Scholarship
AICTE - Scheme For Promoting Interests, Creativity And Ethics Among Students(AICTE - SPICES)
Eligibility
(a) AICTE-approved institutes with a minimum of 5 years of existence.
Region
All India
Award
Cash
By Expertie Editorial Team · Expertie editorial desk
Overview
About AICTE - SPICES
The AICTE-Scheme for Promoting Interests, Creativity and Ethics among Students (SPICES) is run by the All India Council for Technical Education, the statutory body under the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education that regulates technical education in India. The scheme gives financial assistance to an institution so it can set up and run a students' club.
The aim is the well-rounded development of students by supporting their interests, creativity and ethics. The funded club is meant to work as a model, a place where students pursue individual interests, do creative work, build teamwork and organisation skills, and get exposure to professional ethics. The idea is that this club then sets the pattern for other clubs on the same campus and at other institutions.
The benefit is a cash grant, and the beneficiary is the institution rather than the individual student. It is aimed at AICTE-approved institutions that apply with a proposal for a single club. The exact grant amount, the institution's own contribution and the eligibility conditions are set by AICTE.
Sources: AICTE - Financial assistance to support a Student club under the SPICES scheme (aicte.gov.in) · myScheme - AICTE Scheme For Promoting Interests, Creativity And Ethics Among Students
Who runs it
Provider
Ministry of Education
Central Government
Department Of Higher Education · All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE)
At a glance
Key details
| Level | Central |
| Scheme type | Central Sector Scheme |
| Category | Education & Learning |
| Beneficiaries | Institution |
| Benefit type | Cash |
| Application mode | Online |
Calendar
Important dates
Across all open application cycles.
| Cycle | Stage | Date |
|---|
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
| (a) AICTE-approved institutes with a minimum of 5 years of existence. | |
| (b) Only one proposal per institute for a club (with a minimum of student members 50) will be | |
| admissible. Institute may choose its best performing club for applying under the scheme for the grant. | |
| (c) The institute must commit a contribution of a minimum ₹ 1,00,000 to the club. Contributions over | |
| and above ₹ 1,00,000 from institution to club will get weightage for consideration. | |
| (d) Coordinator must be full-time regular faculty with at least 10-year experience in teaching/ | |
| (e) Institute should also identify a Co-coordinator who must be a faculty with at least 5 years of | |
| experience in teaching/industry. | |
| (f) Experience and inclination of organizing events/ co-curriculum activities are desirable for the coordinator and co-coordinator. | |
| Terms and Conditions | |
| (a) Students on a roll to the institute shall be members of the club. | |
| (b) The grant can be utilized for activities mentioned at Point No. 8 and meeting the cost of registration and travel (up to 40% of the total grant) of students participating in outstation activities. | |
| (c) Funds once released/sanctioned for supporting the particular students club cannot be utilized for any other program. | |
| (d) Ex-students and ex-faculty members and other officials of the institute shall not be members of the club. | |
| (e) The Clubs must be encouraged to reach out to alumni and industries for fund-raising in their | |
| (f) The academic background of the coordinator must be in conformity with the theme of the club. | |
| (g) Institute will be eligible to receive the grant under the SPICES scheme only once. |
Who cannot apply
Exclusions
- Ex-students and ex-faculty members and other officials of the institute shall not be members of the club.
What you get
Award & benefits
- Limit of Funding: ₹ 1,00,000 only (one-time grant to one institute)
- Disbursement of the Funds: ₹ 1,00,000 as advance
- Programs/ Activities targeted in the Clubs: Evolution of Interests/Hobbies, Creativity/ Imagination/ Innovation, and Ethics/ Value through a range of student activities.
What to prepare
Documents required
Documents to be uploaded on the AICTE portal after the completion of one year:
Institute has to fill up and update information on the AICTE portal and upload the following documents:
(a) Photographs showing various activities during club events.
(b) Feedback from members of the club.
(c) A video of 2-minute duration having:
(i) Introduction by the Coordinator mentioning the name and state of the institute.
(ii) Activities details and achievements attained through Students Club
(iii) How the club was beneficial to students/carriers and institutes.
(iv) Acknowledgement of AICTE support.
(d) Performance Report (including Feedback).
Documents to be submitted after completion of one year:
(a) Utilization certificate and statement of accounts in prescribed proforma duly audited by the Finance
Officer/ Account Officer as per prescribed format.
(b) Supporting bills/ documents on account of expenses incurred for the purpose duly attested by the Head of the Institute.
(c) The amount made available by the institution approved by the Council/ University/ State Government and other sources.
(d) Soft copy of the final report submitted on the portal as mentioned above (in section 11).
Step by step
How to apply
- 1Apply online
aicte-india.org
Source
Official links
Questions
AICTE - SPICES – FAQ
A. AICTE expects institutions to fund its other clubs in a similar fashion and intensify their activities. Vibrant clubs will attract the attention of other institutions and inspire the latter to emulate. Thus there will be an intensification of club activities across the country.
A. Past achievements of the club, its interface with industry/professional body, achievements of the Faculty Coordinator, and Credentials of the institute.
A. Yes.
A. Institute can seek support for one club only, for which it must be willing to support financially also.
A. No. Institute will be eligible to receive the grant under the SPICES scheme only once. AICTE expects the institute to support other clubs in a similar fashion.
A. Yes, the club from any discipline/ theme/ stream in an AICTE-approved institution can be proposed under this Scheme, provided it fulfills other eligibility conditions.
A. It's a one-year project which starts from the date of the Offer Letter/Sanction Letter.
A. For the 2020-2021 batch, the date of receipt of funds is reckoned as the date of start of the project which must be intimated to AICTE. However, for those sanctioned in 2021- 2022, the date of the Offer Letter is the date of the start of the project.
A. The institute must appoint another faculty as a coordinator whose qualifications and experience must be matching with the previous one and take approval from AICTE. One needs to go to “Request for Change of Coordinator/Co-coordinator” on the SPICES Review Portal, attach the requisite documents on the SPICES review portal, duly signed by the Head of Institution, and Coordinator, and submit.
A. Yes, at the end of the project duration, the institute must submit a soft copy and hard copy of the project report and original bills for the closure of the project.
A. Club must conduct as many activities as possible, spread throughout the year. Club members may be encouraged to raise funds from other sponsors.
A. AICTE recommends club activities to be held offline to enhance student interaction between peers and experts invited.
A. We encourage collaborative activities with not just clubs in your institutions but also with those focussed in your area, in nearby institutions (for example if your club is on Robotics, try collaborating with the Robotics club in a nearby institution). We expect these clubs with whom you shake hands also to reciprocate your gesture. This is equally important. By supporting and focussing on one club under the Scheme, our larger intention is to see other clubs also get energized, that’s why your club has been selected to be transformed as a model club. Please document and share the success stories emerging out of such collaborations, with all the beneficiaries under SPICES.
A. Any activity which was conducted before receiving the Offer Letter will not be acceptable.
A. Yes, but the expenditures on account of travel cannot exceed 40%. Additional expenditures, (if any) should be borne by the institute.
A. Your institute will be reimbursed Rs. 1 lakh once the project is completed, but not before one year. Subject to all other conditions being fulfilled.
A. The total project cost is a minimum of Rs. 2 Lakh with Rs. 1 Lakh from AICTE and the rest coming from the institute (minimum Rs. 1 Lakh). If the expenditure within the project duration is less than Rs. 2 Lakh then a grant from AICTE will be reduced to 50% of actual expenses accrued for the club activities.
A. No. The grant can only be released in favor of the Director/ Principal/ Registrar of the institution. Applicant must provide duly-filled mandate form having the seal and signature of the bank authority.
A. No. The grant can be utilized only for expenditures pertaining to student members of the club.
A. No. The funds cannot be used for Hardware/Software. If required, the same must be bought from institute funds.
A. It is up to the institute to decide whether to collect the registration fee or not.
A. The grant can be utilized for the publication/printing of promotional material for events/activities organized by the club.
A. No. The industrial/technical hubs visit is part of academic/departmental activities, and the grant cannot be utilized for this purpose.
A. The funds pooled (AICTE and college) can be used for events and activities organized by the student club to which the project is offered but not for any other club. Not more than 40% of the pooled amount can be used on travel. It can be used to meet the expenses related to experts/ resource persons invited to the events organized by the club.
A. Club can utilize 60% amount in event organization expenses viz. publicity, prize money, club merchandise (such as T-Shirts, Cups, etc.)
A. Funds under the project granted to your institute (contributed by your institute and AICTE) have to be spent on the Club mentioned in the Offer Letter; and NOT on the other clubs. The funded club will serve as a model to other clubs in the institute, the experience gained and good practices of which can be applied to at least two more student clubs that are to be proposed to us.
A. Any unspent amount with the institute must be immediately returned through NEFT/ crossed Demand Draft drawn in favor of “Member Secretary, AICTE” payable at New Delhi, within 30 days of approved project completion date.
A. Yes, but the product should not be Hardware/Software & bills should bear a GST number.
A. No format is prescribed. Institute needs to upload the bills as received.
A. Yes, it is mandatory to submit bills with GST numbers.
A. Yes, we recommended promoting activities/events being conducted under the funded club on social media using the #aictespices and #aicte.
A. All publicity materials/ advertisements/ brochures/ invitation cards/ any other collaterals/ event backdrop etc. related to the event(s), must carry the AICTE logo and the name SPICES. Likewise, the venue/the stage backdrop/ podium must prominently display the AICTE logo and the name SPICES.
A. Yes, you need to upload the Acceptance Letter on the SPICES review portal within 7 days after releasing the Offer Letter to your Institute and also need to send a hard copy of the same.
A. No. You do not need to click on the Review Submit button every time after uploading the single event detail on the SPICES Review portal because once you click on the button, you will not be able to upload anything on your SPICES Review portal. You need to click on that button once you complete your SPICES project.
Disclaimer
Scheme details are compiled from myScheme, the Government of India’s official scheme-discovery platform, and are reproduced without alteration. Amounts, deadlines and eligibility change between cycles — always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.
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