The results for 2 flagship fellowships of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) –– Women in Science and Engineering (WISE-PhD) and WISE-Post Doctoral Fellowships (WISE-PDF), designed to improve ladies’s participation in science and know-how ––– have been caught for up to 15 months, leaving lots of of first era aspiring scientists in limbo about their educational future.
Even those that have secured these fellowships are struggling, with analysis grants delayed by up to 18 months. The delays have come at a time when ladies represent solely 18.6% of the full 362,000 personnel instantly engaged in analysis and improvement (R&D) actions in India.
Under the WISE-PhD scheme, ladies aged 27 to 45 with postgraduate levels in science can obtain up to ₹35.69 lakh over 5 years to pursue doctoral analysis in fundamental and utilized sciences. The WISE-PDF scheme helps ladies aged 27 to 60 with PhDs in STEM, providing up to ₹42.6 lakh over three years for laboratory-based analysis.
Both fellowships observe a two-stage choice course of: preliminary screening of mission proposals submitted by candidates, adopted by analysis by Subject Expert Committees (SECs). WISE-PDF candidates who clear the preliminary screening additionally face an interview.
In 2023-24, DST permitted 100 tasks underneath WISE-PhD which elevated to 140 tasks in 2024-25. DST really useful 108 tasks underneath WISE-PDF in 2023-24 and 159 tasks in 2024-25.
Results delay
All DST programmes underneath three umbrella schemes — science and know-how institutional and human capability constructing; analysis and improvement; and innovation know-how improvement and deployment — are merged underneath Vigyan Dhara scheme.
In an August 8 workplace memorandum, Jyoti Sharma of DST’s Policy Coordination and Programme Management (PCPM) division ordered a brief suspension of funds for brand new tasks underneath the Vigyan Dhara scheme, citing “limited availability of funds” and the necessity to prioritise ongoing commitments.
A feminine candidate from Calicut, Kerala, has been ready for her WISE-PDF interview consequence for seven months. She utilized in August 2024, was shortlisted in January 2025, and gave her interview and presentation to a DST panel in February 2025 and the lengthy delays make it onerous to plan analysis.
“In the fast-changing technological scenario, the work we proposed may no longer be novel by the time we start. Waiting for months between stages makes us lose touch with our proposal and wastes time preparing again,” she mentioned whereas requesting anonymity.
She mentioned that almost all ladies who apply for WISE-PhD are in their 30s with household commitments. “Without clarity on timelines, it’s difficult to plan a three-year research journey — where to stay, managing children or elderly parents,” she added.
The final requires WISE-PhD and WISE-PDF have been in December 2024 and February 2025, respectively, however results are nonetheless pending.
Funding Delays
The present researchers underneath DST fellowships are additionally going through hardships due to funding delays.
A researcher at a central authorities college in Delhi utilized for the WISE-PhD fellowship in her second 12 months and was chosen in January 2024, by which period she was in her third 12 months. However, she solely started receiving the fellowship in August 2024.
“In December 2024, I received my last monthly fellowship. Since then, I have been waiting for 2025 funding. The delay has severely hampered my research—I cannot buy equipment or continue my work properly,”she mentioned. “The uncertainty is taking a serious toll on my mental and physical well-being.”
In August 2024, the Union cupboard permitted the Vigyan Dhara scheme with a proposed outlay of ₹10,579.84 crore for 2021–22 to 2025–26, aligned with the Fifteenth Finance Commission. The scheme got here into impact on January 16, 2025, however funding has been modest — ₹330.75 crore was allotted in 2024–25 and ₹1,425 crore in 2025–26, including up to simply ₹1,755.75 crore, or barely 17% of the proposed outlay.
Dr Anju Thomas from NIT Trichy blamed the Vigyan Dhara scheme for delays in her DST WISE-PDF fellowship funds. She joined her host establishment on December 30, 2024, with ₹15.48 lakh sanctioned for her first 12 months, however most of it was returned to DST due to the brand new scheme rollout. Only her fellowship wage and HRA of ₹2.42 lakh have been retained. Since April 2025, she has not acquired any additional funds.
“This fellowship is my only source of income. The delay has caused severe financial hardship and prevented me from procuring equipment or collecting data, resulting in lost research time,” she mentioned. Thomas, presently on go away from her job as assistant professor at VIT Vellore to concentrate on her analysis, mentioned lack of funds is delaying her postdoctoral analysis.
DST officers didn’t reply to HT’s queries looking for causes behind delay in fund disbursement.
Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union minister of state (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on July 31, 2025 acknowledged that transition to new fund movement over the last three years “led to some difficulties in disbursement of fellowships.”
The Vigyan Dhara scheme launched new fund movement programs, together with the Central Nodal Agency (CNA) to channel funds and the Hybrid Treasury Single Account (Hybrid TSA) to route and monitor disbursements instantly from the federal government treasury.
He mentioned the federal government addressed these by releasing superior fellowships, establishing helplines, and coaching stakeholders and added that DST launched a complicated three-month fellowship (for January–March 2025) to the host establishments of ongoing analysis students.