CCRAS-SPARK- 2023 PROGRAM FOR BAMS STUDENTS: APPLY NOW

• Notification:- 15th October, 2023
• Registration and Submission of proposal by student:- 15th October to 15th November Every Year
• Review of Proposal:- 16th December -23rd December, 2023
• Final Evaluation:- 3rd and 4th January, 2023
• Result Announcement:- 15th January, 2024
• Last date of receiving acceptance letters:- 31st January
• Issuance of Award Letters:- 1st February, 2024
• Completion of project:- 30th April, 2024
• Report Submission:- 31st May, 2024
• Review of final Report:- 15th July, 2024
• Sanction of the award, Stipend and certificate:- 31st July, 2024 (In the year report submission)

STUDENTSHIP PROGRAM FOR AYURVEDA RESEARCH KEN (SPARK)

Background

1. The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) has initiated the
“STUDENTSHIP PROGRAM FOR AYURVEDA RESEARCH KEN (SPARK)” in order to
promote interest and aptitude for research among Ayurveda undergraduates. The main
objective of this program is to provide an opportunity to undergraduate Ayurveda students to
familiarize themselves with research methodology and techniques undertaking short duration
independent projects. This may inculcate research aptitude among them and also serve as an
incentive for them to take up research as a career in the future. The Guide/ Institution must
provide the student with all facilities for carrying out research. A total of 100 studentships per
annum are approved, however, the number may vary as per the approval of the competent
authority.
2. The value of the studentship will be Rs.25,000/- per month for two months duration (Total
Rs.50,000/- only) and is meant to be a stipend for the student. This is paid only after
completion of research and approval of final report. Costs of research must be borne by
Institution/Medical College where research is conducted. CCRAS institutes may be
approached by the Guide/student for any technical guidance in formulation and execution of
research proposals. A certificate will be issued and posted to Principal’s office after 6-8 months
of completion of research.

Eligibility

1. This program is only for interested Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS)
students [1st year to 4th year (before appearing in 4th year final exams)] studying in Ayurvedic
Medical recognized by NCISM, before they appear in their final exams and therefore, interns/
PG students are not eligible to apply.
2. The student must carry out the research in his/ her own medical college under the guide who
is regular faculty of the medical college. Only permanent full time faculty members working
in any of the Department of the Medical College where the student is enrolled can act as the
guide. Part time consultants/visiting faculty/ residents/ Tutors/ PG students cannot be the
guide.
3. Only one student will be allowed to work under one guide. Two or more students are not
permitted to work on the same topic in a group. Proposals submitted on the same topic by
different students are liable to be rejected outright. The student may have one Guide and other
Co-Guides. However, CCRAS will recognize only ONE main Guide for all purposes.
4. Only Indian National students who are studying in recognized Ayurvedic medical colleges of
India can apply. NRIs & Students from foreign institutes are not eligible for this program.
5. One student can apply in any year of his undergraduate tenure but the studentship can be
awarded only two times in different years to one student subject to selection of his application
on merits.
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Procedure

1. Students are requested to visit CCRAS SPARK website (http://spark.ccras.nic.in/) and comply
with instructions updated from time to time about SPARK program. There is a fully dedicated
online portal for this program. No hard copies have to be submitted.
2. The student along with the guide is required to register online on CCRAS website
(http://www.ccras.nic.in) from the date of Notification i.e., 15th October and then submit the
application form and proposal with the requisite documents on the online portal by 15th
November; which will be screened and evaluated by the Council. Result will be announced
by 15th January and list of selected students will be displayed on the website. The selected
student is expected to complete the project by 30
th April and submit the report by 31st May.
The student will be awarded stipend and a certificate by 31
st July, subject to approval of his/her
report.
3. The Guide must take overall responsibility for conducting the Research Project, Preparation
and Submission of the monthly progress report and Final report along with the required
enclosures within the stipulated time period.
4. One guide can only register for maximum two students and one student can apply only for one
subject. The student can apply only for the subject of pursuing Year/ Professional of BAMS.
The Guide should be of the subjects of the same Year/ Professional of the student.
5. Only those proposals will be considered for further evaluation which are recommended by the
College Screening Committee and endorsed from the Head of Institute (Principal) in
prescribed format after duly abiding by the 10% annual UG sanctioned strength clause for
e.g., if a college has 100 UG seats annual intake, the college can send only 10 proposals for
SPARK 2023-2024.
6. The selected students by the College/ Institution screening committee will submit the proposal
online along with the forwarding letter of the College/Institution authority duly signed and
stamped by the Principal/ Director/Dean of the College/ Institution on the letter head addressed
to DG, CCRAS, New Delhi in the prescribed format as available on the SPARK portal.
7. Selection of the candidates for award of research studentship will be done on the basis of two
criteria, first on the total marks index (30%) in the previous year exam or in 10+2 in case of
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st year student and second (70%) after technical evaluation of the research plan on merits by
a panel of experts in the CCRAS. The decision of the Council in regard to selection of students
will be final. Requests for reconsideration will not be entertained and reasons for rejection of
applications for award of studentship will not be provided.
8. The Guide of the student should obtain a clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee
(IEC) if the proposal involves research on human participants and from Institutional Animal
Ethics Committee (IAEC) if the work involves use of animals. The IEC/ IAEC approval
should be obtained any time before beginning of actual research work (even before the
registration) so that final report may be submitted within stipulated time. The certificate may
be submitted either along with proposal or with the report. Informed consent is to be obtained
for research on human participants. For more information please refer to the Handbook on
ICMR Ethical Guidelines 2018 and National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research
Involving Children, ICMR 2017.
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9. The Guide of the student will ensure for CTRI Registration to be done for Clinical Studies.
Application Process
Submission of SPARK application/proposal is a two-step process:
I. REGISTRATION OF GUIDE/STUDENT DETAILS FOR SPARK, FROM 15TH
OCTOBER TO 15TH NOVEMBER, 2023.
 Part-A: Particulars of Guide
(For year 2023-2024, firstly Guide Registration will be done followed by Student Registration on
the Portal)
Complete details including Name, Designation, Department, Medical College, Aadhar card or any
other Govt ID (PAN CARD/DRIVING LICENSE/VOTER ID CARD etc.), Contact details
including mobile no. and current email address to be provided. The Guide should ensure that
she/he selects a suitable brief topic for this studentship, which can be completed within stipulated
time without asking for extension. The guide may forward the proposal of maximum 2 students
each year for SPARK program.
 Part-B: Student Details
1. Interested students should register their Mobile No. and e-mail address and other details from
15th of October onwards on the SPARK Portal.
2. Each SPARK application and research proposal should be submitted online along with duly
attested Application Attestation Form (AAF) as available in the prescribed format on the
SPARK Portal.
3. The Application attestation form should be filled up, signed, attested, scanned and saved as a
PDF file. Online submissions of application/ research proposal will not be accepted unless
accompanied by Application Attestation Form (AAF).
4. A student can submit one proposal on selected topic. In case a student submits more than one
proposal, all the proposals will be automatically rejected.
II. SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL ALONG WITH OTHER DETAILS BETWEEN 15TH
OCTOBER TO 15TH NOVEMBER, 2023.
 Part-C: SPARK Application/Proposal
The proposal should describe a brief work plan of proposed research and also clearly stating the
methodology having proper sample size with appropriate statistical methodology, which will be
used along with implications of the research study. The student may include the case report form,
informed consent form or any other questionnaire also as a part of project proposal or can submit
them as separate attachments under the field “ANY OTHER FORMS” on the SPARK Portal.
Students should take proper advise of a statistician for preparation of proposals having statistical
applications and should provide sample size calculation.
The proposal should be prepared in brief with the following sectionsReferences ID – Provide only the reference SPARK ID (Generated upon registration) for
identification on the top of the proposal. Identifying information like name of the student/ guide,
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contact details like contact numbers/ email addresses should not be provided in the proposal for
unbiased review.
Title – Title should be appropriate, short and relevant to research proposal. It should make the
central objectives and variables of the study clear to the reviewer. (Up to 25 words)
Introduction – The purpose of an introduction is to provide the rationale behind the work, so that
the reviewer may understand and appreciate the objectives. Please describe the importance
(significance) of the study. Defend the model- Provide a rationale and describe the reasoning that
led you to selecting them. Briefly describe the experimental design and how it accomplished the
stated objectives. Describe the situation and specify clearly the gaps in the existing knowledge
and/ or controversy and inconclusive evidence. The discussion should be supported with
appropriate references. (Up to 300 words)
Objectives – Should specify what kind of knowledge the study is expected to obtain. It should
give a clear notion of what is to be described, determined, identified, compared or confirmed.
Hypothesis may be stated and objectives should be specific, to the point and achievable. (Up to
100 words)
Methodology – Describes all the procedures that will be used to achieve the objectives and justify
the study design including any techniques and procedures to be used. This may include: type of
study and study design, study population, sample size and selection criteria, Proposed intervention
(if applicable), Data collection procedures & instruments used, quality control, confidentiality,
plan of analysis/ statistical tools, ethical considerations with all required forms. (Up to 800 words)
Implications – Describes what is expected to be achieved or gained from the proposed research.
This could be given in terms of knowledge gained by the student or in terms of scientific
advancement. (Up to 100 words)
References – Provide appropriate references from published journals/ literature supporting the
proposed research. (Up to 300 words)
Exclusions of Identity – The proposal/ project should not have any identifying information of the
student or guide or college for unbiased review by reviewers. The following information should
be removed from the SPARK proposal before online submission:
Name of the Student/ Guide/ College.
Address/ Contact details.
Telephone No.
E-mail IDs.
Or Any other identity.
 Part-D: Enclosures/ Attachments
The enclosures may be scanned and saved as PDF file for submission. Please ensure that the file
size should not exceed 1 MB.
i. Compulsory attachment: Submission of ‘Application Attestation Form’ as per format
provided is compulsory with the application. The blank form can be downloaded from website
and this has to be filled in and passport size photograph should be pasted by the student. This
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may then be signed by the Guide and attested and forwarded by the Head of the Department
and the Head of the Institution/ Principal/ Dean of the Medical College (with stamp/ seal of
the institution). Once the Attestation Form is signed by all, the student must scan it and save
it as a PDF file. This must be uploaded at the time of ONLINE submission. Application will
not be accepted unless accompanied with Application Attestation Form (AFF).
ii. Optional Enclosures: IEC and IAEC submission at the time of application submission is
optional however mandatory along with the final report. Student is required to obtain clearance
from Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) or an Institutional Animal Ethics Committee
(IAEC) for the research. However, submission of ethics committee approval at this stage is
optional. In case IEC approval is not obtained at the time of submission of application, kindly
do not submit any other document instead as submission of wrong documents can lead to
disqualification. In addition, if there are plans to use an Informed Consent Form or any Case
Study Form or Questionnaire, the same may also be enclosed. Please note that submission of
IEC/ IAEC certificate is mandatory at the time of STS report submission. Any research carried
out without appropriate IEC/IAEC approval will be automatically rejected.
Declaration of Result
1. The selection of the candidates for award of research studentship will be done after technical
evaluation of the research plan by a panel of experts.
2. The results will be displayed on CCRAS website by 15
th January and the list of selected
students will be displayed on Council’s Website.
3. Sanction letters will not be issued individually to the student/ guide. The students should print
out the results / list of selected students from the website for future reference.
4. The decision of the Council in regard to selection of students will be final.
5. Requests for reconsideration will not be entertained and reasons for rejection of applications
for award of studentship should not be asked for.
General Instructions
 Students are requested to visit CCRAS SPARK website (https://spark.ccras.nic.in/) and
comply with instructions updated from time to time about SPARK program.
 Only those proposals will be considered for further evaluation which are recommended
by the College Screening Committee and endorsed from the Head of Institute after duly
abiding by the 10% annual UG sanctioned strength clause for e.g., if a college has 100 UG
seats annual intake, they can send only 10 proposals for SPARK 2023-2024.
 The selected students by the College/ Institution screening committee will submit the proposal
along with the forwarding letter of the College/ Institution authority duly signed & stamped
by the Principal/ Director/ Dean of the College/ Institution on the letter head addressed to DG,
CCRAS, New Delhi in the prescribed format.
 For SPARK program 2034-2024, the last date for submitting Online Proposal Applications
and other enclosures is 15th of November. The student should have all documents ready before
filling up online application form (Research proposal/ attestation form/ other enclosures like
College Approval Letter, IEC approval, CTRI, ICF, Case record forms etc).
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 Scanned documents i.e., Application/ Report Attestation Form, Ethics Committee Clearance
or other files viz., Case record, Questionnaire etc. should be submitted in readable PDF file
(Text PDF not converted from image) only and other formats viz. MS Word, JPEG etc. will
not be accepted.
 Guides/Students are requested to register on SPARK portal well in advance and not to wait
for the last date to avoid the last-minute rush.
 The Council will not be responsible in case the student is unable to submit the proposal/ project
in time due to any reason whatsoever and request for extension of last date will not be
considered.
 After completion of the project under SPARK, CCRAS and Ministry of AYUSH shall not be
responsible to provide / ensure any kind of paid or honorary, part or full-time employment to
the student in the Council or Ministry.
 Change of guide, in any case, must be intimated by email to CCRAS at:
https://spark.ccras.nic.in/ within 15 days with the acceptance of new guide under approval of
Head of Intuition/Principal.
 All disputes pertaining to this program shall fall within the jurisdiction of Delhi only.
 All correspondence will be sent on e-mail and/or College address only.
 This time only Online proposal will be entertained which has to be submitted on the SPARK
portal itself. Neither physical form nor proposal forwarded via the email will be accepted.
Still, if received it will be deemed cancelled.
 Registration by the Guide should be followed by Registration by the Student (One guide can
only register for maximum two students and one student can apply only for one subject. The
student can apply only for the subject of pursuing Year/ Professional of BAMS.)
 The Guide should be of the subjects of the same Year/ Professional of the student. The student
and the guide should not be in blood relation.
 For any further clarifications applicant may contact on given e-mail using Official e-mail id
of their Academic Institute and the Reference ID in all the e-mail correspondence must be
quoted for quick reference:
Director General
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS),
Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India
JLNBCHA Bhawan
No.61-65, Institutional Area, Opp. ‘D’ Block
Janakpuri, New Delhi-110058
E-mail: ccras.spark@gmail.com