AICTE launches fellowship to connect faculty with industry experience

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has introduced a new Industry Fellowship Programme (IFP) to give full-time faculty direct exposure to industrial practices and bridge the academic–industry gap.

In its pilot phase for 2025-26, the scheme will support 350 faculty members, with plans to scale up to 1,500 participants annually over the next three to five years. Applications are open on the official portal until Oct 15.

Selected fellows will receive more than ₹1 lakh per month, including ₹75,000 from AICTE, at least ₹25,000 from industry partners, and their regular salary from the parent institution.

Eligibility extends to regular faculty with at least five years of teaching experience in AICTE-approved institutions, provided they secure a nomination and No Objection Certificate from their institute.

Applicants must not be older than 45 years on Sept 8 and should meet one of several academic benchmarks, such as qualifying in national-level exams, publishing five or more Scopus- or WoS-indexed papers, completing government-funded projects worth at least ₹15 lakh, or holding recognized young scientist awards.

Industry partners must have operated in India for at least five years, with a minimum average turnover of ₹100 crore in the past three financial years.

Public sector undertakings, listed companies, and firms with overseas presence also qualify.

AICTE said the fellowship aims to improve teaching quality by immersing faculty in real-world industrial challenges, ensure classroom instruction reflects contemporary practices, and foster long-term collaboration between academia and industry.

The fellowship rollout began with onboarding industry partners between July 1 and Sept 5. Applications for faculty are open from Sept 8 to Oct 15, with selections scheduled for early November. The first batch of fellows will begin their assignments on Dec 1.