**Executive Summary**
This report details the Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) scheme by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The initiative aims to attract Indian youth to basic sciences and research careers through a continuous pipeline of support from school level to post-doctoral research. Data highlights a steady increase in national participation from 2023 to 2026, with specific focus on regional distribution across States and Union Territories.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Scheme Objectives and Scope**
* **Purpose:** To strengthen India’s R&D base by attracting talent to engineering, medicine, agriculture, and veterinary sciences.
* **Stages:** Operates through multiple components targeting different educational levels, from secondary school to early-career research.
**Core Components and Financial Support**
* **INSPIRE-MANAK (Ages 10–17):** Targets students in Classes VI–XII. Selected students receive ₹10,000 via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to develop scientific prototypes for exhibition.
* **Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) (Ages 17–22):** Provides 12,000 annual scholarships of ₹80,000 to students pursuing bachelor’s and master’s degrees in basic and natural sciences.
* **INSPIRE Fellowship:** Supports PhD students for up to five years with monthly stipends (₹37,000 for JRF; ₹42,000 for SRF) plus HRA and an annual contingency grant of ₹20,000.
* **INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship (Ages 27–32):** Offers post-doctoral researchers a five-year fellowship of ₹1,25,000 per month and a ₹35 lakh research grant to establish independent careers.
**National Participation and Growth (INSPIRE-MANAK)**
* **Growth Trend:** Participation increased from 854,553 students in 2023-24 to a projected 1,147,343 students in 2025-26.
* **School Involvement:** The number of participating schools rose from 224,283 to 274,528 over the same three-year period.
* **District Coverage:** The scheme expanded to cover 729 districts across India by 2025-26.
**Implementation and Outreach Strategies**
* **Inclusivity:** Special focus on rural areas, government institutions, and under-represented groups.
* **Mentorship:** Shortlisted students access technical support through Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs) and workshops at premier institutions like IITs and NITs.
* **Communications:** Use of multimedia campaigns (videos, social media, posters) and training for State/District Nodal Officers to encourage school nominations.
* **Advanced Support:** National-level winners receive incubation facilities, technical guidance, and assistance with patent filing.
**Impact Analysis**
**School Students (Classes VI–XII)**
**Impact**
Students receive financial aid and a structured platform (district to national levels) to showcase innovative ideas and develop scientific prototypes.
**Action Required**
Interested students must develop original ideas and work with their schools for nomination through the E-MIAS portal.
**Schools and Educational Institutions**
**Impact**
Schools serve as the primary entry point for the MANAK component, benefiting from teacher training workshops and access to Atal Tinkering Labs.
**Action Required**
Schools must nominate up to five students annually through the E-MIAS portal and facilitate the development of student projects.
**Higher Education and PhD Students**
**Impact**
Recipients receive significant financial stability through scholarships (SHE) and fellowships (PhD level) to pursue long-term research in basic and natural sciences.
**Action Required**
Eligible students must maintain academic excellence in basic/natural sciences and apply for fellowships to support their research or doctoral programs.
**Post-doctoral Researchers**
**Impact**
Early-career researchers gain the financial autonomy and research grants necessary to establish independent laboratories and careers in applied or basic sciences.
**Action Required**
Post-doctoral candidates aged 27–32 must submit research proposals to compete for the five-year Faculty Fellowship and associated research grants.
Key Entities Referenced
Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme: A national initiative of the Government of India designed to attract talented youth to study basic sciences and pursue careers in research and development.
Department of Science and Technology (DST): The primary government department under the Ministry of Science & Technology responsible for implementing and managing the various components of the INSPIRE scheme.
INSPIRE MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge): A scheme component targeting students aged 10-17 to encourage innovative ideas through financial assistance and participation in exhibitions.
Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE): A component providing 12,000 annual scholarships to students aged 17-22 to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in basic and natural sciences.
INSPIRE Fellowship: A research-level initiative that supports outstanding students pursuing PhD programs with fellowships equivalent to CSIR-UGC NET standards.
Ministry of Science & Technology
PARLIAMENT QUESTION: INSPIRE SCHEME
Posted On: 01 APR 2026 3:31PM by PIB Delhi
The Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme of the Department of Science
and Technology (DST), Government of India is a national initiative aimed at attracting talented youth to
study basic and natural sciences and pursue research careers in areas such as engineering, medicine,
agriculture, and veterinary sciences, thereby strengthening the country’s research and development base.
The scheme operates through multiple components across different educational stages. INSPIRE-
MANAK (Million Minds Augmenting National Aspiration and Knowledge) targets students aged 10-17
studying in Classes VI–XII by encouraging innovative ideas and scientific curiosity; schools can nominate
up to five students annually through the E-MIAS portal, and selected students receive ₹10,000 through
Direct Benefit Transfer to develop and present their projects at district, state, and national exhibitions.
Scholarship for Higher Education (SHE) supports talented students aged 17-22 with 12,000 scholarships
each year worth ₹80,000 per annum to pursue bachelor’s and master’s degrees in basic and natural
sciences along with mentoring opportunities. At the research level, the INSPIRE Fellowship supports
outstanding students pursuing PhD programs for up to five years with fellowships equivalent to CSIR-
UGC NET (₹37,000 per month as JRF and ₹42,000 as SRF plus HRA and contingency grant of ₹20,000
per annum). Additionally, the INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship offers early-career post-doctoral researchers
aged 27–32 a five-year fellowship with ₹1,25,000 per month, annual increments, and a research grant of
₹35 lakh to establish independent research careers in basic and applied sciences. Together, these
components create a continuous pipeline to nurture scientific talent from school level to advanced
research. The number of students supported under various components of the Innovation in Science
Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) Scheme during the last three years, State/UT-wise, particularly in
Andhra Pradesh including Palnadu district, Odisha including Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency, Uttar
Pradesh including Bulandshahr district and including Rajasthan are given below:
State INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Fa
& UTs Fellowsh
2023-24 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025- 2023- 2024- 2025
25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26 24 25 26
Andaman 8 20 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
and Nicobar
Andhra 4530 3693 3424 0 2 0 35 7 22 1 0
PradeshState INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Fa
& UTs Fellowsh
Arunachal 5 16 5 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0
Pradesh
Assam 212 100 48 51 48 22 43 11 42 2 3
Bihar 2076 1988 2041 125 137 195 4 1 10 2 0
Chandigarh 163 69 61 5 1 1 15 4 12 0 0
Chhattisgarh 3157 2962 2165 271 365 256 10 7 11 2 0
Dadra Nagar 24 20 26 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Haveli
Delhi 119 248 321 40 49 38 48 26 69 7 8
Goa 63 56 53 1 3 1 14 4 16 3 0
Gujarat 1109 1282 1244 61 62 20 26 12 28 2 0
Haryana 716 814 1249 54 37 32 11 8 11 2 0
Himachal 437 498 513 115 105 77 10 8 12 1 1
Pradesh
Jammu and 942 992 1033 28 2 1 25 6 33 2 2
Kashmir
Jharkhand 1937 1817 1160 20 16 3 11 4 4 3 3
Karnataka 7493 6264 7758 23 16 7 46 26 79 14 11
Kerala 479 315 339 294 299 130 45 17 48 4 2
Ladakh 25 21 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lakshadweep 5 5 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Madhya 1506 2672 1421 400 464 596 30 10 48 3 2
PradeshState INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE INSPIRE-Fellowship INSPIRE-Fa
& UTs Fellowsh
Maharashtra 2149 2581 2303 142 120 38 61 17 57 8 7
Manipur 3 8 5 70 83 56 2 2 0 0 1
Meghalaya 8 21 11 26 33 12 2 1 4 0 0
Mizoram 5 7 7 0 12 3 4 2 4 0 0
Nagaland 3 5 2 7 6 6 1 1 0 0 0
Odisha 3823 3409 3755 57 46 46 28 6 34 3 2
Puducherry 35 77 71 1 2 0 2 3 2 0 0
Punjab 566 421 345 49 38 43 33 14 40 2 4
Rajasthan 6830 6599 5720 1992 2155 1541 14 1 25 4 0
Sikkim 15 28 28 0 0 0 2 2 3 0 0
Tamil Nadu 991 1197 2336 16 9 7 63 39 65 5 5
Telangana 3054 3311 2557 4 24 10 55 16 56 6 1
Tripura 23 66 97 0 1 0 3 0 6 0 0
Uttar Pradesh 1940 5834 7173 3297 4812 5474 56 18 64 11 2
Uttarakhand 2140 1844 1386 290 331 248 20 10 30 3 0
West Bengal 27 18 31 537 216 182 76 20 87 10 4
Kendriya 247 521 898 - - - - - - - -
Vidyalaya
Sangathan
Navodaya 61 210 183 - - - - - - - -
Vidyalaya
SamitiThe details of number of students supported under INSPIRE-MANAK and INSPIRE-SHE components of
INSPIRE Scheme from Palnadu district of Andhra Pradesh, Nabarangpur Lok Sabha Constituency of
Odisha and Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh are given below:
INSPIRE-MANAK INSPIRE-SHE
State & UTs
2023-24 2024-25 2025-26 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Palnadu district (AP) 111 139 163 0 0 0
Nabarangpur Lok Sabha 149 116 72 0 0 0
Constituency, Odisha
Bulandshahr district (UP) 20 110 140 13 14 7
The Ministry has expanded its efforts to promote innovation and research among school students through
initiatives like INSPIRE-MANAK. This programme targets students from Classes 6 to 12, encouraging
them to submit original and creative ideas. Selected students receive financial assistance of ₹10,000 to
develop prototypes of their ideas. The scheme has been broadened to include a larger number of schools
across the country, with a special focus on rural and government institutions to ensure wider access. It
provides a well-structured platform where students can showcase their ideas at district, state, and national
levels. Additionally, mentoring support is offered throughout the process to help nurture scientific
thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities among students.
The number of students, schools and districts covered across the country under the INSPIRE-MANAK
scheme are given below:
Financial Year No. of students participated No. of schools participated No. of districts covered
2023-24 854553 224283 719
2024-25 1013229 253459 723
2025-26 1147343 274528 729
The number of schools and districts covered under the INSPIRE-MANAK in Andhra Pradesh including
Palnadu district are given below:
Financial No. of students No. of schools Districts No. of students No. of schools
Year participated participated Covered participated from participated from
Palnadu district Palnadu district
2023-24 40365 9259 26 1224 266
2024-25 39444 9084 26 1357 3032025-26 46285 10588 26 1821 417
The details of number of students selected or benefited under INSPIRE-MANAK from Andhra Pradesh,
district-wise including Palnadu district are given below:
District 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Alluri Sitarama Raju 27 23 14
Anakapalli 126 135 125
Ananthapuramu 141 114 131
Annamayya 294 238 276
Bapatla 81 90 76
Chittoor 407 313 263
East Godavari 137 108 81
Eluru 111 144 101
Guntur 131 88 121
Kakinada 148 116 107
Konaseema 104 77 90
Krishna 178 144 115
Kurnool 234 221 169
N.T.R 171 184 163
Nandyal 153 126 124
Nellore 260 264 174
Palnadu 111 139 163
Parvathipuram Manyam 61 65 89
Prakasam 141 130 123District 2023-24 2024-25 2025-26
Srikakulam 265 167 197
Sri Sathya Sai 122 71 90
Tirupati 304 214 200
Visakhapatnam 173 107 93
Vizianagaram 269 167 141
West Godavari 126 83 71
YSR 255 165 127
The details of number of schools and districts covered under INSPIRE-MANAK from the Nabarangpur
Lok Sabha Constituency, Odisha are given below:
Financial Year No. of students participated No. of schools participated
2023-24 2511 711
2024-25 2125 555
2025-26 1564 386
The Ministry has implemented several targeted measures to increase the participation of students from
rural areas and under-represented groups in scientific research programmes such as INSPIRE-MANAK.
To expand outreach, awareness meetings are regularly conducted with State and District Nodal Officers,
along with teacher training workshops to sensitize and encourage schools to participate. A comprehensive
multimedia campaign using videos, posters, social media, and email communication has also been
launched to reach a wider audience, particularly in remote areas. These efforts have led to a steady rise in
participation, with notable growth from rural regions. In addition to outreach, the Ministry has
strengthened support mechanisms for selected students. Each shortlisted student receives ₹10,000 to
develop a prototype of their idea. They are also provided access to mentoring and technical support
through Atal Tinkering Labs (ATLs). Student’s progress through structured district, state, and national-
level competitions, ensuring continued engagement and exposure. Further, mentoring workshops are
organized in collaboration with premier institutions such as IITs and NITs for students selected at
advanced stages. State-level winners receive financial assistance to refine their prototypes for national-
level presentation. At the national level, students are supported with incubation facilities, including patent
filing assistance and technical guidance, enabling them to transform their ideas into scalable and socially
relevant innovations.This information was given by the Minister of State (Independent charge) for the Ministry of Science and
Technology & Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
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