Recommendations for India's Elite Industry-Academia Collaborative PhD Program

This proposal outlines the creation of a mission-mode doctoral research program that fosters meaningful and measurable collaboration between industry and academia to address national priorities. It must emphasize real-world industrial problem-solving, adherence to strict timelines and uphold the highest standards of accountability and ethics. The ultimate goal is to build a cadre of elite researchers dedicated to advancing India’s scientific, technological and industrial capabilities, thereby strengthening national self-reliance and innovation ecosystems. The intention is that this program should be better than the Humboldt Fellowship or the JSPS Fellowship or any other elite programmes ever created.

Envisaging India's Elite Industry-Academia Collaborative PhD Program

Core Framework and Funding Model

To ensure co-ownership and commitment to outcomes:

The proposed national research initiative should fund 50% of the PhD fellowship, while the remaining 50% must be contributed by a partnering startup or industry. This model encourages industry participation in research, aligns academic efforts with market needs and reduces dependence on government funding. If the industrial partner fails to fund or support the candidate throughout, the PhD should be terminated, preserving the program's integrity.
Participation must be open to all institutions offering PhD programs and recognized by UGC. This inclusivity ensures equitable access while maintaining academic standards.
Non-recognized institutions shall not be eligible under any circumstances.
Eligible candidates should include:
- Fresh Indian postgraduates with demonstrable interest and capability, thus bringing new energy and ideas to the ecosystem.
- Working professionals with a minimum of three years of cumulative experience in a relevant industrial domain, of which at least one year must be in the current sponsoring organization. This leverages industry experience and promotes solution-oriented thinking.
- False claims must lead to disqualification to uphold transparency and ineligibility for future submissions.
Only Indian nationals who have worked in India for the previous three years should be eligible. All graduates must commit to working in India for a minimum of three years post-PhD. This ensures that public investment results in national capacity-building, not brain drain.

Project Relevance and Proposal Review

Every project must address a well-defined and measurable industrial challenge. This ensures practical relevance and encourages innovation in solving national problems. Vague or exploratory topics should not be permitted.
The proposal may be developed by the candidate independently or jointly, but it is mandatory that the candidate identifies and obtains the commitment of appropriate guides from both industry and academia. The candidate must defend the proposal in front of an initial committee comprising representatives from academia, industry and government. No member with any form of conflict of interest should be allowed to participate in the review process at any stage. This ensures fairness, eliminates bias and promotes merit-based selection.
Review must occur in two independent stages:
- Stage one must assess industrial relevance and be conducted by approved industry reviewers. This validates the real-world impact.
- Stage two must assess infrastructure and academic readiness, conducted by the university. This ensures the institution can support the project to completion.
- Proposals lacking clear deliverables or evaluation metrics must be rejected, safeguarding accountability.

Annual Definition of National Priority Areas

A national consortium of industry and academia should meet annually to identify research priority areas based on evolving national interests. This approach keeps the program agile, aligned to strategic goals and responsive to socio-economic and technological shifts.

All project themes should fall within the domains identified for that year. Proposals outside this scope must not be accepted. This alignment ensures resources are channelled toward high-impact areas.

Mission-Mode Execution with Strict Timelines

The PhD must be completed within three years. A maximum extension of six months may be granted under extraordinary conditions with written justification. This promotes a culture of focused execution and prevents academic stagnation.

If a candidate fails to submit the thesis within 3.5 years, they should be permanently barred from registering a PhD in the same domain in any Indian university. This preserves the quality and reputation of the program.
The final defense must be held before external referees with no prior association with the candidate. Failure to comply must result in cancellation of the degree. This measure reinforces impartiality and meritocracy.

Elite Grading System Inspired by Indian Gems

To honor excellence and timeliness, a distinct grading system should be used. It publicly recognizes top performers and incentivizes early, high-quality completion, thus promoting India’s global research reputation.

GRADE	SYMBOLISM	EQUIVALENT	REQUIREMENT
*KOH - I - NOOR*	Exceptional brilliance and national leadership	Summa cum Laude	Thesis submitted ≤ 3 years
*GOLCONDA*	Unblemished clarity and execution	Magna cum Laude	Thesis submitted ≤ 3 years
*HEERA*	Consistent strength and contribution	Cum Laude	Thesis submitted ≤ 3.5 yrs
*MANIKYA*	Distinguished performance and dedication	Rite or Bene	Thesis submitted ≤ 3.5 yrs

Delays beyond three years make candidates ineligible for Koh-i-Noor and Golconda grades. Delays beyond 3.5 years result in complete failure, permanently disqualifying the candidate from pursuing a PhD in the same domain in any Indian university. This should be made non-negotiable. Similarly, any supervisor or guide found involved in unresolved conflicts of interest, whether at proposal, review or final stage, must be permanently barred from all supervisory and reviewing responsibilities across Indian academic and research institutions. This program must remain a mission-mode national initiative and the fellowship must be a mark of the highest academic and ethical standard.

This grading system must be publicly visible on official portals and linked to national-level fellowships, grants or appointments.

Governance, Conflict of Interest and Ethics

All referees, evaluators and mentors must disclose familial, business and academic conflicts of interest. This promotes ethical transparency and credibility. Failure to do so should result in disqualification of both reviewer and candidate.
Any supervisor taking sabbatical must not be allowed to launch a startup or join a company in the PhD’s topic domain within three years of the student’s graduation. This prevents misuse of academic positions for personal commercialization.
Any violation should trigger retrospective disqualification of the candidate’s degree, thus preserving public trust.

Review and Monitoring

A mandatory monthly progress review (25 minutes total) must be conducted online. Regular monitoring keeps the project on track and ensures timely course correction:
- 15 minutes: Candidate presentation
- 10 minutes: Joint Q&A
- A documented set of action items must follow.
Attendance by academic supervisor and industry mentor is mandatory. Missing two consecutive reviews without prior approval must trigger disciplinary action. This promotes continuous engagement.

Infrastructure and Resource Access

Every selected candidate must be provided access to the One Nation One Subscription literature database either free or at nominal cost. This access should include top-tier international and national journals, databases and digital libraries across scientific, technological and interdisciplinary domains. The availability of such literature is vital for conducting globally bench-marked research and reducing knowledge inequality.
Candidates should retain access to this literature for one additional year post-PhD to allow for publishing, patent filings and early postdoctoral productivity within the country.
Clear guidelines for ethical and productive usage of the literature access must be issued. Misuse or non-compliance must lead to revocation of access and may impact the final evaluation or subsequent grant eligibility.
This provision supports informed and world-class research, enabling scholars to operate at the frontier of their disciplines and contribute meaningfully to national innovation efforts.
Access to public-funded university and laboratory infrastructure must be provided on a fast-track and priority basis. This maximizes national resource utilization.
Candidates must be supported to attend one conference per year, either domestic or international, fully funded under this program. Exposure to global networks enhances the impact of Indian research.
Acknowledgement need to be made to the funding agencies at all stages.

Import Restrictions and Indigenous Development

Imports during the research tenure must be capped at a domain-specific percentage (X%) which needs to be updated every year. This reduces foreign dependency and stimulates local innovation. The suggested import ceilings per domain are as follows:

Domain	Suggested Maximum Import %	Rationale
Electronics/Semiconductors	30	High-end fabrication tools or chips may still need to be sourced externally.
Advanced Materials	20	Certain specialty alloys or testing consumables may be imported.
Aerospace/Defense	15	Due to strategic sensitivities and national interests.
AI/ML & Software Tools	10	Most tools can be developed or sourced indigenously or open-source.
Medical Devices/Biotech	25	Equipment and reagents may need partial import; indigenous alternatives encouraged.
Energy Systems	20	Especially for fuel cells, batteries, etc., initial import flexibility may help.
Interdisciplinary Projects	20	Flexibility depending on constituent domains.

This reduces foreign dependency and stimulates local innovation. However, If imports are essential, the PhD work must include an attempt to design or prototype a similar solution domestically. Failure to comply should reduce the final grade. Furthermore, showcasing serious attempts toward indigenization and demonstrating viable domestic alternatives - especially when accompanied by the usage of advanced or state-of-the-art technologies - should be considered as an added value during the final defense. This approach not only cultivates a culture of self-reliance and innovation but also strengthens India's technological sovereignty and engineering depth.

Entry Restrictions and Merit Criteria

This must remain an elite national program with a selective intake. Maintaining exclusivity ensures quality. Merit with Quality and Passion remains the requirement of any industry.

Evaluation should be based on the idea, feasibility and candidate vision, not only academic marks. This broadens access to deserving candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Candidates who are highly networked individuals (HNIs) in influential or decision-making positions related to funding, selection or evaluation in research bodies or institutions must not be eligible to apply. Additionally, their immediate family members must also be barred from participation to uphold the program’s transparency and to prevent indirect conflict of interest. This restriction ensures a level playing field, avoids conflict of interest and guarantees that public resources are directed toward genuine nation-building efforts rather than personal or institutional advantage. Additionally, a maximum age limit of 40 years should be enforced at the time of application to maintain alignment with the program’s mission-mode approach and to encourage early and impactful contributions to national development.

Post-PhD Commitment to the Nation

Graduates must work in India for at least three years post-completion. This ensures public investment results in national gain. If it is observed and officially verified that a candidate has not worked within the country during this period - apart from short-term travel or visits for academic dissemination - the PhD degree must be revoked. This reinforces the principle that this mission-mode program is intended to directly benefit the nation through retained talent and tangible contributions.

Failure to comply must disqualify them from holding any government-funded position or availing national research grants for the next 10 years. This condition reinforces accountability and long-term contribution.

India must reconceive doctoral education as a driver of self-reliance, innovation and excellence. This elite, challenge-driven PhD program represents a blueprint for transforming national research capacity. It ensures that doctoral work addresses real-world problems, delivers measurable outcomes and creates a new generation of mission-focused Indian innovators. Through this initiative, India can align its human capital development with strategic national interests and emerge as a global R&D powerhouse.

Disclaimer: These are purely recommendations made in personal capacity based on discussions and experiences and are not meant to hurt anyone.