1 Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) SHE: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 1. What is SHE? Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) is a component program under Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) program, which is a flagship scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), under the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, to engage young talents for the study of Science and Technology and pursue research as a career. SHE aims to augment youth to undertake higher education in Science programmes by providing scholarships to deserving students. Under this scheme SHE, 10,000 scholarships, each valued at Rs. 80,000/- are announced annually for students pursuing Bachelors and Masters level courses in Basic and Natural Sciences. 3. Who can apply for SHE? What are the eligibility criteria for availing these scholarships? (a) Students with aggregate marks within top 1% of their Class XII examination of any State/ Central Board in India are eligible. In addition, the student must be pursuing courses in Natural and Basic Sciences at the B.Sc. or Integrated M.Sc. level. Natural and Sciences include Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Botany and Zoology and Earth Sciences. Courses other than these subjects (such as Engineering Sciences, Computer Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Electronic Sciences and Medical 2 and Bio-medical Sciences) are NOT included in the current scheme. The percentage cutoff marks of various States/ Central Boards is given here. (LINK to TABLE of CUTOFF MARKS) (b) Those students who have secured ranks in the JEE of IIT, AIEEE, CBSEMedical (within top 10000 ranks), and are presently pursuing Natural and Basic Science courses in India. (c) Students pursuing Integrated M.S. courses at IISER, NISER and Department of Atomic Energy Centre for Basic Sciences, Kishore Vaigyanik Protsahan Yojana (KVPY), National Talent Search Examination (NTSE), Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS) scholars and International Olympiad medalists pursuing Bachelor/ Master level courses in Natural Sciences. 5. How much is my SHE valued? Each candidate will receive annual scholarship @ total value Rs.60,000 in cash. All the SHE scholars are required to undertake summer research projects under an active researcher in any recognized research centers across India. A summer time attachment fee of Rs.20,000 will be paid to the mentoring institution for undertaking summer time project. 6. What is the tenure of INSPIRE-SHE? Selected candidates will be supported for a maximum period of five years starting 1st year course in B.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons) and integrated course leading to M.S. or M.Sc. Continuation of the scholarship for the selected candidates is based on satisfactory performance of the examinations conducted by the University and certified by the institution imparting education. 7. Is there an age limit for applying to SHE? The candidates should be 17 to 22 years of age at the time of application. 3 8. When should I apply for SHE? Only candidates who have completed their XII and are currently pursuing B.Sc., B.Sc. (Hons) or integrated courses leading to M.S. or M.Sc degrees in Natural and Basic Sciences should apply. The call for applications is advertised in major newspapers. Also check our website: www.inspire-dst.gov.in for regular updates. 9. Where should I send my completed application forms? Completed applications should be sent by Ordinary Post only within 90 days from the date of the advertisement in Newspapers. It should be addressed to the Director, National Institute of Science, Technology & Development studies (NISTADS), Dr K S Krishnan Marg, New Delhi - 110012. The envelope should mention on top “Application for INSPIRE Scholarship – 2008, 2009 and 2010” program. For online submission of application, kindly visit the website: www.inspire-dst.gov.in. The online applicants should also submit a hardcopy of the applications with all attested documents to the NISTADS. DO NOT send the application forms to the DST. 10. When will I be intimated of my selection? As we receive a large number of applications, the selection process on an average takes at least three to four months from the date of advertisement. The list of selected candidates will be announced on our website, followed by an official letter from the DST to your permanent address. 11. I do? I am selected for SHE but I have not received any official letter. What should 4 If you have not received your offer letter even after one month of the announcement of results, please contact DST office at these telephone numbers: 01126590487 (Ms. Rupashree Dash) or 011-26590268 (Dr. S.V. Prasanna). 12. How will I receive my scholarship? The selected candidates will receive their annual scholarships in at least two installments (2 x Rs. 30000/ per annum) through State Bank of India via the SMART CARD mode. 13. What is SMART CARD? Smart card is like any other ATM card specially designed by the State Bank of India to disperse the scholarships to the selected candidates. The scholars can withdraw their scholarship from the SBI ATMs across India. 14. Should I have a savings account with SBI to operate my SMART card? It is NOT necessary for the Scholar to have any account with the SBI. The SMART card is operable in ATMs of any bank across the country. 15. What documents should I send to receive my SMART card? As soon as you receive your offer letter from the DST, the following documents should be sent by the selected candidates. (a) Filled e-Z application form. (This form is usually sent by the DST to the candidates along with the offer letter. In case you have not received the e-Z application form, please visit our website to download one.) (b) Self attested copy of Proof of Residence (Permanent address). (c) Self attested copy of Proof of Photo Identity. 5 In case of scholars pursuing their second or third year B.Sc/ B.Sc (Hons) courses, in addition to the above documents, completed endorsement forms along with self attested copies of your first year (or second year) marks card should be sent. (The blank endorsement form is usually sent by the DST to the candidates along with the offer letter. In case you have not received the form, please visit our website to download one.) Please do not forget to self attest these documents. Non-attested documents shall be rejected and will inevitably delay the issue of the SMART card. Also write your INSPIRE registration number on top of the documents you are sending. 16. In your letter you have pointed out that I should mention my registration number in all my correspondences. Where shall I find this number? The Registration number here refers to the Scholar’s INSPIRE/SHE registration number provided by the DST (and NOT the candidate’s B.Sc. or M.Sc. or University’s registration number). The INSPIRE Registration number is mentioned in the DST Secretary’s offer letter. It is a serial number followed by year of passing of your XII examination and is found usually in the top left hand side of the letter. 17. What documents are acceptable for my Identity and Address proofs? The list of documents that are acceptable for the address and identity proof is given here. [LINK to ‘KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER’ FORM] You need to provide ONLY ONE document each for address and identity proof. Please do not forget to Self-attest these documents. 18. Where should I send my completed e-Z and endorsement forms? Completed e-Z forms along with the requisite documents should be sent to the following address: Ms. Rupashree Dash/ Dr. S.V. Prasanna 6 Department of Science and Technology, Technology Bhavan, New Mehrauli Road, New Delhi-110016 Please send these documents by Speed Post. 19. I have sent my e-Z forms and all the necessary documents to the DST but I have not received my SMART card. What should I do? As we receive a large number of applications, the process of issuing the SMART card on an average takes at least two to three months from the date of receipt of the e-Z forms and the documents. The DST wishes to state that it is making its best efforts to issue the SMART card and disperse the Scholarship as soon as possible. In case you have not received your SMART card even after three months please contact the SBI or DST. 20. I have received my SMART card. What should I do next? Please fill the acknowledgement form we have enclosed and send it to (a) DST and (b) SBI as soon as possible. Only after the receiving the acknowledgement receipts, the SBI will release the scholarship. 21. I have received my SMART card but it shows zero balance when I wanted to withdraw money. What should I do in such a case? The State Bank of India has been instructed to charge the SMART CARDS @ Rs 60,000 per year per Card/Scholar. The detailed list of scholarships that have been released to the INSPIRE scholars can be found here. (Link to www.inspiredst.gov.in/Recharge.html.) 22. How much money can I withdraw from my SMART card? 7 Each SMART CARD has a maximum limit of Rs 50,000 at any given time. Scholars are therefore advised to make withdrawals after each re-charge and leave a maximum balance of Rs 20,000 prior to next re-charging. This helps SBI re-charge your Smart Card. 23. I have lost my SMART card and its PIN number. How to obtain a duplicate SMART card? For issues related to loss of SMART CARD, loss of T-pin Number etc., scholars may directly contact Shri Sanjay Kaul, Manager (Development), Institutional Division, 4th Floor, State Bank of India, Main Branch, Parliament Street, New Delhi - 110001. Email: s.kaul@sbi.co.in Or Fax: 011 -23748017. 24. I have received my Scholarship for the first/second year. What documents should I send to receive my scholarship for the second/third year? You should send the following documents to continue the scholarship. (a) Performance report in the form of Endorsement certificate signed and attested by the Head of the Institution and (b) Self attested copy of first or second year marks sheet of your B.Sc. annual/Semester examination. The Head of the Institution should clearly mention whether the scholar’s performance is Excellent or Satisfactory or not satisfactory and strike out whichever is not applicable. The Head of the Institution here refers to (a) Vice-Chancellor/Registrar/Dean of Science in case of Universities and (b) Principal/Vice-Principal, Proctor and Officer-inCharge in case of colleges. Attestation of the endorsement forms by officers other than those mentioned above (such as Head of the Department, Student welfare officers, etc) will NOT be considered. 8 25. I am an INSPIRE Scholar and I have sent all the relevant documents for the continuation of my Scholarship for the second/third year. I am yet to receive my second/third year scholarship amount. What should I do? If your SMART card has not been recharged even after two months of sending the relevant documents, please contact the DST. Generally DST will withhold the scholarship due to any of the following reasons: (a) Scholar has not submitted his/her Performance Reports (b) Poor performance in your previous B.Sc. or M.Sc. annual examinations (b) Scholar has not informed about M.Sc. enrollment (as applicable) The scholarship will be released as soon as the above mentioned concerns have been addressed. 26. I am an INSPIRE Scholar and have completed my B.Sc in Natural Sciences and I wish to pursue my M.Sc. in the same stream. What documents should I send to extend my Scholarship? For continuation of Scholarship at any stage at B.Sc. or M.Sc. level, you need to consistently perform better and should be within the top 5% of the University level examination in the current course. After three years of B.Sc. program, students may join M.Sc. course (Natural and Basic Sciences only) anywhere in the country and provide us with (a) Proof of enrollment in the M.Sc. course (in Natural and Basic Sciences) and (b) Performance report (endorsement certificate) of your B.Sc. course to avail the continuation of the scholarship. 27. I am an INSPIRE scholar currently pursuing my second/third year B.Sc. course and I have availed my first/second year scholarship. I have taken one year break from my studies. What documents should I produce to avail my scholarship for my second/third years? 9 In an event of a break in enrolment for the next academic year, the DST wishes to state that the scholarship will be continued only in exceptional cases. In any case, the total duration of the scholarship will remain the same (three years for B.Sc. course and two years for the subsequent M.Sc. course). You should produce the following documents: (a) A letter clearly addressing the reasons for the break in studies, (b) If the break is due to medical reasons, a valid medical certificate. 28. I am an INSIPRE scholar and I am currently availing my scholarship. I have migrated to different course/different University. Am I still eligible for my scholarship? Migration to a different course within the scope of Natural and Basic Sciences is allowed only in exceptional cases. In case you have changed your course, say for example, from B.Sc. (Physics) to B.Sc. (Chemistry), you are eligible for SHE provided you send the relevant documents such as (a) Enrollment certificate signed by the Head of the Institution [and (b) Endorsement certificate (as applicable)] to the DST. The total duration of the scholarship will not change in any case. In case of migration to a different University, please send (a) A copy of the Migration certificate and (b) Enrollment certificate, attested by the Head of University to the DST as soon as possible. 29. Can you explain the terms of Summer Projects to be undertaken by all the INSPIRE scholars? The main objective of INSPIRE/SHE program is to encourage young students to pursue Research as a career. In order to inculcate scientific values and develop scientific temper, the scholars are required to enroll in a Summer Research Project every year in recognized research centers of their choice across India, preferably outside their parent institutions. 10 The DST provides Rs.20000/- per annum to the mentoring institutions as a bench fee to accommodate the INSPIRE scholar. After completion of the project, the candidate should send the following documents to the DST: (a) A letter attested by the Research Guide and Head of Institution where the scholar is enrolled for the project and (b) A brief report outlining the objectives and results of his/her project.