One government scheme follows a student from middle school science fairs all the way to an independent research career. It’s called INSPIRE, and it’s designed as one continuous pipeline, not five separate programmes.
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Science & Technology · SciTech0048
INSPIRE
One pipeline, from middle school to independent research
Ages 10-17
Award-MANAK
School science-idea awards, run with the National Innovation Foundation.
Ages 17-22
SHE
12,000 scholarships/year, for BSc/MSc study in natural sciences.
Ages 22-27
Fellowship
Up to 5 years of PhD funding, ₹37,000-42,000/month plus HRA.
Ages 27-32
Faculty Fellowship
5-year postdoc fellowship, ₹1,25,000/month plus a ₹35 lakh research grant.
Merit at Every Stage
INSPIRE doesn’t select on financial need. It targets the top performers at each stage — top 1% school toppers, top IIT-JEE scorers, top M.Sc. graduates — and funds them straight through to an independent research career.
Timeline
- November 2008: The Government approves INSPIRE, with an outlay of ₹1,979.25 crore for the 11th Plan period.
- 13 December 2008: The Prime Minister formally launches the scheme.
- 2010: The school-level INSPIRE Award begins, to spot and encourage young scientific talent.
- 2016: INSPIRE Award is rechristened MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge), run jointly with the National Innovation Foundation.
- 12th Plan period: The scheme’s outlay is reallocated to ₹2,200 crore.
Must Know
- INSPIRE (Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research) is a flagship scheme of the Department of Science and Technology (DST).
- It was approved in November 2008, and formally launched by the Prime Minister on 13 December 2008.
- INSPIRE aims to attract young talent to science early, to build India’s science and research human-resource base.
- The scheme runs as one continuous pipeline, from school-level awards through to independent post-PhD research careers.
- DST runs INSPIRE through four major components: INSPIRE-MANAK (school level), INSPIRE-SHE (undergraduate/postgraduate), the INSPIRE Fellowship (doctoral), and the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship (post-doctoral).
Good to Know
- INSPIRE-MANAK targets students aged 10-17 (Classes VI-XII). It encourages them to develop and showcase original scientific ideas and innovations, run jointly with the National Innovation Foundation (NIF).
- INSPIRE Internship targets the top 1% of Class X board performers. It funds five-day science camps for up to 50,000 students a year.
- INSPIRE-SHE (Scholarship for Higher Education) supports meritorious undergraduate and postgraduate students, aged 17-22, in natural and basic sciences. It funds 12,000 scholarships a year, each worth ₹80,000 a year.
- The INSPIRE Fellowship funds full-time PhD study for up to five years. It pays ₹37,000 a month as a Junior Research Fellow, rising to ₹42,000 a month as a Senior Research Fellow, plus HRA and a ₹20,000 annual contingency grant.
- The INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship supports outstanding postdoctoral researchers, generally aged 27-32 (with relaxations for reserved categories). It pays ₹1,25,000 a month, with a ₹2,000 annual increment, plus a ₹35 lakh research grant over the five-year fellowship.
Current Affairs
- 5 August 2026: MoS Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh gave INSPIRE’s five-year enrolment figures (2021-22 to 2025-26) in a written Lok Sabha reply. INSPIRE-MANAK ranged from about 43,000 to 53,000 students a year. INSPIRE-SHE rose steadily, from 18,039 to 24,276. (Source: PIB)
- Over the same five years, the INSPIRE Fellowship supported between about 2,400 and 3,400 PhD scholars a year. The INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship supported between 225 and 477 postdoctoral researchers a year. (Source: PIB)
- The Government has targeted expanding INSPIRE’s reach into rural, remote, and aspirational districts. This includes awareness campaigns, teacher-orientation workshops, and District, State, and National Level Exhibition and Project Competitions (DLEPCs, SLEPCs, and NLEPCs). (Source: PIB)
- Mentorship programmes now pair selected students with premier institutions, including IITs, NITs, and IISERs. These provide guidance on prototype development and scientific research. (Source: PIB)
- On 29 July 2026, Parliament got INSPIRE’s beneficiary numbers, broken down state-wise. (Source: PIB)
- Rajasthan’s INSPIRE-MANAK beneficiaries ranged from about 5,700 to 10,000 students a year. (Source: PIB)
- Odisha’s Nabarangpur constituency had its own INSPIRE-MANAK count, ranging from 56 to 149 a year. (Source: PIB)
- Statewide, Odisha’s INSPIRE-MANAK beneficiaries stayed fairly steady, from about 3,000 to 3,800 a year. (Source: PIB)
- On 22 July 2026, the government confirmed INSPIRE’s cumulative reach. Over 3.75 lakh students and researchers have benefited across its four components, over the last five years. (Source: PIB)
Test Yourself
Great to Know
- INSPIRE is deliberately designed as a pipeline, not five separate programmes. A single student could plausibly move from a MANAK school award, through an SHE scholarship, into an INSPIRE Fellowship PhD, all under the same scheme family.
- Every stage of INSPIRE selects on merit, not financial need. That’s a different design choice from many other government scholarship schemes, which typically target economically weaker sections.
- MANAK’s partnership with the National Innovation Foundation adds a grassroots-innovation-scouting angle beyond pure academic merit. It cross-references submitted ideas against NIF’s existing database, to filter out duplicated or recycled submissions.
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