PM Early Career Research Grant 2026 India: ANRF Offers Up to Rs 60 Lakh Apply by December 2
The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) has invited applications for the Prime Minister Early Career Research Grant (PM-ECRG) 2026, offering selected early-career researchers funding of up to Rs 60 lakh plus institutional overhead charges for three years. The application window opened on 3 November 2026 and will close on 2 December 2026, and applications must be submitted online through the official ANRF portal anrfonline.in. The grant is designed to help young researchers set up their first independent research programme at a new institution.
The scheme is a national opportunity, open across subject areas, with ANRF planning to award up to 700 grants every year. It replaces and subsumes the Start-up Research Grant scheme earlier run by the Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), bringing early-career support under one national foundation created by the Anusandhan National Research Foundation Act 2023. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the President of the foundation’s Governing Board, and the programme sits within the government’s wider push to strengthen research and innovation across India.
On eligibility, applicants must be Indian citizens holding a PhD in science or engineering, or an MD, MS, MDS or MVSc degree. For this cycle ANRF has announced a one-time relaxation on the joining-date rule: applicants must have joined their institution on or after 1 February 2023, replacing the usual requirement of applying within two years of joining. Applicants who are Research Associates, postdoctoral fellows, ad hoc or guest faculty, visiting scientists, consultants, project fellows or faculty on annually renewed contracts cannot apply, and past recipients of specified SERB or ANRF grants are also excluded. Candidates should confirm the full age and eligibility conditions on the official portal before applying, as the call notice is the final authority.
Selection is made by an Expert Committee on the strength of the research proposal, so applicants need a clear, original project plan showing what they will investigate, why it matters and how the funding will be used over the three-year period. The grant supports the research work itself, and successful applicants are expected to carry out their project at a recognised academic institution, national laboratory or research and development institution. Because this is a one-time early-career grant, researchers should treat the proposal as the centrepiece of the application and complete every section of the online form carefully.
To apply, researchers should register on anrfonline.in, complete their profile with biodata and institute details, upload the required documents and submit the proposal before the 2 December 2026 deadline. Applicants are advised not to wait until the last day, when portal traffic can cause delays, and to keep a copy of the submitted application and acknowledgement. With up to Rs 60 lakh available for three years of independent research, the PM-ECRG is one of the most significant early-career funding windows now open in India, and eligible researchers should check the official call notice and apply in time.
