Final-year engineering students and science postgraduates in Tamil Nadu can get up to ₹10,000 for a dissertation project from the Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology (TNSCST), a state body based on the DOTE campus in Guindy, Chennai 600025. The Student Project Scheme is the council’s best-known grant, but it runs about 15 schemes, from awards for senior scientists to travel grants and support for seminars.
Many colleges miss these because the calls come out once a year with short windows. This guide sets out what each main scheme offers, based on the council’s own notifications, and how to apply.
Student Project Scheme
The 2024-25 notification, the latest one we could open on the council’s site, set these rules:
- Who: final-year UG engineering students, and PG science and PG professional students whose course includes a dissertation.
- How much: up to ₹10,000 per project.
- Team: up to four students; each team may submit one proposal only.
- How: register through the online form, print the emailed PDF, get it signed by the guide, head of department and principal or dean, attach a project summary of no more than three pages, and send the hard copy by registered post to the Member Secretary, TNSCST, DOTE Campus, Chennai 600025.
- Timing: in 2024 the online window closed on 9 September and hard copies were due by 13 September. Expect a similar August-September call, but confirm on the website.
Proposals sent only by email, or without online registration, are rejected. The DST’s state science programme profile says eligible fields include agriculture, biological sciences, engineering, medicine and veterinary sciences, and that projects should be socially relevant.
Awards and fellowships
| Scheme | What it gives | Key condition |
|---|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu Scientist Award (TANSA) | ₹50,000 and a citation, to ten scientists | Significant research contribution |
| Young Scientist Fellowship Scheme | ₹10,000 a month for 2 to 6 months | Below 40; host must be a centre of excellence outside Tamil Nadu |
| Student Project Scheme | Up to ₹10,000 per project | Final-year UG engineering or PG with dissertation |
The Young Scientist Fellowship format requires consent letters from both the applicant’s own institution and the host institution. It is aimed at college teachers and researchers who want a few months in a leading lab elsewhere in India.
Other schemes worth knowing
The council’s scheme list also includes:
- partial assistance for seminars, symposiums and workshops held by colleges
- travel grants for young scientists presenting work
- a Young Student Scientist Programme for school students
- quality improvement of science education in rural schools
- science and technology research projects
- assistance for science publications
- innovation and product development, and dissemination of new technology
- funding for research scholars in colleges and better science infrastructure at government colleges
According to the council’s notice board, last updated in February 2025, applications for the science popularisation scheme and travel grants for 2024-25 were open throughout the year. Colleges that received student project money must submit a utilisation certificate and seminar report afterwards.
GI tags and outreach
TNSCST also helps craft groups file geographical indication applications. The DST profile credits it with facilitating GI tags for the Dindigul lock, Kodaikanal hill garlic (Malai Poondu) and the Thanjavur veena. The council’s home page highlights entrepreneurship programmes in post-harvest technology, appliance servicing and mushroom farming, a women entrepreneurship programme and STEM activities for classes 6 to 8.
Tips for college coordinators
Most rejections under the student project scheme are about paperwork rather than science. A few habits help:
- Pick dissertation topics with a clear local use, such as water, waste, farm or health problems, since the scheme favours socially relevant work.
- Collect the guide’s, HoD’s and principal’s signatures well before the deadline; the hard copy must carry all three.
- Keep the three-page summary tight: problem, method, expected outcome and a simple budget.
- Send by registered post and keep the receipt. Late or emailed copies are not considered.
- If funded, file the utilisation certificate and seminar report on time, or the college may struggle in later rounds.
The notice board also passes on outside opportunities, such as TIFR’s Visiting Students Research Programme and Technology Development Board calls on medical devices, so departments should check it regularly. Research teams applying for the bigger science and technology project grants should read that year’s call document closely, because budget heads, duration and eligible institutions are set afresh in each call rather than fixed in advance.
Quick answers
Where is the TNSCST office?
On the DOTE campus in Guindy, Chennai 600025, beside Anna University.
How much is the TNSCST student project grant?
Up to ₹10,000 per project, for a team of up to four students.
Can school students apply?
Not for the project scheme. The Young Student Scientist Programme and rural school schemes cover school-level work.
When is the next call?
The council had not posted a 2026-27 student project call on the pages we checked. Watch tanscst.tn.gov.in.
Information checked against official sources on 18 October 2026. Fees, dates and rules can change; confirm on the linked official pages before acting.
