SERB – POWER Research Grants

About this program

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) offers POWER Research Grants to support emerging and eminent women researchers for individual-centric R&D in frontier areas of science and engineering, with Level I awards up to INR 60 lakh and Level II up to INR 30 lakh for three years, covering equipment, manpower, consumables, travel, contingency and institutional overheads as per SERB norms. Principal Investigator and Co‑PIs must be Indian citizens holding regular positions at recognized Indian academic/research institutions; Level I is for premier central institutions (IITs, IISc, IISERs, NITs, Central Universities and Central Govt labs) while Level II is for state universities/colleges and private institutions. A female Co‑PI from the same institute is mandatory (male Co‑PIs are not permitted), PhD guides cannot serve as Co‑PIs, the number of Co‑PIs is limited, and previous POWER grantees, JC Bose fellows, and PIs who have completed two CRG awards are ineligible. Applications are submitted via the SERB‑CRG platform in direct mode and selection is based on Program Advisory Committee recommendations, which may include presentations or interviews.