IIT ISM Winter Research Internship 2026: Apply by 31 October

IIT (ISM) Dhanbad has opened its Winter Research Internship Scheme (WRIS) 2026 for B.Tech students and for M.Tech, M.Sc and MBA students, plus a separate long-term track that runs at least six months. The IIT ISM winter research internship pays Rs 5,000 a month, but only to the few institute-funded interns in each department. Short-term applications close on 31 October 2026, and long-term ones on 15 November 2026.

If you're weighing this against other campus programmes, our guide to IIT internships tracks similar schemes, and the IIT Bhubaneswar Winter Internship 2026 is another winter option, open until 5 November.

IIT ISM Dhanbad winter internship categories and duration

Categories I and II are the short-term winter slots. You stay for at least one month and at most two. Each has three funding routes: institute-funded, project-funded (only where a project has room) and self-funded (depending on what the department needs). The application form asks you to rank all three routes in order of preference, so you aren't locked into one.

Category III is the long-term research internship, lasting 6 to 12 months with six months as the minimum. It has no institute-funded seats at all. You come in either through a project or as a self-funded intern, and a department can take at most five self-funded long-term interns. You'll also need a NOC from your own college and must pay the tuition fee for each semester, at the actual rate, when you join.

WRIS 2026 stipend: who gets paid

The Rs 5,000 monthly scholarship goes only to institute-funded interns in Categories I and II, for a maximum of two months. Each department funds three such interns per category: two from outside colleges and one from IIT (ISM) itself. A single faculty member can guide only one institute-funded intern.

Project-funded interns get a scholarship only if the funding agency allows one, on that agency's terms. Self-funded interns receive nothing from the institute. PG students who already draw a fellowship won't get any separate payment under this scheme.

If you're from another college, you're competing for two paid seats per department in your category. It makes sense to list project-funded and self-funded as your second and third preferences if you can manage the cost.

IIT ISM winter research internship eligibility

Category I is for B.Tech students only. Category II is for M.Tech, M.Sc and MBA students. Category III accepts all four. Students with a backlog and/or disciplinary action are not eligible, and your Head of Department has to certify this on the form.

For the institute-funded category, the notice sets these minimum CGPA cutoffs:

• CGPA of at least 7.5 for students of IITs, IISc, IIMs, NITs, IISERs, NISERs, IIEST, central universities and GFTIs
• CGPA of at least 8.0 for students of other institutes

For more programmes that suit research-minded students, see our research internships guide or browse all opportunities on Talentd.

How IIT ISM selects winter research interns

The Dean (R&D) office sends each application to the department you chose. There, a three-member Research Internship Scheme (RIS) committee recommends candidates. The HOD chairs it, with the DUGC or DPGC convener and one other faculty member.

The committee looks at your CGPA, publications, awards, research proposal and letters of recommendation. It may prefer pre-final year students. Since the proposal and your referees both count, pick a topic that fits the department you're applying to and choose referees who know your work.

Documents for the IIT ISM WRIS application

The form itself needs a recent passport-size photo, your correspondence and permanent addresses, your mobile number, a parent's contact number and your email. You also fill in your 10+2 and degree marks (semester-wise CGPA for the degree), any journal publications, and the names and addresses of three referees. Attach these with it:

• Resume
• Bonafide certificate from your college
• Identity card
• Research proposal of about 500 words
• Fee payment receipt that clearly shows the UTR number and the date and time of payment

Long-term (Category III) applicants also need the NOC from their parent institute.

Hostel, living costs and campus facilities

You pay your own living expenses. Interns aren't entitled to hostel rooms, though a few may get one on a payment basis if rooms are free, so plan for outside accommodation as a fallback.

Interns from other colleges get a temporary institute ID. It opens up the library, sports facilities, the medical centre, the computer centre, internet and department research labs. The Health Centre offers free OPD consultations and the medicines it stocks, with indoor hospitalisation if needed. Breaking the institute's conduct rules can end your internship and get you sent off campus.

How you get the internship certificate

Short-term interns present their work at the end to a review committee made up of the HOD (or centre head), the internship guide and the DUGC convener (DPGC convener for PG students). Your guide then sends the committee's recommendation and your attendance to the Associate Dean (R&D) through e-office, and the certificate is issued after that.

Long-term interns give an extra mid-term presentation, preferably about two months after joining, and get feedback on their work. At the end they present again, and the guide forwards the internship report along with the recommendation and attendance.

How to apply for IIT ISM winter research internship 2026

There is no online portal. You send one email with one PDF. Your Head of Department has to sign the form, so start at least a week before your deadline.

Step 1: Download the form

The application form is Annexure II, on the last page of the official WRIS 2026 notice. Print it: you need to paste a photo and sign it.

Step 2: Pay the Rs 500 fee

• Pay online to the Canara Bank account or the QR code printed in the notice. Copy the account number and IFSC from the notice itself.
• Demand drafts are not accepted, and the fee is not refunded.
• Save the receipt. It must show the UTR number, date and time of payment.

Step 3: Fill in the form

• Department: the one you want to intern in.
• Category: strike out the two that don't apply to you.
• Funding: rank institute-funded, project-funded and self-funded as 1, 2 and 3.
• Academics: 10+2 marks and your degree CGPA semester by semester.
• Publications in refereed journals, if you have any.
• Three referees with their full addresses.
• Paste a recent passport-size photo, then sign and date the form.

Step 4: Get your HOD to sign

Your Head of Department signs the line certifying that you have no backlog or disciplinary action. The notice says applications must be forwarded by your HOD, so don't send the form without it. Category III applicants also need a NOC from their college.

Step 5: Merge everything into one PDF

Keep the order the form lists:

1. Signed application form
2. Resume
3. Bonafide certificate
4. College identity card
5. Research proposal (about 500 words)
6. Fee payment receipt
7. NOC from your college (Category III only)

Step 6: Email it

Send the PDF to srip@iitism.ac.in before your category's deadline. The notice doesn't ask for a subject line, but something like "WRIS 2026, Category I, Department of Chemical Engineering, your name" helps the office sort it.