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There is a provision for engaging research personnel in RESPOND projects. The norms governing as per DOS orders, the qualification required for each category and service conditions of the research personnel are given below:

Junior Research Fellow (JRF) / Senior Research Fellow (SRF)

Research Fellow Qualification Ist & 2nd Yr (monthly emoluments)(w.e.f 01/01/2023)
Junior Research Fellow (JRF) Post Graduate Degree in Basic Science OR Graduate/Post Graduate Degree in Professional Course selected through a process described through any one of the following :

a. Scholars who are selected through National Eligibility Tests - CSIR-UGC NET including lectureship (Assistant professorship) and GATE.

b. The selection process through National level examinations conducted by Central Government Departments and their Agencies and institutions such as DST, DBT,DAE,DOS,DRDO,MHRD, ICAR, ICMR, IIT, IISc, IISER etc. 		Rs. 37,000/- + HRA
Senior Research Fellow(SRF) Qualification prescribed for JRF with two years of research experience Rs.42,000/- + HRA

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Note: The performance of the Junior Research Fellows (JRF) shall be reviewed on completion of the two years, by an appropriate Review Committee duly constituted by the Head of the Institute. Based on the recommendations of the review committee,and approval of Director of the Centre /Unit, Junior Research Fellow may be awarded the position of Senior Research Fellow (SRF).

NET Examinations and Its Equivalent for Coverage under the OM.

Any National Level Examination conducted by the Central Government departments/agencies for admission to PhD programme are considered equivalent to NET. The following are the list of examination which can be equated to NET:

  1. CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test Including NET –Lecturership.
  2. Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) conducted by MHRD.
  3. Joint Admission Test (JAM) conducted by MHRD.
  4. Graduate Pharmacy Aptitude Test (GPAT) conducted by MHRD.
  5. Biotechnology Eligibility Test & Test conducted in Bio-Informatics by Bio-Informatics National Consortium.
  6. Joint Entrance Screening Test (JEST), Joint Graduate Entrance Examination for Biology & Interdisciplinary Life Sciences (JGEEBILS) conducted by Department of Atomic Energy.
  7. JRF Entrance Examination conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research.
  8. All India Competitive Examination (AICE) conducted by Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

Research Associates (RA) / Research Scientists (RS):

Research Associates (RA): The fellowship for Research Associates may be fixed as a consolidated amount at any of three pay levels given below depending upon the qualification and experience.

Educational Qualification: Ph.D/MD/MS/MDS or equivalent degree or having 3 years years of research, teaching and design and development experience after MVSc/M.Pharm/ME / MTech with atleast one research paper in Science Citation Indexed (SCI) journal.

Sl. No. Category Fellowship per month(in Rs) (w.e.f 01/01/2023)
1 Research Associate I (RA-I) 58,000
2 Research Associate II (RA-II) 61,000
3 Research Associate III (RA-III) 67,000
Research Scientists (RS):

The fellowship for Research Scientists remains unaltered

Sl. No. Levels in the Pay matrix (as per VII CPC)
1 Level 10
2 Level 11
3 Level 12
4 Other Scales below in the Level 10 of pay matrix,
as recommended by VII CPC and approved by Govt. of India

Service conditions

Dearness Allowance: JRFs, SRFs and Research Associates will not be entitled to this allowance. The Research Scientists will be eligible to draw DA as per rates of Central Government as per rules of the local institutions where they are working.

House Rent Allowance: House Rent Allowance will be allowed to all research fellows viz.Junior Research Fellows (JRF), Senior Research Fellows (SRF), Research Associates (RA) and Research Scientists (RS), if they are not provided with hostel accommodation, as per rules of the institutions where they are working. For this purpose, the fellowship amount for JRF/SRF / Research Associates and Research Scientists will be taken as Basic Pay.

Medical Benefits:  The JRF, SRF, Research Associates and Research Scientists will be allowed medical benefits, as per rule of the institution where they are working.

Leave and other service benefits:  JRFs/SRFs are eligible only for casual leave while Research Associates/Scientists are eligible for leave as per rules of the Institutions. Maternity leave as per Govt. of India instructions would be available to all female JRFs/SRFs/ RAs/RSs.

Participation of JRF/SRF/ RA/RS in any scientific event in India or abroad will be treated as “on duty”. The travel entitlement for JRF/SRF/RA/RS for participation in scientific events/ workshops In India will continue to be the same as earlier i.e., IInd AC by rail.

Bonus & Leave Travel Concession: Not admissible to any category.

Retirement Benefits: JRFs / SRFs / Research Associates and Research Scientists will not be entitled to these benefits.However, Research Scientists who are appointed for the duration of the project may be allowed to be members of the New Pension Scheme (NPS) of the Institution.

Encouragement for pursuing higher studies:  JRFs/SRFs may be encouraged to register for higher studies and the tuition fees to undertake these studies may be reimbursed from the contingency grant sanctioned under the project grant, if required.

Benefits to Host Institutes: Overhead expenses of 20% of the total project cost not exceeding Rs 3.00 lakhs may be permitted to the host institutions for meeting their costs   including infrastructural facilities.

Obligations of JRF/SRF/RA:

a)   JRF/SRF/RA/RS shall be governed by the disciplinary regulations of the host institute.

b) The JRF/ SRF/RA/RS must send a detailed consolidated report of the research work done during the entire period of Fellowship on completion of the tenure/ resignation at the earliest.

The periodic enhancement of Research fellowship: The Research Fellows, Research Associates and Research Scientists are not entitled for annual increment.

The revised emoluments will take effect from January 01, 2023 for all categories of JRS/SRF/ Research Associates.

Other Categories:

Sl. No. Manpower Position Essential Qualification Upper Age limit(years) Monthly Emoluments(Rs.)
1 Project Associate- I Master’s Degree in Natural or Agricultural Sciences/MVSc or bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology or Medicine from a recognized University or equivalent 35 31,000/- + HRA
2 Project Associate- II (i) Master’s Degree in Natural or Agricultural Sciences/MVSc or bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology or Medicine from a recognized University or equivalent; and (ii) 2 years’ experience in Research and Development in Industrial and Academic Institutions or Science and Technology Organizations and Scientific activities and services 35 35,000/- +HRA
3 Senior Project Associate (i) Master’s Degree in Natural or Agricultural Sciences/MVSc or bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology or Medicine from a recognized University or equivalent; and (ii) Four years’ experience in Research and Development in Industrial and Academic Institutions or Science and Technology Organizations and Scientific activities and services
OR Doctoral Degree in Science/Engineering/Technology /Pharma / MD/ MS from a recognized University or equivalent 		40 42,000/- + HRA
4 Principal Project Associate (i)Master’s Degree in Natural or Agricultural Sciences/MVSc or bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Technology or Medicine from a recognized University or equivalent; and (ii) Eight years’ experience in Research and Development in Industrial and Academic Institutions or Science and Technology Organizations and Scientific activities and services
OR (i)Doctoral Degree in Science/Engineering/Technology /Pharma / MD/ MS from a recognized University or equivalent; and (ii) Four years’ experience in Research and Development in Industrial and Academic Institutions or Science and Technology Organizations and Scientific activities and services 		40 49,000/- + HRA
5 Project Scientist I Doctoral Degree in Science or Master’s Degree in Engineering or Technology from a recognized University or equivalent 35 56,000/- + HRA
6 Project Scientist II (i)Doctoral Degree in Science or Master’s Degree in Engineering or Technology from a recognized University or equivalent; and (ii)Three years’ experience in Research and Development in Industrial and Academic Institutions or Science and Technology Organizations and Scientific activities and services 40 67,000/- + HRA
7 Project Scientist III (i)Doctoral Degree in Science or Master’s Degree in Engineering or Technology from a recognized University or equivalent; and (ii) Six years’ experience in Research and Development in Industrial and Academic Institutions or Science and Technology Organizations and Scientific activities and services 42 78,000/- + HRA

Service conditions of other categories:

(i) DA & CCA: Scientific/Technical Manpower in projects are not entitled to DA & CCA.

(ii) House Rent Allowance (HRA): HRA is allowed to all categories, except for Project Investigator (PI)/Project Coordinators in Non-Governmental/Voluntary Organizations (NGO/VO)/Project Manager as per Central Government norms applicable in the city/location where they are working. The percentage required for calculating HRA will be based on the remuneration.

(iii) Medical Benefits: The Scientific/Technical manpower will be entitled for medical benefits as applicable in the implementing institution.

(iv) Leave and other entitlements: The Scientific/Technical manpower are entitled to leave as per rules of the host institution. Maternity leave as per the Govt. Of India instructions issued from time to time would b available to all categories. The travel entitlement is as per Institute norms.

(v) Bonus, Gratuity & Leave Travel Concession: The Scientific/Technical manpower will not be entitled to these allowances.

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