Hundreds of aspiring women scientists are unsure of their academic futures as a result of the 15-month delay in the results for two flagship fellowships offered by the Department of Science and Technology (DST): the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE-PhD) and the WISE-Post Doctoral Fellowships (WISE-PDF). Research grants have been delayed by up to 18 months, which presents additional difficulties for those who have been awarded the fellowships. These delays occur at a crucial moment, given that women only make up 18.6 per cent of the 362,000 employees working in research and development (R&D) in India.
Funding concerns and administrative reorganisation are cited by fellows as the main reasons for the delays. In order to solve career breaks for women, the WISE-KIRAN initiative was restructured in 2018. Starting in January 2025, a number of gender-based fellowships were combined under the Vigyan Dhara program. Although the goal of this merger was to streamline programs, it has caused delays in fellowship results and grant release.
WISE-PhD provides up to ₹35.69 lakh over five years for doctoral research in basic and applied sciences to women with postgraduate degrees in science who are between the ages of 27 and 45. In contrast to WoS-A, WISE-PhD does not have a selection interview stage.
WISE-PDF offers up to ₹42.6 lakh over three years for laboratory-based research to women with PhDs in STEM subjects who are between the ages of 27 and 60. Subject Expert Committees (SECs) screen and evaluate project proposals as part of a two-stage selection process. Those who pass the first screening go on to an interview stage.
India's R&D spending is still low at 0.64 per cent of GDP (2020–21) when compared to other BRICS countries—Brazil (1.3 per cent), Russia (1.1 per cent), China (2.4 per cent), and South Africa (0.6 per cent)—despite steady budget increases for science and research. Citing a lack of funding and the necessity to prioritise ongoing initiatives, Jyoti Sharma of the Policy Coordination and Programme Management division issued a DST memorandum on August 8, temporarily suspending new project financing under the Vigyan Dhara scheme.
Women nationwide are being impacted by the delays. After applying for the WISE-PDF fellowship in August 2024, a candidate from Kerala was selected for further consideration in January 2025 and showed up for an interview in February of the same year. She has yet to obtain findings, even after seven months, which makes it challenging to plan her research and career path.
In addition to delaying careers, the protracted delays undermine India's attempts to increase the number of women in STEM fields. In order to foster the advancement of women scientists and fortify the nation's research ecosystem, prompt funding distribution and results announcement are crucial.
Image source: Chemin Digest, Cache.careers, Springer nature