First awarded 1958 | ||
Presented by Council of Scientific and Industrial ResearchGovernment of India Official website Bhatnagar Prize website | ||
The Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (SSB) is a science award in India given annually by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) for notable and outstanding research, applied or fundamental, in biology, chemistry, environmental science, engineering, mathematics, medicine and Physics. The purpose of the prize is to recognize outstanding Indian work (according to the view of CSIR awarding committee) in science and technology. It is the most coveted award in multidisciplinary science in India. The award is named after the founder Director of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar. It was first awarded in 1958.
Contents
Any citizen of India engaged in research in any field of science and technology up to the age of 45 years is eligible for the prize. The prize is awarded on the basis of contributions made through work done in India only during the five years preceding the year of the prize. The prize comprises a citation, a plaque, and a cash award of ₹5 lakh (US$7,400). In addition, recipients also get Rs. 15,000 per month up to the age of 65 years.
Nomination and selection
Names of candidates are proposed by a member of the governing body of CSIR, Vice-Chancellors of universities or institutes of national importance, deans of different faculties of science and former awardees. Selection is made by the Advisory Committee constituted each year and necessarily consists of at least six experts including at least one former Bhatnagar Awardee in the respective discipline. At least 2/3 agreement of the members is required for selection. If two nominees are unanimously recommended in the same field because of equal merit, both are awarded.
Prizes
The prize is divided into seven disciplines, namely:
Further, each discipline can have multiple winners (maximum 2 individuals). Up to 2008 the prize money was ₹2 lakh (US$3,000) and was raised to ₹5 lakh (US$7,400) in 2009.
Recipients
Presentation
The names of the recipients are traditionally declared by the Director General on every 26 September, which is the CSIR Foundation Day. The prize is distributed by the Prime Minister of India. The awardee is bound to give a lecture in the area of the award, generally outside his/her city of work.