FAQ
General
What is the fees structure for the PMRF candidates?
It is same as regular Ph.D. students (details will be available in the offer letter).
I have been allotted X department, can I change it to Y department?
Contact pmrfiitm@smail.iitm.ac.in
Is change of guide allowed ?
Contact pmrfiitm@smail.iitm.ac.in
SERB -FICCI PMRF and regular PMRF scheme- what is the difference ?
Funding comes from industry, MoU between research supervisor, scholar with industry required for the FICCI PMRF.
PMRF eligible for Joint PhD program ?
Yes
9. Do PMRF scholars get HRA ?
No
10. Suppose someone couldn't complete the phd in the given time schedule will the registration cancel?
Registration as per IITM rules
11. Do PMRF scholars get campus housing ?
Yes, same rules as regular PhD candidates
Regarding Teaching Assistantship
1. Am I required to contribute to an external college/university ?
Yes, and it should be related to your broad area.
2. Will a high school satisfy the "external" requirement?
No.
3. How about a private coaching class or, say Byju's or Aakash or Unacademy?
No.
4. What kind of teaching institution should it be?
A recognized government institution (unless the supervisor has close ties with an NIRF rated educational institution).
5. Will past work satisfy these requirements?
No.
6. Can I club my hours and say do x hours all in one day or one week?
Yes, but don't club for more than a semester.
7. Who will certify that I have completed the requirement?
Your report should be countersigned by your supervisor.
8. Can I do some clerical work like entering of marks and calculation of scores or evaluation of marksheets as my additional one hour TA work per week?
No. You should be teaching/interaction with the students.
9. Can I change the college during the semester
Yes
10. What about TA work during summer and winter break
PMRF Scholar is expected to work for 4 hours/month every month
11. Does the institute help to find TA work ?
Possibilities : NPTEL (without payment), Anna University, One's own undergraduate college, consultation with Guide, HoD, other faculty
Regarding Contingency
What is the procedure for claiming ?
All the purchases to be carried out through Department Stores, as per the prevalent Institute rules. For incoming PMRF Scholars (from Jan 2022), the approval of the guide and reimbursement to the students will be through a project running in ICSR. The guide will be the PI of the project.
Will I get an advance ?
No advance is given for purchases, except in the case of international travel. In case of international travel, the prevalent Institute rules for other research scholars apply.
Is there an entry in store register book required ?
Yes Items purchased must be entered in the stock register of the respective department.
Yearly period of the contingency fund is as per my date of admission in to PMRF of is it based on the financial year?
Academic Year
What will happen to the remaining contingency funds at the end of my fellowship?
Goes back to NCC
6. In case, I could not graduate within the fellowship period, can I still use the remaining contingency for travel, purchase of research items etc till I graduate?
No
7. Can any other funds be used for contingency
MHRD/Institute funds cannot be used; Alumni funds can be used
8. Can the PMRF contingency be used to purchase books? Do these books need to be returned to the institute when the PMRF graduates?
Yes, books need not be returned when the fellow graduates.
9. Can I get reimbursement for the to and fro travel expenses for performing TA duty in person at any government local college in Chennai?
From contingency
Regarding Yearly Review
Who decides the panel
Reviewing institute based on the project topics; external members, may not have IITM faculty
2. Only an Annual review will happen, or will also hold both an Annual review and a six-month review?
Six monthly DC meetings recommended
Annual review by National Panel
3. Duration of presentation ?
For reviews happening in Dec 2021, it is decided to have 7 minutes of presentation and 13 min interaction (total of 20 min)
4. How can I present 1 year work in 3 slides
2 page summary, guides recommendation also used
Use your creativity to present only the salient points