Berhampur University restarts fellowship to boost research

The Berhampur University (BU) has decided to re-introduce departmental fellowship for research work in all 21 departments. At least one candidate in each department will be selected through entrance test for award of fellowship.

Candidates, who fail to qualify University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test (UGC NET) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) NET, can get the opportunity to avail university fellowship.

The BU has proposed to provide Rs 5,000 a month to each selected candidate as fellowship amount. In addition to this, Rs 5,000 and Rs 3,000 per annum will be provided as contingency for each research fellow in science and arts stream respectively. "We have decided to introduce the fellowship programme to boost research activities in the university," said vice-chancellor Deepak Kumar Behera.

The BU has provided Rs 25 lakh for the purpose in its revised budget, which was approved by finance committee on Saturday, he said. The decision would be implemented soon after syndicate of the university approved the revised budget, sources said.

The departmental fellowship was discontinued in the university around two decades back due to the paucity of funds, varsity sources said. The BU had provided fellowship to research scholars in some select subjects.

The fellowship amount was provided from interest of a corpus fund, created for the purpose. "The corpus fund merged with university funds with discontinuation of the fellowship," said a retired vice-chancellor of the BU, requesting anonymity.

The BU has also decided to conduct more number of invited memorial lectures and ink memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with more number of institutes within the country and outside for collaborative research and other purposes. In its revised budget, the university has provided Rs 1 lakh each for memorial lectures and signing MoUs.Source: The ToI