I Am an Engineering Student. Can I Get MODROB Money?

No. MODROB has no student application and pays nothing to individuals; the grant goes to an AICTE-approved institution for a specific lab. Students benefit when their department wins one, because AICTE says the equipment is provided primarily to raise the quality of undergraduate teaching, and it encourages research and consultancy use as well (AICTE MODROB FAQ).

Is the 2025-26 MODROBS Special Drive the Same Scheme as the MODROB on myScheme?

It is the same AICTE scheme with different rules, and mixing them up is easy because both are called MODROB. The myScheme listing follows the 2021 guidelines: three variants, Rs 20 lakh per proposal, and private AICTE-approved institutions allowed. The 2025-26 Special Drive raised the cap to Rs 30 lakh and admitted only Government and Government-aided institutes and Government university departments in Aspirational Districts, NER states, J&K (including Ladakh) and rural areas (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ). AICTE's letter to the states framed the change the same way, saying assistance under the special drive had been "enhanced to 30 lakhs from 20 lakhs as in previous years" (AICTE letter via DTE Andhra Pradesh). Check which edition's document is posted on AICTE's scheme page before preparing a proposal.

Is MODROB a New Scheme?

No. The Union Budget 2001-02 notes on demands for grants already describe Modernisation & Removal of Obsolescence as support to modernise "equipment, machinery, laboratories, workshops and libraries", and record that AICTE ran it until 1996-97, with the Ministry taking it over for Central Institutions and Regional Engineering Colleges from 1997-98 (Notes on Demands for Grants 2001-02). AICTE has also run area-specific calls under the name before the 2025-26 drive, including an August 2019 notice inviting MODROB proposals from institutions in rural areas (AICTE notice, August 2019).

What Happens When the HOD Who Filed the Proposal Leaves?

The project stays with the department. The HOD who submits a MODROB proposal is its ex-officio Project Coordinator, so if that HOD rotates out, leaves, retires or goes on long leave, the successor becomes coordinator and AICTE must be told at once. For the same reason, a project cannot be transferred to another institution (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).

Does the Institute Have to Put In Its Own Money?

Yes, whenever the sanctioned grant falls short of what the lab costs: the institute must fund the gap itself and show it in the Utilisation Certificate and completion report, and AICTE pays no separate overheads. The 20% balance is also a reimbursement, released only after the Utilisation Certificate and supporting documents come in, so the institute carries that share until then (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).

Is There A Helpdesk For Scheme Related Queries?

Scheme related information Email address: modrobidc@aicte-india.org Phone Number: (011) 29581315 (011) 29581308

Is There A Helpdesk For Technical Queries?

Technical Information Email address: it3idc@aicte-india.org Phone Number: (011) 29581334

What Are The Objectives Of The MODROB Scheme?

MODROB Scheme aims to modernize and remove obsolescence in the Laboratories/ Workshops/Computing facilities so as to maintain the quality of the practical components of technical education and promote experimental research and hands-on training.

What Are The Names Of The Three Variants Of This Scheme?

This scheme has three variants - (i) MODROB- Aspiring Institutes (ii) MODROB- Polytechnic (iii) MODROB- Regular

For What Purposes Can The Funds Be Utilized?

The funds under this Scheme could ideally be used to create technical infrastructure for a revised curriculum. for up-gradation of equipment in existing laboratories, enhancement of performance of existing equipment, or replacement of depreciated equipment with modern equipment.

What Will Be The Duration Of The Project?

The duration of the project will be two years from the date of receipt of funds in the institute’s account.

What Is The Limit Of Funding From AICTE?

Funding for the sanctioned project will not exceed ₹ 20,00,000 (covering recurring and non-recurring expenditures) per the proposal.

Will The Funds Be Disbursed In Installments Or As A Lump Sum?

Disbursement of the Funds: 80% of the sanctioned amount as advance to the institutions will be disbursed followed by 20% as reimbursement on submission of the Utilization Certificate and other supporting documents as specified in the terms and conditions of MODROB.

What Is The Eligibility Criteria For "MODROBS - Aspiring Institutions"?

MODROBS - Aspiring Institutions a) AICTE-approved technical institutions / University Departments with at least 10 years of existence (at least 5 years if the institute is located in a rural area). b) The Institute shall have more than 50% admission for the past 3 years. c) The Institute had not been sanctioned any MODROB Project earlier. d) Maximum 3 proposals per institute per year (Not more than one proposal is accepted from the same department)

What Is The Eligibility Criteria For "MODROBS - Regular"?

A) AICTE-approved technical institutions / University Departments with at least 10 years of existence (at least 5 years if the institute is located in a rural area) having live NBA accreditation b) The Institute shall have more than 60% admission for the past 3 years. c) The department applying should not have received the MODROB project in the last two years i.e. the department who have received a grant in the last two years are not eligible. d) Maximum 3 proposals per institute per year (Including sanctioned earlier but not completed) would be considered. e) Preference will be given to the institution having the involvement of industry in the modernization of the laboratory.

What Is The Eligibility Criteria For "MODROBS - Polytechnic"?

MODROBS - Polytechnic a) The Polytechnic Institute is approved by AICTE with at least 10 years of existence (at least 5 years if the institute is located in a rural area) b) The Institute shall have more than 60 % admission for the past 3 years c) Maximum 3 proposals per institute per year (Not more than one proposal is accepted from the same department)

We Are A Private University? Are We Eligible To Apply For This Scheme?

AICTE-approved Technical Institutions (including Polytechnics) / University Departments can only apply for this Scheme. If, however, the private university is approved by AICTE, then you are eligible to apply.

The Project Duration Is 2 Years From The Date Of Receipt Of Funds In The Institute’s Account. Suppose, Due To Unforeseen Circumstances The Project Is Unable To Complete. Can I Get Extension From AICTE To Complete The Project?

A.2 Yes. But, the institute must seek approval from AICTE at least two months before completion of the project duration and it may be extended upto a year/six months at a time. If you do not complete within this period, the sanctioned amount alongwith interest earned on it should be refunded to AICTE. It may be noted that delay beyond approved duration will affect consideration of proposals submitted in future.

Scholarship

Modernisation And Removal Of Obsolescence(MODROB)

Cash

Central

Ministry of Education All India myScheme record

Eligibility

MODROBS - Aspiring Institutions

Region

All India

Award

Cash

Deadline

Not published by the source

Overview

About MODROB

Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence, better known as MODROB, does not pay students. It is an AICTE grant that a department of an approved technical institution files for, to replace worn-out laboratory, workshop or computing equipment, and the money lands in the institution's own bank account. A student who finds it while searching for scholarships gains from it only through the lab it rebuilds. The 2025-26 edition raised the ceiling to Rs 30 lakh per proposal and, at the same time, closed the door to private colleges.

MODROB is one of the AICTE Quality Improvement Schemes (AQIS), and the application is an institutional one from start to finish: the 2021 guidelines list "online submission of application by the institution" as the first processing step (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021). In practice the proposal is a Head of Department's document: the same guidelines ask the HOD to analyse the department's laboratory needs and discuss them with other faculty and relevant industries before preparing it.

Two rulebooks now sit under the one name. The three variants on the myScheme record (Aspiring, Regular and Polytechnic) come from those 2021 guidelines, which cap a proposal at Rs 20 lakh. On 5 June 2025 AICTE launched a revamped edition that funds up to Rs 30 lakh per project, plans for 500 projects, and concentrates on Government institutes in Aspirational Districts, the North-Eastern states, Jammu & Kashmir (including Ladakh) and rural areas (AICTE press release, June 2025). AICTE's own scheme listing now summarises the limit of funding as Rs 20 lakh to Rs 30 lakh with a two-year project (AICTE Institutional Development Schemes).

The 2025-26 edition also has a subject preference the older one lacked. Marking 2025 as its Year of AI, AICTE said preference would go to proposals that integrate Artificial Intelligence into core engineering labs and align with the AICTE Model Curriculum (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document; MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).

Who runs it

Provider

Ministry of Education

Central Government

All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE)

At a glance

Key details

Level	Central
Scheme type	Not published by the source
Category	Education & Learning
Beneficiaries	Institution
Benefit type	Cash
Application mode	Online
Direct Benefit Transfer	Not published by the source
Tags	Grant, Institution
Source record	myScheme, 2026-07-08official-site· 2026-07-08

Calendar

Important dates

MODROB has no standing deadline. myScheme lists no open or close date. AICTE posts calls and extensions on its website, and for the 2025-26 drive it also wrote to state technical education departments. Two recent calls show how far the window moves:

Call	Event	Date	Announced by
AQIS online proposals (MODROBs, CAFES, IDEA Lab)	Last date extended	1 February 2021	AICTE notice of 20 January 2021
2025-26 Special Drive	Revamped edition launched	5 June 2025	AICTE press release
2025-26 Special Drive	Last date for submission	31 July 2025	AICTE letter to states dated 14 July 2025, as circulated by the Andhra Pradesh DTE

Once a project is sanctioned, the dates that matter are internal: the two-year completion date counted from receipt of funds, the point two months before it, which is the last moment to ask for an extension, and, under the 2025-26 rules, the six-month mark by which satisfactory progress has to show (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document).

Who can apply

Eligibility criteria

Which test applies depends on the call AICTE has open. The myScheme record reproduces the 2021 variants; the 2025-26 Special Drive used a narrower gate. Only AICTE-approved Government or Government-aided institutes and Government university departments located in Aspirational Districts, the NER states, J&K (including Ladakh) or rural areas could apply, and the edition's FAQ answers the question "Are private institutions eligible?" with a flat no (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).

Inside that narrower gate, two of the 2021 tests were eased:

Admissions: more than 50% admission across all programmes in the last 3 years for both streams of the Special Drive, where the 2021 Regular and Polytechnic variants demanded more than 60% (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document; AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).
Age of the institute: ten years of existence became a preference rather than a bar. The FAQ says younger institutes can apply, with preference going to those past ten years in rural areas, the NER and J&K, or past five years in aspirational districts (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).

Rural applicants that have not received any MODROB funds in the last ten years also get preference, and an institution could send at most 3 proposals during the edition, no more than one from the same department, branch or course (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document).

For the three 2021 variants, AICTE's companion FAQ settles two edge cases the variant lists leave open. An institute that meets the Aspiring criteria may still apply under Regular, where industry contribution is expected, and an institute running degree and diploma programmes under one PID cannot exceed three proposals across both levels (AICTE MODROB FAQ).

MODROBS - Aspiring Institutions
a) AICTE-approved technical institutions / University Departments with at least 10 years of existence (at least 5 years if the institute is located in a rural area).
b) The Institute shall have more than 50% admission for the past 3 years.
c) The Institute had not been sanctioned any MODROB Project earlier.
d) Maximum 3 proposals per institute per year (Not more than one proposal is accepted from the same department)
a) AICTE-approved technical institutions / University Departments with at least 10 years of existence (at least 5 years if the institute is located in a rural area) having live NBA accreditation
b) The Institute shall have more than 60% admission for the past 3 years.
c) The department applying should not have received the MODROB project in the last two years i.e. the department who have received a grant in the last two years are not eligible.
d) Maximum 3 proposals per institute per year (Including sanctioned earlier but not completed) would be considered.
e) Preference will be given to the institution having the involvement of industry in the modernization of the laboratory.
MODROBS - Polytechnic
a) The Polytechnic Institute is approved by AICTE with at least 10 years of existence (at least 5 years if the institute is located in a rural area)
b) The Institute shall have more than 60 % admission for the past 3 years
c) Maximum 3 proposals per institute per year (Not more than one proposal is accepted from the same department)

Who cannot apply

Exclusions

myScheme publishes no exclusion list for MODROB, but the AICTE documents rule out the following:

Individual applicants. A student, faculty member or HOD cannot apply or take the grant personally: the application is the institution's, and the user manual bars a bank account held in a personal name (MODROB Special Drive user manual).
Private and self-financing institutes in the 2025-26 Special Drive, which was open only to Government and Government-aided institutes and Government university departments (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).
Libraries. The 2025-26 scheme document funds laboratories, workshops and computing facilities and names libraries as excluded (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document).
Spending before AICTE's approval letter, which cannot be adjusted against the grant, and institutional overheads, which AICTE does not provide (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).
Repeat funding. Under the 2021 variants, an institute that has had any MODROB project before is out of the Aspiring stream, and a department funded in the last two years is out of Regular, as the myScheme record states.

Continuation

Renewal conditions

MODROB is a one-time project grant, not a yearly award, so nothing renews. A sanctioned project runs two years from the day the money reaches the institute's account, and the 2021 guidelines allow an extension of up to a year only if the institute asks the Council at least two months before the project ends (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).

What a department can do is return for a new project, and the clock on that depends on how the last one went. The guidelines tie early eligibility for fresh projects to finishing on time, and let AICTE weigh any delay beyond the approved duration against future proposals. The 2025-26 edition added a harder check: an institute that cannot show satisfactory progress within six months must refund all the funds with interest, and its eligibility for future funding under other schemes may suffer (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).

What you get

Award & benefits

The amount is a ceiling per proposal, released in two parts, and both editions use the same release pattern.

Edition	Ceiling per proposal	Projects	Release	Project length
2021 guidelines (Aspiring, Regular, Polytechnic)	Rs 20 lakh, recurring and non-recurring	No number fixed in the guidelines	80% advance, 20% as reimbursement after the Utilisation Certificate	Two years from receipt of funds
2025-26 Special Drive	Rs 30 lakh, recurring and non-recurring	Up to 500	80% advance, 20% as reimbursement after the Utilisation Certificate	Two years from receipt of funds

The sanctioned sum is also split by purpose. Non-recurring spending makes up 85% of the grant and recurring spending 15%, and money cannot be moved between the two heads unless AICTE's experts recommend it. Whatever is bought becomes the institution's property, entered in its Assets Register, and none of it can be disposed of without AICTE's permission (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).

What to prepare

Documents required

The three documents on the myScheme record (application form, Utilisation Certificate, completion report) mark the start, middle and end of a project. The online application itself asks for more, according to the AICTE user manual for the 2025-26 edition (MODROB Special Drive user manual):

A verified bank mandate form, which the portal generates once the bank details are confirmed and which goes back up as a scanned PDF of up to 10 MB. The account must be a savings account.
An industrial contribution commitment letter, also as a scanned PDF.
Filled data sections on the coordinator and co-coordinator, the credentials of the institution and department, a justification of the proposal, separate non-recurring and recurring budgets, the major equipment already in the lab, admissions in the last three years, the institute's years of existence, and the lab's relevance to industry.

For an AI-integrated lab in the 2025-26 edition, AICTE also wanted a sustainability plan showing how the institute will meet recurring costs such as GPU and server upkeep, software licences, faculty training, electricity and cooling, and data storage (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document).

Application Form

Utilization Certificate

Project Completion Report

Step by step

How to apply

Applications go through the institute's AICTE portal account, not the National Scholarship Portal, and the route below follows the AICTE user manual for the 2025-26 edition (MODROB Special Drive user manual):

The institute signs in through "Web Portal Login" on aicte-india.org, confirms its bank details in the AQIS Application screen and uploads the verified mandate form.
Under "All AQIS Application Information", a new record is opened with "MODROB 2025-26" chosen in the AQIS Schemes dropdown. Section A records the coordinator, asks whether the institute has ever been sanctioned a MODROBS project, and names the lab the proposal covers.
The department completes the proposal sections, lettered A to M in the manual, and attaches the industrial contribution commitment letter.
"Validate application" checks the file, and the manual has the institute click Submit once the message "Validation for Scheme: MODROB is completed Successfully" appears.

Tracking the Proposal and the Money

The proposal lives in the institute's AQIS application on the AICTE portal, and the decision reaches the institution as a Sanction Letter: AICTE processes all applications in a single lot and sends that letter after the Council approves a proposal (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document). AICTE also schedules online interactions for institutions during the project and expects them to attend (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).

For the money, registration on the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) of the Controller General of Accounts is mandatory before any AICTE grant-in-aid is released (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021). PFMS describes itself as tracking funds from release to credit in the recipient's bank account, and its home page carries a "Know Your Payment" search that an accounts office can use (PFMS).

1
Apply online
https://www.aicte-india.org/

How winners are picked

Selection process

AICTE screens every proposal centrally, then sends it to a three-member committee whose members rank no lower than Associate Professor or Scientist "E", at least two of them experts in the proposal's domain. The Council takes the final decision on the committee's recommendation and on how much money the scheme has that year (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021).

The application form shows part of what is weighed: separate sections carry weightage for admissions over the last three years and for the institute's years of existence (MODROB Special Drive user manual). Industry money counts too. Under the 2021 rules a Regular applicant had to secure an industry contribution before asking AICTE for funds, while for the Aspiring and Polytechnic variants it was optional but earned weightage (AICTE MODROB FAQ). The 2025-26 edition added two preferences, for AI integration and for institutes with no MODROB money in the last ten years; the scheme document writes the second into its rural stream, while the launch press release states it for the whole drive (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document; AICTE press release, June 2025). The scheme document also put implementation under quarterly review (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document).

Fine print

Terms & conditions

Most MODROB conditions govern how the money is spent after sanction, and the 2021 guidelines and the 2025-26 scheme document share nearly all of them (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021; MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document):

Procurement follows the Government's General Financial Rules; AICTE's FAQ points to Chapter 6 of GFR 2017 on procurement of goods and services (AICTE MODROB FAQ).
Industry money first. Any industry contribution committed to the project must be collected, and AICTE told, before the institute seeks AICTE funds.
No top-ups. The 2025-26 FAQ answers "Can AICTE grant be increased mid-project?" with a no, so a lab that costs more than its sanction is finished on the institute's money (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ).
Registrations. The institute must be on PFMS to receive the grant and must list the equipment on the i-STEM (Indian Science Technology and Engineering Facilities Map) portal.
Inspection and refund. Officers of AICTE's Institution Development Cell may visit to review progress, and for non-performance AICTE may seek refund of unspent grant and debar the institute from future grants.

One condition changed wording between editions. Where the 2021 guidelines ask for the unspent amount plus interest back if an extension is refused, the 2025-26 scheme document says "the complete amount along with the interest" (MODROBS 2025-26 scheme document), while the 2025-26 FAQ speaks of refunding unspent funds with interest (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ). An institute facing that situation should get AICTE's reading in writing.

Get help

Contact

AICTE's 2025-26 documents give newer helpdesk details than the ones on the myScheme record, which come from the 2021 guidelines. For scheme questions, write to modrobidc@aicte-india.org or call (011) 29581340; for portal and technical problems, it1sag@aicte-india.org or (011) 29581315 (MODROBS 2025-26 FAQ). Letters for the MODROB desk, the Institution Development Cell that the guidelines name, go to AICTE at Nelson Mandela Marg, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110070 (AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021; AICTE Institutional Development Schemes).

Source

Official links

Guidelines FAQs User Manual myScheme (Government of India)

Questions

MODROB – FAQ

Frequently asked questions

From the official scheme FAQ (myScheme)

Read this

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, so always confirm on the official links above before applying. Expertie does not process applications or charge fees.

References

Sources

AICTE MODROB guidelines, 2021 – aicte-india.org
AICTE press release, June 2025 – aicte.gov.in
PFMS – pfms.nic.in
AICTE letter via DTE Andhra Pradesh – dteap.ap.gov.in
Notes on Demands for Grants 2001-02 – indiabudget.gov.in
myScheme (Government of India) – myscheme.gov.in