Scholarship
Swarnajayanti Fellowships Scheme(SJFS)
Overview
About SJFS
The Swarnajayanti Fellowships Scheme is a research fellowship of the Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India. It was instituted to commemorate India's fiftieth year of Independence, and it supports a small, selected group of young scientists with a proven research record so they can pursue basic research in frontier areas of science and technology.
The award is scientist-specific rather than institution-specific, and selection is competitive. A fellow keeps their regular position and salary at the parent institution and receives a monthly fellowship on top of it, along with grant support for the recurring and non-recurring costs approved in the research plan. DST, working through its research funding arm, monitors the work closely while leaving the fellow freedom and flexibility in how the sanctioned funds are spent, and awards run for up to five years. This is why the benefit is classified as composite: a personal fellowship combined with a research grant.
It is meant for early to mid-career scientists in India, not students. Applicants hold a regular position at a recognised academic or research institution and have already built a record of published work, patents or peer recognition in a frontier area of science or engineering. Because the fellowship is highly selective and carries close academic monitoring, it looks for researchers whose proposed project puts forward a genuinely new idea with the potential to shape R&D in their discipline.
Sources: Department of Science & Technology (DST) – Swarnajayanti Fellowships Scheme · myScheme – Swarnajayanti Fellowships Scheme (SJFS) · UPSC Buddy – Swarnajayanti Fellowships (secondary summary)
Who runs it
Provider
Ministry Of Science And Technology
Central Government
Department Of Science & Technology · Department Of Science & Technology, Ministry Of Science & Technology, Government Of India
At a glance
Key details
| Level | Central |
| Scheme type | Central Sector Scheme |
| Category | Science, IT & Communications |
| Beneficiaries | Individual |
| Benefit type | Composite |
| Application mode | Online |
Calendar
Important dates
Across all open application cycles.
| Cycle | Stage | Date |
|---|
Who can apply
Eligibility criteria
| The fellowship is open to Indian Nationals having a regular position in a recognized Indian academic/research organization. | |
| The applicant should possess a Ph.D. in Science/Engineering/Medicine and should not be drawing Fellowship from any other Scheme of Government of India. | |
| Scientists should be active in the frontier area of science and engineering with outstanding contributions in the form of research publications and/ or patents, peer recognition from the scientific community, awards, etc. in his/ her area of research. | |
| The organization/institute should also undertake financial and other management responsibilities of the project throughout the five-year term in case a fellowship is awarded to the scientist. | |
| The fellowship is open to scientists between 30 to 40 years of age. |
What you get
Award & benefits
- The award consists of a Fellowship of ₹25,000/- per month in addition to the salary drawn from the parent Institute for a period of 5 years.
- The fellows selected along with their projects will be considered for funding by the Science & Engineering Research Board (SERB) as per SERB norms, for fellowship, recurring and non-recurring heads.
What to prepare
Documents required
Step by step
How to apply
- 1Apply online
See the official links below for the application portal.
Questions
SJFS – FAQ
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.