STARS, SPARC & IMPRESS: India scientific research schemes

The government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development will be launching three India Specific Research Schemes in October 2018. The objective of the scheme is to boost India specific research in social and pure sciences. All the scheme will be launched with the complete foreign collaboration. Research infrastructure will be upgraded for the scheme. The government of India has allocated Rs 1232 crore for these 3 schemes.

Shri. Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Human Resource Development has announced these schemes:

• Scheme for Transformational & Advanced Research in Fundamental Sciences (STARS)
• Scheme for Promotion of Academic & Research Collaboration (SPARC)
• Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS)

To start with these 3 schemes will be launched on pilot basis in coordination with the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur and Indian Council of Social Science & Research (ICSSR). These 3 schemes will be opened to both for the government and private institutions of the country.

Scheme for Transformational & Advanced Research in Fundamental Sciences (STARS)

• Rs 400 crore has allocated for this scheme
• The scheme focuses on upcoming areas of fundamental sciences
• Research facilities will develop in universities to national and global standards
• The scheme will be coordinated by IISc, Bangalore
• 10 India specific domains will be worked upon under the scheme

Scheme for Promotion of Academic & Research Collaboration (SPARC) 

• Rs 418 has allocated for this scheme
• This scheme will be coordinated by IIT, Kanpur
• The scheme focuses on solving national problems of the country with international expertise
• Indian students will get training in the best laboratories
• All Indian institutions which rank in the top 100 of National Institutional Ranking Framework that targets Ph.D. and postdoctoral researchers are eligible under the scheme
• Foreign institution from the 25 targeted countries which rank in top 100 to top 200 in global academic ranking too are eligible under the scheme

Impactful Policy Research in Social Science (IMPRESS)

• Rs. 414 crore has allocated for this scheme
• The scheme will be coordinated by ICSSR
• The scheme focuses on socially relevant issues
• For this scheme, ten areas have been identified which includes democracy, policy changes, growing media space, public health challenges, employment and rural transformation
• An average budget of Rs 25 lakh will be funded to as many as 1500 projects in next two years
• The timeline for each project is six months to two years
• For conducting 200 plus seminars and workshops Rs 20 crore will be kept aside

Other Important Schemes 

• List of schemes & subsidies of Govt. of India
• List of schemes for the education sector
• List of schemes for students