Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has commenced the selection process for the Mukhyamantri Research Fellowship 2026-27, inviting eligible doctoral scholars from state public universities to apply for the fellowship under the Mukhyamantri Research and Innovation Programme (MRIP).
A notification issued by the Higher Education Department stated that applications will be accepted online through the Student Academic Management System (SAMS) portal. The fellowship is aimed at strengthening the state’s research ecosystem by supporting promising scholars pursuing Ph.D. programmes.
According to the eligibility criteria, applicants must be permanent residents of Odisha and should have taken admission to a Ph.D. programme in a state public university between April 1, 2024, and July 19, 2026, under the supervision of a recognised research guide.
The department has specified that candidates who were selected under MRIP-2025 but are not registered on the SAMS portal will not be eligible to apply again.
The online Common Application Form (CAF) was made available from 4 pm on July 7, while the deadline for submitting applications has been fixed at 11:45 pm on July 30.
Candidates will be able to make corrections to their submitted applications on July 31, following which the data will be forwarded to the Odisha State Higher Education Council (OSHEC) on August 5 for further processing.
The department said the schedule for verification of documents of eligible applicants will be notified separately through the SAMS portal.
For any assistance regarding the application process, candidates may contact the e-admission helpline at 155335 or 18003456770, the notification added.
