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The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has launched the AICTE Innovation and Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellowship Programme (AIEDFP) to promote innovation and entrepreneurship. Under the programme, 150 PhD fellowships will be supported over the next five years. The programme has a projected financial outlay of Rs 245 crore.
AICTE Chairman Prof. Yogesh Singh launched the programme in the presence of Member Secretary Prof. Shyama Rath and other senior officials. The AIEDFP aims to promote doctoral research that goes beyond academic study and translates into solutions for real-world problems and practical applications.
The new fellowship programme will place special emphasis on linking research with outcomes such as innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, commercialisation and societal impact. Through this initiative, AICTE aims to support researchers whose work can move beyond laboratories and create useful solutions for industry, startups and society.
Research Based on Real-World Problems to Get a Boost
Unlike conventional doctoral research, the AIEDFP will prioritise problem-driven and application-oriented research. Under the programme, PhD scholars will be encouraged to work on research topics with clear practical applications that can lead to the development of new products, technologies, processes or solutions.
One of the key objectives of the programme is to connect research carried out at higher education institutions with the real-world needs of industry, startups and society. This can help strengthen the process of taking solutions from research laboratories to the market and communities. The programme will promote not only technical innovation but also non-technical innovation, along with multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.
PhD Scholars to Receive Fellowships of Rs 60,000–70,000 Per Month
Under the AIEDFP, eligible fellows showing satisfactory academic and research progress will receive financial support for up to five years. For the first three years, fellows will receive a fellowship of Rs 60,000 per month along with applicable HRA, while the amount will increase to Rs 70,000 per month for the next two years.
In addition, each scholar may receive an Innovation Grant of up to Rs 10 lakh. The grant can be used for activities such as prototype development, testing and validation, field trials, data collection, essential research-related equipment and travel. The objective is to ensure that research moves beyond academic papers or findings and develops into solutions with real-world applications.
Focus on Taking Research to Real-World Solutions
According to AICTE, the programme will help develop the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. It aims to strengthen a research environment where work undertaken at the PhD level has a direct connection with innovation and problem-solving.
The initiative comes at a time when higher education institutions in India are increasingly expected to move beyond creating new knowledge and focus on developing technologies and solutions with measurable economic and social impact. The AIEDFP seeks to make doctoral research more useful, outcome-oriented and innovation-driven in this direction.
Overall, through this Rs 245-crore programme, AICTE is focusing on taking doctoral research beyond the academic sphere and connecting it with innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer and commercialisation. With 150 fellowships and an additional Innovation Grant over five years, the programme aims to support researchers in developing new solutions and strengthening India’s research and innovation ecosystem.
