- AIIMS administration has suggested the introduction of 40-50 PhD Institute Fellowships, aligning them with the Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme
The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) has proposed eliminating interviews from the entire PhD selection process and replacing them with a written exam in order to enhance transparency. The aim is to enable impactful research at the institution.
Additionally, the AIIMS administration has suggested the introduction of 40-50 PhD Institute Fellowships, aligning them with the Prime Minister’s Research Fellows (PMRF) scheme. To support this initiative, a budget of Rs 200 crore has been allocated, pending necessary approvals from AIIMS’ statutory committees and the Government of India.
On Tuesday, an office memorandum highlighted the reforms recommended by AIIMS for the PhD selection process and the awarding of Institute Fellowships. During interactions with faculty, PhD students, and scientists, AIIMS Director Dr M Srinivas strongly emphasised the need to reform the current procedures.
These reforms are crucial to boost the quality of research at AIIMS and improve our rankings in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) research category, the memorandum stated. Furthermore, it emerged from the discussions that an internal funding mechanism is necessary to increase the enrollment of deserving PhD students and provide Institute Fellowships.
The memorandum also proposed conducting the PhD entrance examination biannually, coinciding with the DM/MCh entrance examination at various centers across the country. AIIMS has instructed the academic section to evaluate this suggestion and initiate relevant discussions in the Staff Council, Academic Committee, and Standing Finance Committee, with the goal of implementing these reforms promptly.
