Research programmes for high school students in India, 2026-27: a buyer's guide with the free routes
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The short answer
Start with the free and funded routes in India: Table 1 lists three, two by application, one by school nomination. Then ask any paid programme five research questions in writing: whose question, which mentor for how many hours, what method, who writes, and where the work goes. Compare published prices last. One Young India runs a mentorship of its own (Table 2), so weigh what follows with that in mind.
Facts checked on 12 November 2026 against the sources below.
How this was made: drafted with AI help from the sources listed, and checked by the One Young India editorial desk on 12 November 2026.
What does a research programme for school students sell?
Most routes sell some mix of four things: one to one mentorship on a single question; a group seminar that ends in each student’s paper; a residency at an institute; and a fair or competition that judges a finished entry.
A paid programme mostly sells time: a mentor’s hours, a schedule and feedback on drafts. Some add publication support, help to choose a venue and submit. Support for submission is not publication. The venue decides; four of the six outside programmes in Table 2 say in their own words that publication is not promised or guaranteed.
Which free or funded routes in India should a student look at first?
Three routes met the rule below on 12 November 2026. None is online, and only one was open for applications that day.
Routes in this table: open to school students in India; free, fully funded, with a stipend, or with no fee named and an award to shortlisted students, as the organiser’s own page states it on 12 November 2026; involving research, an investigation or a project the student does.
Eligibility, cost and dates are as each page states them; where a page shows only a past edition, the row says the next dates are not yet published. Rows are in order of the class they first admit, not ranked.
| Route and organiser | Who can apply, as the page states it | Cost, as the page states it | When it runs | How students are chosen | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INSPIRE-MANAK, Department of Science & Technology (DST) with the National Innovation Foundation-India (NIF): the student’s original idea can go on to district, state and national exhibitions, with NIF mentoring for prototypes. | Individual students of Classes 6 to 12 in recognised schools, under any national or state board; from Classes 11 and 12, Science stream only, the home page says | No fee named on its pages; shortlisted students receive an INSPIRE Award of INR 10,000 by Direct Benefit Transfer. | 2026-27 nominations closed on 10 October 2026; the next cycle’s dates are not yet published. | The school nominates, after calling for ideas as a synopsis. | Home page; FAQ; our explainer |
| RISE, IIT Kharagpur (KRITI); its page heading reads “Research Internship for School Students”. Six residential weeks: research skills, then a guided research project under faculty mentorship, ending in a report and a presentation. | Students who have completed Class 10 or 11; no prior technical or coding experience is needed | Its FAQ answers “Yes” to “Is the program fully funded?”: a ₹5,000 stipend for the six weeks, hostel accommodation and meals. The page does not mention travel. | 2026 edition only (16 May to 26 June 2026, closed); the 2027 dates are not yet published. | Shortlisting on academic records and application materials, then an interview. The same form serves i-KITES, a six-week residential programme of coursework and hands-on projects, with the same support. | RISE; i-KITES; KRITI |
| RSI-India, on the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) website, at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru: six summer weeks, with courses in the first, then an individual research project with an IISc mentor, ending in a paper and a talk. | Indian citizens in Class XI in India who have completed Class X; they apply on their own, not through their schools | The page says it is “provided cost-free to all participants, including room and board.” Travel and the student’s medical insurance are the family’s to pay. | 6 June to 17 July 2027 at IISc; applications close on 14 December 2026. | A CEE and IISc selection committee reads personal statements, STEM achievements, exam scores, recommendation letters and school transcripts. | RSI-India |
One fair is left out because it charges a fee: the IRIS National Fair, a science research competition by the ExSTEMplar Education Linkers Foundation for Classes 5 to 12 at schools in India. Its FAQ gives the fee as “₹5,000 plus applicable taxes per project”, with an EWS (Economically Weaker Section) fee waiver available with valid documentation. 2026-27 submissions closed on 13 October 2026.
For IB Diploma families, the IB calls its extended essay, mandatory for all Diploma students, “an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper”. In a Class 10 or Class 12 board year, a family will weigh the dates in Table 1 against the board timetable.
What should a family check that is particular to research?
Each check ends in one question to send in writing before paying. Price, refunds and safety are for other guides.
1. Whose question is it, and can the student answer it?
Some programmes offer a list of topics; others narrow the student’s own interest with the mentor. Either way, the student needs to reach what the question requires: a lab, a public dataset, a library, or people to survey (see how to choose a research question the student can answer). Ask who sets the question, and what the student will use to answer it.
2. Which mentor, and for how many hours?
Programmes count time in sessions, hours or months. Turn each offer into one to one hours with the mentor and the weeks they cover. A name before payment shows whether the mentor works in the question’s field. Ask who the mentor will be, in which field, and how many one to one hours over how many weeks.
3. What will the student collect, and from whom?
A project needs material: measurements, a dataset, texts, or answers from people. A remote programme may offer no laboratory, so the method has to fit what the student has. If people take part, as in a survey of classmates, someone should see the plan first, and the participants need a way to agree. Ask what the student will collect, who approves the plan, and how consent is taken.
4. Who writes the paper, and what is the rule on AI?
The paper should be the student’s own writing. Help can mean feedback rounds, a writing coach or editing; the line between commenting and drafting is worth having on paper, with any rule on AI tools (see how to write a first research paper in school). Ask who writes each draft, what the AI rule is, and whether originality is checked.
5. Where does the finished work go?
A paper needs a venue: a journal, a fair, a competition or a showcase. A promise to “submit” means little until the venue has a name and a stated standard. Some venues charge an entry fee, as the fair under Table 1 does. Ask which named venues the work will go to, what review standard each states, and what each charges.
What do paid research programmes publish about themselves?
One row of Table 2 is our own mentorship, marked “One Young India (ours)”: we run it, and it sits under the same rule as the others.
Paid online research programmes for school students that Google suggested by name for “are research programs worth it” or “polygence cost” (India locale, 8, 9 and 12 November 2026), or that ranked for “research programs for high school students in india”, and whose own pages accept students from India or name no country limit; plus our own, marked as ours.
Each fact as the provider’s own page stated it on 12 November 2026. Rows in alphabetical order, not ranked.
| Provider and programme | Format and length, as published | Output the page names | Venue the page names | Selection, as the page states it | Price as published, read 12 November 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algoverse AI Research, The AI Research Program | 12 weeks online, two meetings and 5 to 10 hours a week; teams of 3 to 4 with one mentor, or one to one. High school students among others, worldwide; Python required. | A manuscript and an artifact release (code, data, README) | Fundamental AI Research teams submit to workshop tracks at venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR and ACL; applied teams to their field’s own venues as well as AI workshops | An application the page says takes 5 minutes, reviewed on a rolling basis | $4,325 (team); $8,325 (one to one) | Programme page |
| Horizon Academic Research Program | Online; Grades 9 to 12. Labs: one to one, usually 12 to 16 weeks, 15 instructor and 4 writing-coach sessions. Seminars: groups of 3 to 6, summer only, 10 weeks, 20 instructor sessions. A pre-approved or original topic. | A research paper of 20 pages (most often about 5,000 words, its FAQ says), a certificate and a grade report | “A truly rigorous academic program cannot and should not promise publication.” Support for up to three rounds of journal submissions | An online application, then a 30-minute interview if shortlisted; the FAQ asks for “A strong GPA (3.67 unweighted or equivalent)” | $6,950 (Labs or Seminars) | Programs |
| Lumiere Education, Lumiere Research Scholar Program | Online, one to one; Grades 9 to 12 and university students, worldwide. Individual Research Program: 9 mentor and 2 writing-coach sessions over 12 weeks, topic agreed in week 1. Three other types add sessions and a publication specialist, over up to 12 months. | A college-level academic paper (Individual Research Program) | Publication programmes: a high-school or college-level journal; “No academically rigorous program can or should promise publication.” | No steps given on the pages read beyond “Apply Here” and an info session | Not published on the pages read | Programs; FAQS |
| One Young India (ours), Learnacy Mentorship | 18 weeks online, at fixed weekly times: a weekly studio group of 6 to 8, a one to one every two weeks (eight in all), a seminar every two weeks; about 29 hours live. Grades 8, 9 and 11 in one intake, Classes 10 and 12 in another; dates on the programme page. | One substantial piece of the student’s own work, in a format chosen with the mentor, and a one-page reflection | The OYI Review, One Young India (ours), if the student submits; their own mentor never reviews it. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. | “Selected, not first come.” An application, a short task written alone, then a 20-minute video conversation | Fee on the programme page | Programme page |
| Pioneer Academics, The Pioneer Research Institute | Online, for high school students; no grade named. Two term options (Spring-to-Summer or Summer), each with 5 group seminars of 1.5 hours, then 5 individual mentoring sessions of ¾ to 1 hour. The pages read name no country limit. | A research paper the student writes and edits | None named in the programme details on the pages read | Essays, up to four interest areas, a transcript, a counsellor or teacher assessment, and a video interview with timed writing; no information about professors before admission | 7,465 US dollars; in certain cases a laboratory equipment or materials fee of not more than 2% of tuition | Overview; Admission |
| Polygence, Core Program | Remote: 10 one to one mentor sessions of an hour over three to six months on average, two rounds of writing feedback, no laboratory access, no age limit. The pages read name no country limit. | Research papers, models and prototypes, or creative projects (example headings) | A database of places “to publish, present, or compete” and the chance to apply to present at its Symposium of Rising Scholars; the FAQ says it “does not guarantee publication or publishing outcomes in peer-reviewed journals” | An application, a 30-minute admissions call, then matching with a mentor; no GPA or recommendation letters | From about $3,000 (FAQ, not tied to a named package); 8% added for six monthly instalments | Core Program; FAQ |
| Veritas AI, AI Fellowship | One to one on Zoom; Grades 9 to 12 with Python basics, joining from anywhere. 15 mentor and 4 publication-specialist sessions over 15 weeks, plus the publication timeline. | An independent AI project of the student’s own design; a submission to a journal, competition or showcase; a mentor evaluation | Chosen by the student, mentor and publication specialist. “Publication isn’t guaranteed.” | Applications reviewed on a rolling basis | Not published on the AI Fellowship page | AI Fellowship |
Dollar fees stay in dollars: the rupee cost depends on the exchange rate on the day a family pays. None of the six outside programmes’ pages read mentions tax. No average, range or “cheapest” is drawn from the table.
Which claims in a research programme’s pitch need a second look?
None of these settles a decision alone, but each calls for a written answer:
- publication promised, or implied, without a named journal or competition;
- a venue that charges the student and states no review standard;
- outcome figures in the pitch, such as admissions, acceptance percentages or prizes;
- a mentor or “writing coach” who offers to draft the paper, not comment on it;
- a deadline that asks for payment before the five checks have written answers.
Can a student do research without a programme?
Yes. Much of what a programme sells can be assembled at school. The question can come from schoolwork, such as something a chapter left unexplained. A teacher who knows the subject can be the first mentor, and a school lab or a public dataset can supply the material.
What turns a school project into research is a written method and cited sources (see how to cite sources in a school research paper). A school fair is a first venue, and the nomination route in Table 1 starts at the school. A paid programme can come later, if the student needs a specialist the school cannot offer.
Where One Young India fits
We run programmes in this area, so weigh this section with that in mind.
One Young India’s free Learnacy account drafts in all 15 Writing Studio formats and keeps up to five drafts. Learnacy Essential adds feedback from an AI writing coach and submission to The OYI Review. Learnacy Essential pays for the tools, the courses and the feedback. It never buys acceptance. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. Learnacy Mentorship adds a mentor, in a group and one to one.
The mentorship’s dates are on its programme page. The finished piece may go to the review at the end (how review works). Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed.
Places are “Selected, not first come.” The page lists as “Never part of it”: “Application help or profile plans”, “Letters of recommendation”, “Guaranteed publication”. The application says: “It promises no result: not selection, not publication, not an admission anywhere.”
A small number of scholarships are awarded on merit, on a white paper the student writes; need is not considered, and the page names no award level (Request a scholarship). The next steps are Join an information session and Apply for mentorship.
Our own page leaves a gap on each of the five checks; where it is silent, the table says so.
| Check | Learnacy Mentorship (One Young India) |
|---|---|
| 1. Whose question | The student chooses the question; the piece is the student’s own work, in a format chosen with the mentor. Must the question fit what the student can reach? The page does not state this; ask before paying. |
| 2. Mentor and hours | Each family’s offer names the mentor. A 30-minute one to one every two weeks, eight in all. The mentor’s field, and whether payment waits for the named mentor? The page does not state this; ask before paying. |
| 3. Method and consent | The page lists “Sources, data and interviews, a research plan and an evidence file” for weeks 4 to 7, with written feedback from the student’s mentor at the milestone. Who approves research involving other people, and how consent is taken? The page does not state this; ask before paying. |
| 4. Writing and AI | The student’s own work, with written feedback at the four milestones and an originality check in the writing tools. A rule on AI tools for the piece itself? The page does not state this; ask before paying. |
| 5. Venue and fee | The review, if the student submits; their own mentor never reviews it. A paper can be accepted when it averages at least 4 out of 5, with no criterion below 3, and passes the editorial checks. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed. The page says: “No outside fees, and none to add.” Does it cover competition entry fees? The page does not state this; ask before paying. |
Common questions
Are there free research programs for high school students in India?
Three routes met this page’s rule on 12 November 2026: one through school nomination from Class 6, and two residential summer programmes by application, after Class 10 or in Class 11. Their pages say “cost-free”, answer “fully funded”, or name no fee and give shortlisted students an award. Each selects; none is online.
Are paid research programs worth it?
This page gives no verdict on any programme. The test is whether a programme answers the five checks in writing, and how the answers compare with the free routes and the student’s school. No admissions claim is made here for any programme.
Can a high school student in India join a research program online?
On the pages read, yes: four of the six outside programmes in Table 2 run online and take students from beyond one country, and the other two run online or remotely with no country limit named. Ask each for its session times in IST before applying. None of the free routes in Table 1 is online.
Is a research internship the same as a research program?
The names overlap. One funded route in Table 1 has “Research Internship for School Students” as its page heading, for a guided research project. This page calls any organised route to a research project a programme, and the five checks apply whatever the name.
Sources
- Algoverse AI Research, The AI Research Program, read 12 November 2026.
- Center for Excellence in Education (CEE), Research Science Initiative (RSI) India, read 12 November 2026.
- Department of Science & Technology, Welcome to E-Management of INSPIRE Scheme (INSPIRE-MANAK) and its Frequently Asked Questions, read 12 November 2026.
- ExSTEMplar Education Linkers Foundation, IRIS National Fair (the address opens iris.exstemplar.com), read 12 November 2026.
- Horizon Academic Research Program, Programs (the tuition is in the FAQ on the same page), read 12 November 2026.
- IIT Kharagpur, KRITI Portal: Research and Innovation Summer Experience (RISE), Introduction to Technology, Engineering and Sciences (i-KITES) and the KRITI Portal home page, read 12 November 2026.
- International Baccalaureate, Extended essay, read 12 November 2026.
- Lumiere Education, Programs and FAQS, read 12 November 2026.
- Pioneer Academics, The Pioneer Research Institute and Admission, read 12 November 2026.
- Polygence, Polygence Core Program and Frequently Asked Questions, read 12 November 2026.
- Veritas AI, AI Fellowship, read 12 November 2026.
Related
Write about it
Draft a research paper in the Writing Studio.
The research paper format has a structure guide, a rubric and citation tools. A free account keeps up to five drafts. Learnacy Essential adds feedback from an AI writing coach and submission to The OYI Review.
Parents and teachers: Learnacy Mentorship guides a student through original research of their own, over 18 weeks online, by selection. About the mentorship
Learnacy Essential adds feedback from an AI writing coach and submission to The OYI Review. Publication depends on review and is not guaranteed.