Government of India
NATIONAL BOARD FOR HIGHER MATHEMATICS
Department of Atomic Energy
First Floor, Anushakti Bhavan, C.S.M. Marg, Mumbai 400 001
The National Board for Higher Mathematics (NBHM) was set up by the Government of India under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), in the year 1983, to foster the development of higher mathematics in the country, to formulate policies for the development of mathematics, help in the establishment and development of mathematical centres and give financial assistance to research projects and to doctoral and postdoctoral scholars. The NBHM functions essentially autonomously framing its own budget taking into account the funds made available by DAE.
The objectives of the board are: to promote the growth of higher mathematics in the country; and to coordinate activities for the development of mathematics.
The functions of the NBHM are:
- To continuously evolve and implement policies and programmes for the development of mathematics in the country;
- To help in the establishment and development of mathematical centres;
- To give financial assistance to research projects and to doctoral and postdoctoral scholars;
- To assess the nature and extent of mathematical inputs necessary in applications and to suggest steps for training adequate personnel specially in areas where sophisticated mathematics is involved; and
- To determine the funds required for these activities and to administer these funds through suitable machinery set up for this purpose.
The headquarters of the NBHM are at Mumbai. The NBHM is reconstituted every three years.
The current office address is National Board for Higher Mathematics, Department of Atomic Energy, Anushakti Bhavan, CSM Marg, Mumbai 400 001.
The NBHM usually meets twice a year, to discuss its programmes and various proposals received from board members as well as from mathematicians all over the country. It has six sub-committees; viz. the Research Programmes Committee, the University Programmes Committee, the Olympiad Programmes Committee, Nurture Programmes Committee, Examinations Committee and Library Grants Committee. They consider, throughout the year, proposals, essentially for financial support for varied mathematical activities, from institutions and individuals. Decisions of the NBHM are based on the recommendations of these committees. The responsibilities of various committees are described in Annexure I.
The NBHM normally provides financial support only to Indian nationals and institutions. Currently the NBHM grants postdoctoral fellowships, Ph. D. scholarships, M.A. / M.Sc. scholarships for research / education in mathematics The NBHM provides financial support to the Mathematics Olympiad activity, run in collaboration with the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, for students at the junior college / high school level. The NBHM provides financial support for holding conferences / seminars / workshops and instructional schools. Granting financial support to libraries of mathematics departments of universities and research institutions in the country is one of the major activities of the NBHM. Details of various NBHM schemes are described below.
1. SCHOLARSHIPS AT MASTER’S LEVEL
Attractive scholarships have been instituted for outstanding students with a pronounced aptitude for research, studying for the Masters Degree in Mathematics or Statistics.
The selection for awarding these Scholarships is done on the basis of written test / interviews. Advertisements inviting application for these Scholarships normally appear in July in leading newspapers. Copies of the advertisement are also sent to several university departments of mathematics in the country. The amount of the scholarship is Rs. 4000/- (Rs. Four Thousand only) per month.
2. SCHOLARSHIPS AT Ph. D. LEVEL
Students possessing Master's degree in mathematics, physics or statistics and wishing to take up research work in any branch of mathematics (including mathematical statistics and mathematical physics) leading to a Ph.D. degree are eligible to apply for the Ph. D. scholarships awarded by the NBHM. The selection of the scholars is based on academic records and the result of a Selection Test / Interview by a selection committee constituted by the NBHM. Applications are invited through advertisements in leading national newspapers normally during the month of November every year.
The scholar is expected to do research work under an approved guide in an institution / university of his / her choice. Prior to joining an Institution for doing Research, the scholar is given a choice of joining some select institutions to take courses in mathematics, which will be helpful in a proper understanding of mathematics and consequently resulting in good research. The present Rules and Regulations governing the grant of Ph. D. Scholarship are described in Annexure II. The scholarship is granted initially for one year and can be renewed for a period of up to five years subject to satisfactory progress of the scholar. At present the scholarship amount is Rs. 8,000/- (Rs. Eight Thousand only) per month for first two years and Rs. 9,000/- (Rs. Nine Thousand only) per month for next three years after a review of the work at the end of two years. The Ph.D. scholarship also carries a contingency grant of Rs.5,000/- (Rs. Five Thousand only) per year If the institution does not provide hostel / subsidised accommodation. The Ph. D. scholar is eligible for house rent allowance as per government norms.
3. POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS
Every year, the NBHM offers Postdoctoral Fellowships to selected young mathematicians who have completed their Ph.D. degree in Mathematics. The Scheme is periodically advertised in newspapers.
The Postdoctoral Fellowships (PDF) are intended for mathematicians below the age of 35 who have a doctoral degree or equivalent published research work. Persons who have submitted their dissertations for a Ph.D. degree are also eligible to apply. A candidate can apply for the award of PDF any time. The fellowships for selected candidates however will commence either from February 1 or August 1. An application may be sent on a plain paper and must include a detailed curriculum vitae of the applicant; a copy of his / her Ph.D. thesis and other publications. The application should be supported by recommendations from three experts in the field., sent directly to Member-Secretary, NBHM.
The postdoctoral fellowship consists of Rs.11,000/- per month for the first two years and Rs.11,500/- per month for third year if extension is granted by the NBHM and a contingency grant of Rs. 6,000/- (Rs. Six Thousand only) per year. The detailed rules and regulations governing the Postdoctoral Fellowships are described in Annexure III.
4. TEACHER FELLOWSHIPS
Teacher Fellowships are offered to teachers in a college or a university department who are working towards their Ph.D. and have already made some progress in that direction. They are offered for a maximum period of three years. Persons under this fellowship scheme will be entitled to receive a stipend equivalent to their total emoluments (excluding special allowances if any) provided the person is not receiving a salary from any other source. In addition they will be entitled to receive Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees One Thousand only) per month as displacement allowance in case they work during the tenure of Fellowship at an Institute or University located in a city different from their place of current employment.
The teachers who are working for their Ph.D. in their own Institutions are entitled to a grant of maximum of Rs. 5,000/- (Rs. Five Thousand only) per year for travel in connection with reference work and discussions.
Applications for such fellowship should be made on plain paper and include (a) Detailed Curriculum Vitae (b) details of the progress already made in the topic of research and (c) a letter of consent from the thesis supervisor. In addition the employing college or university should agree to grant leave to the candidate during the tenure of the fellowship. It is expected that the candidate will return to the parent institution at the end of the fellowship.
5. SHORT TERM VISITS TO INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA
The NBHM provides assistance to teachers to make short-term visits of at least six weeks and maximum six months duration to another institution in India for joint work etc. The assistance provided is limited to prevailing rates for daily allowance and travel expenses limited to II Class A.C. Sleeper Train Fare. Application for this must be accompanied with permission of the employing Institution and that of Institution / Department to be visited along with a detailed Curriculum Vitae and a statement of purpose of the visit. The application should reach the NBHM Office six months before the proposed date of visit.
6. TRAVEL ASSISTANCE
The NBHM provides partial or full travel assistance in to mathematicians for attending conferences, symposia, summer schools etc. within the country or abroad. Applications need to be submitted on prescribed forms at least three months before the starting date ofthe conference. The application form can be obtained from the office of the NBHM. The format of the Application Form is in Annexure IV.
7. VISITING PROFESSORSHIP
The NBHM provides funds to university departments and other institutions for inviting eminent mathematicians from within India or abroad for lectures, joint work and other academic activities. Proposals for this may be submitted by mathematicians working in the institution of higher learning, and should be endorsed by the heads of the department and the institution. A foreign mathematician of eminence can be invited on the following terms: He/She should spend at least two months in India, of which at least one month should be at a single institution. He/She is expected to give a series of lectures in his field of interest and also visit other institutions. Proposals for such visitors should be sent at least one yearbefore the proposed date of visit. The proposal should include a C.V. of the person to be invited and a detailed statement on the benefits expected from such visit. Once approved, the visitor is paid round trip excursion airfare from his/her country of residence to the airport nearest to the host institution in India and a sum of Rs. 15,000/- for travel within India. In addition, the visitor is eligible for a monthly honorarium ranging between Rs. 16,000/- and Rs. 20,000/-. The amount of honorarium is decided by the NBHM. The host institution must make all arrangements related to the visit such as visa, RBI permission etc. Proposals for visiting mathematicians from within the country are also considered by the NBHM. Such visits can also be organised over a period of years enabling a group to have the benefit of repeated interaction with a leading expert in the field.
8. RAMANUJAN PROFESSORSHIP
The NBHM has instituted a visiting professorship in the name of Srinivasa Ramanujan effective 1989. Under the scheme, the NBHM may invite an eminent mathematician to visit India for a period of at least two months and not more than four months. The visitor, under the scheme, is to be offered first class airfare from his place of residence to India and back. The Ramanujan Professor will be paid an honorarium of Rs. 25,000/- (Rupees Twenty Five Thousand Only) per month during his / her stay in the country. In addition, the NBHM will pay up to Rs. 15,000/- (Rupees Fifteen Thousand Only) for travel within the country. The Ramanujan Professor is expected to visit different mathematical centres in the country and deliver lectures even while he / she will be principally in residence at one institution in the country. The Professor will be provided accommodation wherever necessary at the expense of the NBHM.
9. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CONFERENCES
The NBHM provides financial assistance for holding national and international conferences/ workshops / seminars. The quantum of assistance depends on each proposal but will not usually exceed Rs. 1,50,000/- (Rupees one lakh fifty thousand only) for an international conference, and Rs. 80,000/- (Rupees Eighty Thousand only) for a National conference. The NBHM, however, may relax these ceilings in exceptional case. Applications for financial support should reach the NBHM at least three months before the start of the conference. Prescribed application forms may be obtained from the office of the NBHM. The format of the application form is given Annexure V-A.
10. INSTRUCTIONAL SCHOOLS
The NBHM organizes Instructional Schools periodically in areas of mathematics of current interest. The aim of such schools is to expose mathematicians as well young student working for their Ph.D. Degrees to these areas of Mathematics. The proposals for these Schools need to be submitted in a given proforma (Annexure V-B) and must contain information about:
- Topic or area of mathematics;
- Names of speakers and;
- Expected number of participants.
The School is expected to last for three to four weeks. All the expenses towards the TA/DA for participants and speakers are borne by the NBHM according to Government norms. The present Guidelines towards payment of TA/DA to participants are described in Annexure VI.
11. GRANT-IN-AID FOR RESEARCH SCHEMES
The NBHM provides assistance for selected research projects on the recommendations of the Research Programmes Committee of the NBHM. Applications in prescribed forms obtainable from the office of the NBHM have to be submitted well in advance. The general format for application for support of a fresh research project and for renewal of a research project are given in Annexure VII-A and VII-B respectively.
12. FINANCIAL SUPPORT TO LIBRARIES
The NBHM operates a scheme to extend financial support to the libraries of various Universities and Institutions. The following libraries have been identified by the NBHM as "Regional Libraries".
1. Panjab University, Chandigarh
2. Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata
3. Rani Durgawati University, Jabalpur
4. University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad
5. Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
6. Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
7 Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi Centre
8. Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
9. Sardar Patel University, Anand
10. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai
11. Harish Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad
12. Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai
These Regional Libraries are expected to cater to the needs of the region in which they are located and are open to mathematicians of the region for consultation and inter-university borrowing. Photocopying facilities are available at these libraries at nominal costs. The regional libraries, (1-9) are given an annual library grant of Rs 21,00,000/- (Rs. Twenty one lakhs only) by the NBHM.
In addition to the regional libraries, mathematics departments of several universities receive grants of varying amounts from the NBHM. The departments desirous of receiving grants may apply to the NBHM on the prescribed form obtainable from the office of the NBHM. (Annexure VIII). The NBHM has constituted five Regional Committees to represent different regions and recommend grants to libraries from their respective regions. The regions and their jurisdiction are listed below:
(i) Southern Region: Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Karnataka and Kerala
(ii)Western Region: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, and Goa
(iii) Northern Region: Rajasthan, Panjab, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir
(iv) North Central Region: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttaranchal, and Jharkhand
(v) Eastern Region: Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh.
The libraries receiving grants from the NBHM are expected to extend their facilities to research workers of the neighbouring universities. The level of the grants is reviewed periodically.
13. COMPLIMENTARY BOOK DISTRUBITION SCHEME
Under the complementary book distribution scheme. The NBHM supplies selected books to Mathematics / Statistics departments of universities / Institutes / postgraduate centres. On an average, the NBHM distributes 5-10 books each year. The Mathematics / Statistics departments receiving these books are expected to comply with some simple conditions:
- Returning the acknowledgement slip (immediately) that is sent along with the books.
- Allotting accession numbers to the books received either in the departmental library or the central library of the institute as the case may be, and sending us the accession numbers in a reasonable course of time (about a month). This is very important and assures us that the books have reached the library.
- In January/February every year, the NBHM will send a consolidated list of books distributed in the previous calendar year,. The list should be returned to the NBHM with the accession numbers filled in. This is in addition to the above condition and not a substitute.
- Postgraduate teaching in mathematics (MA/MSc degree) must be ongoing at the college / university / institute as the case may be.
Books sent under this scheme are meant for the institutional / departmental libraries and not for individual collections. If any mathematics department of any university / institute wants to be included in the mailing list of the Complimentary Book Distribution Scheme, they should write a letter to the Coordinator – NBHM Complimentary Book Distribution Scheme at the address given below:
Prof. T. Amaranath,
Coordinator- NBHM Complimentary Book Distribution Scheme,
Department of Mathematics and Statistics,
University of Hyderabad,
Hyderabad- 500046.
14. MATHEMATICS OLYMPIAD
Mathematics Olympiad activity is run in collaboration with the Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education, Mumbai. It has been one of the NBHM's major initiatives since 1986. One main purpose of this activity is to support mathematical talent among high school students in the country. The NBHM has taken on the responsibility for selecting and training the Indian team for participation in the International Olympiad every year. While the NBHM coordinates and supports Olympiad contests all over the country, regional bodies, mostly voluntary, play an important role in different stages. For the purpose of administering Olympiad contests, the country has been divided in 16 regions. A regional coordinator is responsible for conducting these tests in each region. The names of the regions and their respective regional coordinators are given in Annexure VIII.
General Information about Olympiad Contests:
The Olympiad Programme leading to India's participation in the International Mathematical Olympiad consists of the following stages:
Stage 1: Regional Mathematics Olympiad (RMO)
RMO is held normally between September and the first Sunday of December each year in different regions in the country. The regional coordinator ensures that at least one centre is provided in each district of his region. All school students of Class XI are eligible to appear for RMO. The regional coordinators may on their discretion, admit students of lower classes also. RMO is a 3-hour written test containing about 6 to 7 problems. Each regional coordinator has the freedom to prepare hisher own question paper or obtain the question paper from the NBHM. The regions opting for the NBHM question paper hold this contest on the 1st Sunday of December. On the basis of the performance in RMO, a certain number of students from each region are selected to appear for the second stage. Regional coordinators charge nominal fees to meet the expenses for organising the contests.