Overview
The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB) is a statutory body established through an Act of Parliament, 2008. The mandate is to supports basic research in emerging areas of Science & Engineering, and to provide financial assistance to persons engaged in such research, academic institutions, research and development laboratories, industrial concerns and other agencies.

SERB’s objectives are as follows:
• Serve as a premier agency for planning, promoting and funding of internationally competitive research in emerging areas.
• Identify major inter-disciplinary research areas, and individuals, groups or institutions and funding them for undertaking research.
• Assist in setting up infrastructure and environment for scientific pursuits.
• Achieve synergy between academic institutions, research and development laboratories and industry for promoting basic research in science and engineering.
• Evolve a system of approach to expeditiously provide funding for research, including

SERB offers the following schemes and programs, to which proposals are submitted during call periods

Core Research Grant (CRG): funding through the CRG provides research support to an individual researcher or a group of researchers working in a recognized academic institution or national laboratory or in other recognized R & D institution in India. The CRG formerly went by the name “Extramural Research (EMR)” and provides individual funding for 3 years.

High Risk-High Reward Research: supports proposals that are conceptually new and risky, and if successful, expected to have a paradigm shifting influence on the S&T. This may be in terms of formulating new hypothesis, or scientific breakthroughs which aid in emergence of new technologies. Funding period is 3 to 5 years.

Industry Relevant R&D (IRRD): funding given to those who can utilize the expertise available in academic institutions and national laboratories to solve industry specific problems for the larger benefit of society by addressing a well-defined issue of industrial relevance.

Empowerment and Equity Opportunities for Excellence in Science: provides research support to scientists belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category in undertaking research in newly emerging and frontier areas of science and engineering

Intensification of Research in High Priority Area (IRHPA): supports proposals in high priority areas where multidisciplinary/ multi-institutional expertise is required. SERB identifies priority areas in consultation with relevant stakeholders.

Mathematical Research Impact-Centric Support (MATRICS): provides fixed grant support to active researchers with good credentials in Mathematical Sciences.

UAlberta Connections
In fall 2016, UAlberta signed an agreement to have SERB sponsor visiting PhD students to come to UAlberta, facilitating connections with India’s top institutions and students. It was the first agreement of this type that SERB had signed with an international university.

In May 2018, SERB issued the first Call for Proposals for current PhD students in India to take research training at UAlberta. 49 applications were received for the 10 available spots.