Leave and other Entitlements:
• The ADF students are eligible for leave for a maximum period of 30 days in
  a year, in addition to public holidays.
• Attending Conferences, Short-term Training Programmes, Workshops/
  Seminars and any other outstation research work with the prior permission
  of his/ her supervisor will be treated as “on Duty”
• The ADF students are also eligible for maternity/ paternity leave as per GOI
  norms.

ADMISSION

The candidate shall be allowed to apply for ADF throughout the year after
completion of the admission process in the academic year.

JRF TO SRF UPGRADATION

• JRF may be upgraded to SRF after completion of two years from the date of start of
  ADF is subject to the following mandatory conditions
• The student has successfully completed the Coursework.
• The research plan/ proposal of the student has been approved by the competent
  authority/ committee/ Student Research Committee (SRC)/ Departmental
  Research Committee (DRC) of the institute as per its applicable Ordinance.

EXTENSION OF FELLOWSHIP

• No extension for ADF is granted. In exceptional cases, the duration is extendable up to 12 months or till the date of submission of the thesis, whichever is earlier followed by conditions:
• The student must have successfully completed the coursework as per University/ Institution guidelines.
• The research plan/ proposal of the student should have been approved by the competent authority/ committee/ Student Research Committee
• (SRC)/ Departmental Research Committee (DRC)/ Supervisor and
• HOD/ Principal/ Dean of the University/ Institute as per its applicable Ordinance.
• The student must have:

• At least 01 research paper accepted/ published in SCI/ SCIE/
  SCOPUS Journal.
  or
• At least two (02) research papers accepted/ published in ESCI/
  UGC Care Listed Journals.
  or
• Filed/ published/ granted at least one patent for his/ her invention
  by “The Patent Office of Government of India”.
  
• Here are some of the key dates for the AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF) Scheme
  2023-24:
  Launch of the scheme: 23-08-2023
  Duration of the Scheme: 3 years + 01 year extension with condition
  The scheme is open throughout the year

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The University Grants Commission (UGC) recently announced an important warning about Online PhD and its approval. UGC and AICTE warned students not to be misled by marketing for online PhD programs by EduTech businesses in conjunction with international institutes. According to UGC and AICTE, an online PhD is not approved and not recommended to students.

“In order to maintain the standards for awarding PhD degrees, the UGC has notified the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil, PhD degrees) Regulation 2016. It is mandatory for all higher educational institutions (HEIs) to follow UGC Regulations and its amendments for awarding PhD degrees,” the notice stated.

Online PhD is not Approved by UGC and AICTE

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has warned universities and colleges against offering courses in distance learning and online mode in association with Ed-tech companies. This is the second such warning this year by the higher education regulator and the country’s top technical education body, the AICTE.

“In order to maintain the standards for awarding PhD degrees, the UGC has notified the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil, PhD degrees) Regulation 2016,”

UGC

UGC has notified all universities to follow its guidelines for awarding PhD degrees. The higher education regulatory body issued a public notice on Friday.

Students can pursue two full-time academic programs simultaneously but PhD programs do not fall under the guidelines.

UGC has also warned that some online PhD programs are not UGC-approved and should be checked before enrolling.

The central government had cautioned EdTech businesses against unfair marketing practices in July. It is also creating an EdTech regulation policy.

Source: UGC

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All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi invites application to select the eligible candidates for AICTE Doctoral Fellowship (ADF) scheme for the year 2021-22. The online application for ADF is made available in AICTE website.

The candidates are advised to see the guidelines (Eligibility criteria, Thrust areas of research, Fellowship amount and its duration) issued by the AICTE for ADF scheme and also refer the list of eligible Institutions/Departments. Maximum of 363 Nos. of fellowship may be granted to 42 Universities in a year. The last date to submit the filled online application is 17.09.2021.

Eligibility criteria for AICTE Doctoral Fellowship Scheme 2021-2022:

• The candidate must have secured the minimum percentage of educational qualification in Under Graduate and Post Graduate be 70% (69.5 % and above) for General/OBC candidates,
• For SC/ST/Physically Handicapped, the minimum percentage of educational qualification should be 65% (64.5 % and above).
• Should have qualified GATE/ NET during the last 5 years.
• The aspirant should be less than 30 years of age as on date of admission in respective University.
• However, age relaxation of 5 years would be applicable to candidates belonging to SC/ ST/Women/Physically challenged category.

Thrust areas of research

• Green Technologies
• Big Data, Machine Learning & Data Sciences
• Block Chain
• Cyber Security
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Augmented Reality (AR)/ Virtual Reality (VR)
• Energy Production and Storage
• Electronics & Photonics
• Nuclear Engineering and Allied Technologies
• Robotics and Mechatronics
• Energy Efficiency, Renewable and sustainable Energy
• Electric and Hybrid Mobility
• Smart Cities, Housing and Transportation
• 3D Printing
• Quantum Computing
• Smart Technologies for Agriculture and Food Industry
• Water purification, conservation and management
• Public Policy
• Social & Organizational Psychology & Behaviour

Duration and extension criteria:

• The duration of the scheme shall be for a period of 3 Years.
• The fellowship period may be extended to 1 year on special case with valid reasons. The criteria for extension are
• The candidate must score a minimum overall score of 10 marks under different parameters.
• Completion of Course work.
• Completion of the Registration of the Ph.D. Programme & approval of the Research proposal by the University.
• Must have published one paper in SCI/SCI-E/Scopus journal.
• The assessment shall be carried out by the concerned University for final recommendation for extension of fellowship On the basis of this recommendation AICTE will process for the release of fellowship for the extended period.

AICTE doctoral fellowship                             

• The fellowship will be Rs. 31,000/- per month for the first two years followed by Rs. 35,000/- pm for the third year.
• HRA will be provided at the rate of 8%, 16% and 24% as per the Government of India (GoI) norms as applicable in the city/ location where the Research Fellow is pursuing their research.
• In addition, Contingency Grant will be admissible to the scholars at the rate of Rs.15,000/- per annum to meet the miscellaneous expenditures.

After completion of two years the upgradation from JRF to SRF shall be subject to fulfilling the following mandatory eligibility conditions: –

1. Completion of Course work.
2. Submission of Registration letter from the University.
3. Research Proposal submitted and approved.
4. Recommendation from Institute/University.

Cancellation of award

The fellowship is liable to cancellation in case of:

1. Non Completion of course work, non-registration in Ph.D. and non-approval of research proposal within one year from date of joining.
2. Misconduct.
3. Unsatisfactory progress of research work/ failure in any examination related to Ph.D.
4. He/ She is found ineligible later.
5. Any false information furnished by the applicant or any fraudulent activity by the Scholar/ Fellow/ Research Awardees shall lead to Penal action against him/ her.
6. The fellowship may be terminated at any time during the tenure and the decision of the AICTE shall be final and binding.

University wise allocation of fellowship

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