Policy Update
Sivapriya
Background:
The Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS) is an initiative of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the Department of Higher Education, established in February 2019. It operates with the main aim of promoting translational, India-centric research in sciences, to be implemented and managed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
It operates to improve the research ecosystem of the country by funding higher educational institutions to develop projects in a translational manner. Its primary aim is to provide extramural funding to faculty of higher education institutions for research projects.
The scheme functions to support socially relevant research in the following six basic thrust areas – Physics, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Nanosciences, Data Sciences & Mathematics, and Earth Sciences.
Objectives:
The key objectives of the scheme are:
1. To fund translational science projects, i.e., which have direct implications for the progress of the country, through a competitive process in an open and transparent manner.
2. To consider an existing problem and work backwards towards conducting research for a solution using the basic thrust areas.
3. To promote an inter-disciplinary and translational approach in research for synergy, originality, relevance, and greater comprehensiveness of research activities.
4. To orient science towards addressing the needs and issues of the country in key sectors such as health, agriculture, energy, environment, security, etc.
5. To attain demonstrable international benchmarks in scientific research.
Functioning:
The scheme operates around the six basic thrust areas and undertakes projects in the following priority areas.
1. Physical Sciences: Includes quantum technologies, photonics, self-assembled functional materials, robotics, physics of living systems, planetary physics, advanced hard materials, topological matter, and efficient power sources.
2. Chemical Sciences: Aims to design and manipulate matter, focusing on hydrogen production, electron/ion-coupled transport, new approaches for heterogeneous catalysis, and photochemistry/electrochemistry of nanostructured materials.
3. Biological Sciences: Covers human health (metabolic, genetic, infectious, noncommunicable diseases, ecosystem health), plant health and nutrition, and systems/synthetic biology.
4. Nanosciences: Explores nanoscience and technology for emerging electronics, novel sensors, nanophotonics, heterogeneous nanosystems/devices, security, healthcare, energy, environment, agriculture/food, nano-ceutical fabrics, and quantum devices.
5. Data Science and Mathematics: Involves modeling phenomena in various sciences, economic factor prediction, application to national security (coding theory, cryptography), and algorithms for large data sets of social relevance.
6. Earth Sciences: Addresses exploration and sustainable exploitation of natural resources, impacts of anthropogenic forcing on climate change, risk assessment from natural hazards, and development of interaction models between Earth’s spheres.
The list of priority areas or sub-themes mentioned in the basic thrust areas is suggestive and not exhaustive. The project proposals should have the main aim of being translational.
Eligibility Criteria:
Permanent faculty members of higher educational institutions, in other words, the MoE-funded technical institutes (IISc, IITs, IISERs, NITs) and Central Universities and Non-MoE funded institutions with NIRF ranking within 100 (overall category) or NAAC 3.26 and above (colleges or universities).
Principal Investigators (PIs) from MoE-funded research institutions will not be eligible. Permanent faculty members can be a co-PI in principle. However, for a co-PI institution to receive funds, only MoE-funded higher educational institutions (not research institutions) that satisfy the NAAC criteria of 3.26 and better will be eligible. The list of eligible institutions that can apply or qualify is provided on the website.
Performance and Impact:
- Project Approvals and Funding: The scheme received a budget outlay of Rs. 250 crores over five years from 2019-20 to 2023-24. There are two open calls for project proposals, with a 3-year funding period. To date, the scheme has approved 141 projects in the first call, amounting to Rs. 90.75 crores. Currently, 139 projects are being implemented at 37 institutions under the scheme.
In 2023, a total of 1053 proposals were submitted under the second call for proposals, out of which 227 were approved with a funding of Rs. 133.91 crores. - Institutional Participation: The scheme targets 60 participating institutions and has identified 560 eligible nodal institutions across India. It encourages proposals from talented researchers in Tier-II cities and below.
- Human Resource Development: The scheme intends to support 400 faculty researchers and 200 young researchers from new projects (STARS-2). It also aims for 5 STARS institutes to improve their international/Indian rankings. Workshops on research planning, ethics, integrity, and science communication are organized, with 2 workshops planned to cover 25 Tier-II and Tier-III cities/towns.
Emerging Issues and Way Forward:
- Measurement of the impact: A primary challenge is that the full impact of the scheme “has yet to be fully measured”. To address this, STARS has set targets such as achieving 100 research publications in high-impact journals and developing 5 prototypes/demonstrable technologies/products/patents by 2025-26.
- Satisfactory progress: Projects showing “inadequate progress” or “substantial deviation” are subjected to close monitoring, direct assistance from domain experts, or potential termination.
- Outreach for quality proposals: The scheme also focuses on fostering an improved quality of incoming proposals, seeking “sound scientific ideas, addressing the needs & issues of the country”. To enhance research capacity, especially in Tier-II and Tier-III cities and towns, STARS organizes workshops on research planning, ethics, integrity, and science communication. Additionally, training for young scientists in advanced instrument operation and research services is provided.
Conclusion:
The Scheme for Transformational and Advanced Research in Sciences (STARS) aims to identify socially relevant problems and the scientific questions that need to be addressed. Although the impact of the scheme has yet to be fully measured, the approved proposals cover a wide range of ideas, such as monitoring glacier dynamics and snow deposition in the Himalayas, assessing the effects of antibiotics on soil microbial communities and their influence on soil carbon sequestration, and exploring Plasma-activated water (PAW) as a sustainable solution for treating bacterial infections.
By approving these proposals, the scheme seeks to strengthen the research ecosystem and promote self-reliance among researchers in India. It continues to support independent research in the country, ultimately helping to boost the economy.
References:
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF. (n.d.). Retrieved from GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2617 ANSWERED ON 1
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY. (n.d.). Retrieved from GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF SCHOOL EDUCATION & LITERACY LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 377 ANSWE
Improving the research ecosystem. (2022). Retrieved July 20, 2025, from Pib.gov.in website: Improving the research ecosystem
Stars. (2019). Retrieved July 20, 2025, from Iisc.ac.in website: https://stars.iisc.ac.in/p/approved-proposals-1
About the Contributor:
Sivapriya is a research intern at IMPRI. She is pursuing a BA(Hons) Economics degree from Miranda House College, University of Delhi.
Acknowledgement:
The author sincerely thanks Ms. Aasthaba Jadeja and the IMPRI team for their valuable support.
Disclaimer:
All views expressed in the article belong solely to the author and not necessarily to the organization.
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