UGC launches PhD excellence citation to honour top researchers

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has introduced the ‘PhD Excellence Citation’ to recognise outstanding research achievements across various academic fields each year. This annual award will honour exceptional PhD researchers from disciplines like science, engineering and technology, social sciences (including education and humanities), Indian languages, and commerce and management. UGC plans to award a total of ten PhD Excellence Citations, with two citations in each field.

Eligible candidates are PhD researchers who have successfully defended their theses at Indian institutions, including state, central, private, and deemed universities. Each university may nominate up to five theses per year—one from each discipline—from among those awarded a PhD degree in the previous calendar year (January 1 to December 31).

This award aligns with the National Education Policy 2020’s focus on advancing India’s position as a global knowledge leader. A recent UGC study on PhDs awarded from 2011 to 2018 highlights a steady growth in research degrees, with admissions doubling from 77,798 in 2010-11 to 161,412 in 2017-18, showing an annual growth rate of 10 percent.

The selection process involves two levels: a university-level screening committee and a UGC selection committee. The UGC has established five committees to evaluate candidates in each discipline, with each committee selecting two awardees. The PhD Excellence Citations will be presented on September 5, Teacher’s Day, to honour and inspire scholars excelling in academia.

HIGHLIGHTS

* UGC will award ten PhD Excellence Citations (two citations from each discipline)

* Every university may nominate up to five theses in a year, one from each of the five disciplines, from the PhD degrees awarded through a convocation from January 1 to December 31 of the previous year

* The winners will be felicitated with a citation in a function to be organised by UGC on September 5 of every year

* Universities may upload the nominations on the application portal

* The selection committee for each stream will evaluate the nominations and recommend two theses for PhD Excellence Citation to UGC