Amala Cancer Research Centre is recognized by University of Calicut and Kerala University of Health Sciences for the Ph.D. programmes in Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology. Interdisciplinary Ph.D. programmes are also possible as per the regulations of the University.

1. A 1-year/ 2-semester masters’’ degree programme after a 4-year/8-semester bachelors’ degree programme or a 2-year/4-semester masters’ degree programme after a 3-year bachelors’ degree programme or qualifications recognized as masters’ degree by the University of Calicut, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of the educational institution.

2. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/ Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the UGC from time to time. The eligibility of the programme should be recommended by the Research Advisory Committee of the concerned Research Centre                                              

3. Candidates who have completed the M.Phil. programme (before 2023)with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institution accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of educational institutions, shall be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. programme. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non- creamy layer)/ Differently-Abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the Commission from time to time.         

4. Candidates who have completed the above mentioned degree in any branch of Life sciences with 60% marks and valid fellowship from agencies including CSIR, UGC, DST-Inspire, ICMR, DBT, KSCSTE etc. can apply for the Ph.D. programme. University of Calicut Ph.D. entrance qualified candidates may also be considered.

• Direct intake:

1. The candidate with above mentioned qualifications should contact the professors to know details about the research programme.
2. The concerned Professor (Full/Assoc/ Asst) will make a decision on student intake depending on the vacancy in the lab and will write a request letter to the Research Director, forwarded by the Coordinator-Academics to publish the Ph.D. vacancy notification and initiate the recruitment process.
3. A selection committee of 4 members (Guide, Chairman, two subject experts) will be constituted by the Research Director .
4. Ph.D. Candidate(s) will be interviewed by the selection committee and a report will be generated
5. The rank list of selected candidates will be published in the web site and Notice board of ACRC.
6. The intake of students interested in pursuing Ph.D. at the Centre will be as per the existing rules and regulations of the University.

• Provision for Ph.D. registration for Project Fellows:

1. If the Project fellow is appointed on the basis of a written test and interview, the Principal Investigator shall issue NOC for Ph.D. Registration.
2.  Project Fellows doing research in University Departments under the PI/ Coordinator/ Co-PI of the project or under a supervisor recommended by the PI/ Coordinator.
3.  If the project work is the subject of the Ph.D. programme under the same PI/ Coordinator, Full time registration may be granted; otherwise, they are eligible for only Part -time Registration.

• Full-time/Part-time Research:

1. Registration may be granted to all resident scholars on full time basis and to regular/permanently employed persons on part-time basis.
2. The Teachers/ academicians/ scientists of the Central/State funded/Grant in Aid institutions in India/ Librarians working in Government/ aided colleges/ employees of the University of Calicut, holding a permanent position there, if they qualify other eligibility criteria, are eligible for admission to Ph.D. programme satisfying the conditions of Clause 2.1 of the Calicut University Research Regulation 2023, may be granted part-time registration.
3. The Principals and teachers of Self-financing Colleges/ Contract/ Guest Lecturers working in Govt./ Aided Colleges/ University Teaching Departments/ School of Distance Education of the University/ Centres run by the University, having at least 12 months of experience and still continuing in service may be granted part-time Ph.D. registration. They have to qualify in the entrance examination for admission to Ph.D. programme. An undertaking from the Principal of the College/ Head of the Department/ Director should be submitted along with the application for part-time research that the Assistant Professor is still in service. In the case of the Principal, the certificate should be from the appointing authority. The candidates are eligible for admission to PhD programme satisfying the conditions of Clause 2.1 of Calicut University Research Regulation 2023.
4. Full-time Ph.D. scholars can convert their mode of research in to part-time consequent to the appointment in a Government/ Aided/ Self-financing institutions/ industry. In such cases, the scholar needs to have successfully completed the course work. Conversion of mode of research can be only done twice during the entire registration period.
5. The candidate for a part-time Ph.D. programme should submit a “No Objection Certificate” from the appropriate authority in the organization where the candidate is employed, clearly stating that: i) The candidate is permitted to pursue studies on a part-time basis. ii) His/her official duties permit him/her to devote sufficient time for research. iii) He/she will be relieved from the duty to complete the course work.
6. Professionals permanently employed in R & D environments in scientific institutions or industries can apply for part time research if they satisfy the conditions of the Clause for eligibility to do Ph.D. Such candidates need to qualify for the Ph.D. Entrance Examination conducted by the University of Calicut.

• Research Advisory Committee and its functions:

1. There shall be a Research Advisory Committee or an equivalent body for a similar purpose as defined in the Statutes/Ordinances of the University for each research scholar.
2. The committee shall consist of:
   Head of the University Department/ Principal of the College/ Director of the Institute in which the Research Centre is located (Chairman)
3. Three subject experts in the same discipline, two from the institution or from a research institute /grant-in-aid institution/ industrial expert from an R & D wing of the industry and one from the related teaching department of the University, nominated by the Chairman from a panel of five experts submitted by the supervising teacher concerned.
4.  Supervising teacher of the research scholar concerned (Convenor) The committee shall have the following responsibilities:

1. To review the research proposal and finalize the topic of research
2. To guide the Ph.D. scholar in developing the study design and methodology of research and identify the course (s) that he/she may have to do
3. To periodically review and assist in the progress of the research work of the Ph.D. scholar 

1. A research scholar shall appear before the Research Advisory Committee once in six months to make a presentation of the progress of his/her work for evaluation and further guidance. The six-monthly progress reports recommended by the Research Advisory Committee shall be forwarded (uploaded in the college portal) to the Directorate of Research with a copy to the research scholar. The term fees will be accepted only upon submission and recommendation of the progress report by the Research Advisory Committee.
2. In case the progress of the research scholar is unsatisfactory, the Research Advisory Committee shall record the reasons for the same and suggest corrective measures. If the research scholar fails to implement these corrective measures, the Research Advisory Committee may recommend to the Director of Research, University of Calicut, with specific reasons for cancellation of the registration of the research scholar.
3. The Research Advisory Committee can comment on the plagiarism report and give its recommendations

• Course Work:

1. The Credit requirement for the Ph.D. coursework is a minimum of 12 credits, including a “Research and Publication Ethics” course as notified by UGC vide D.O. No. F.1- 1/2018(Journal/CARE) in 2019 and a research methodology course. The Research Advisory Committee can also recommend UGC recognized online courses as part of the credit requirements for the Ph.D. programme.
2. A minimum of four credits shall be assigned to one or more courses on Research Methodology which shall cover areas such as quantitative methods, computer applications, research ethics and training, and field work and other areas found relevant to the discipline concerned. Other courses shall be in advanced level areas in the subjects concerned for enabling the students to acquire deep knowledge in the preparation for Ph.D. degree. The candidate undergoing course work has to attend 3 courses, which are Core Course, Elective Course and Research Publication Ethics as detailed below. The scholar should also submit a review of published research in the relevant field which will be evaluated at the time of PQE answer sheet evaluation.
   

   
   

   Name of Course	Credit	Total Training Hours
   Research Methodology	4	96 teaching hours
   Elective Course	4	96 teaching hours
   Research Publication Ethics	2	30 teaching hours
   Review of published research in the relevant field	2(Assessed through Viva at the time of PQE evaluation))

3. Two Course works shall be scheduled in a year viz. from 1st January to 30th June and from 1st of July to 31st of December.
4. All courses prescribed for Ph.D. course work shall be in conformity with the credit hour instructional requirements and shall specify the content, instructional and assessment methods duly approved by the Chairperson, Board of Studies concerned or the RAC.
5. The Department where the scholar pursues research shall prescribe the course(s), based on the recommendations of the Research Advisory Committee, as stipulated under sub-clause 7.1 below, of the Research Scholar. The Elective course should be designed by the supervisor and approved by the RAC. The concerned research scholar may be taken into confidence while preparing the syllabus.
6. Scholars admitted to the Ph.D. programmes shall be required to complete the course work prescribed by the Department during the initial one or two years.
7. Scholars already holding M. Phil. degree and admitted to the Ph.D. programme, or those who have already completed the course work in M.Phil. and have been permitted to proceed to the Ph.D. course, shall be exempted by the Department from the Ph.D. course work papers of Core Course and Elective Course, upon the specific recommendation of the Research Advisory Committee. Recommendation of the Research Advisory Committee in this matter needs to be clear and specific as to whether the candidate's M.Phil. degree is regular or whether the candidate has cleared both the Course Work and Research Methodology in the relevant area of Ph.D. research. If the candidate has cleared only Research Methodology, the candidate has to pass a separate examination for the required paper (elective paper) conducted by the University. All other candidates admitted to the Ph.D. programme shall be required to complete the Ph.D. course work prescribed by the Department.
8. Grades or marks obtained in the Preliminary qualifying examinations (PQE), including research methodology courses, shall be finalized after a combined assessment by the Research Advisory Committee and at least one external examiner (outside the Research Centre), and the final grades shall be communicated to the University.
9. A Ph.D. scholar must obtain a minimum of 55% marks or its equivalent grade in the UGC 10-point scale in the PQE to be eligible to continue in the programme and submit his or her thesis.
10. All Ph.D. scholars, irrespective of discipline, shall be required to train in teaching/education/pedagogy/writing related to their chosen Ph.D. subject during their doctoral period. Ph.D. scholars may also be assigned up to maximum of 4 hours per week of teaching /research assistantship for conducting tutorial or laboratory work and evaluations.

• Leave:

1. During the period of research, a full-time scholar can avail Duty Leave from his/her centre, for data collection/ analytical study/consultation with external experts. The candidate shall submit the report immediately after returning from duty leave. Only the recommendation of the supervising teacher is necessary for granting duty leave. The duration of the duty leave can be decided by the Supervising teacher.
2.  Maximum period of Leave (fragments or continuously on solid reasons) during the whole period of research shall be one month (31 days) with fellowship, beyond which, two more months shall be granted without fellowship.
3. All kinds of leaves (casual/medical) to the Research Scholar may be granted by the Head of the Department/Head of RRC (maximum 15 days), Registrar/DoR (up to one month) or Vice Chancellor (beyond one month). All kinds of leave (casual/medical) shall be duly recommended by the Research Guide and forwarded by the Head of Departments/Institutes/Principal of Colleges (in the case of research centres in affiliated colleges) to the Directorate of Research.
4. Maternity/Paternity leave shall be granted by the HoD/HoI of RRC concerned to the Scholar; as per rules in vogue, with intimation to the DoR. This kind of leave can be availed once during the entire period research.
5. Part-time research scholars should have a minimum attendance of 60 days per year with a minimum of 3 days/month including holidays.
6. A Ph.D. candidate is allowed to take a maximum of 30 days of casual leave a year (or as mentioned in the regulations of external funding agencies, as the case may be) besides the holidays prescribed by the University, and they are not entitled to claim any other vacations like Onam, Christmas, and Summer, etc. Women and transgender candidates can claim menstrual leave as per the university norms. No single period of casual leave shall exceed 15 days including holidays.
7. The HoD/HoI of the Research Centre shall maintain the attendance and leave registers, of all the research scholars.

• De-registration:

A scholar, through his/her supervisor, can submit an application to the Research Advisory Committee for de-registration after two years from the date of his/her registration to the programme citing valid reason(s), subject to the following

1. If satisfied with the reason(s) for de-registration, the Research Advisory Committee may recommend de-registration of the scholar to the Directorate of Research. The Vice Chancellor shall approve the orders to de-register the scholar.
2. The scholar who has been granted an extension will not be allowed to de-register.
3.  A de-registered scholar may apply for re-registration, in the requisite format, the concerned Research Advisory Committee, after payment of a re-registration fee prescribed by the Syndicate.
4. The re-registered scholar has to submit his/her thesis within one year of re- registration.
5. The total research period including de-registration and re-registration shall not exceed 10 years subject to clause 3.2 U.O.No. 3098/2024/Admn Dated, Calicut University.P.O, 22.02.2024. Otherwise, the scholar's admission in the programme shall automatically stand cancelled.
6. The scholar shall not pay the requisite Ph.D. semester fee during the de-registered period.
7. The candidate should have completed his/her Course work before de-registration.
8. Vacancy will arise under the research supervisor on de-registration of Ph.D. scholar working under his/her supervision.
9. The candidate should have cleared all pending dues before de-registration, failing which he/she shall not be eligible for re-registration.
10. A re-registered scholar shall be treated over and above the set ceiling for Professor/Associate professor/Assistant Professor as mentioned in Clause 5.4 of 2022 Regulations.
11. In cases where the supervising teacher has retired when the candidate is re- registered, a joint-guide should be appointed by the RAC for the period of re- registration.
12. De-registered candidates after re-registration are not eligible for fellowship during the re-registered period.

• Evaluation and Assessment Methods, minimum standards/credits for award of the degree:

1. The Ph.D. Scholar shall, upon satisfactory completion of course work and obtaining the grade prescribed in sub-clause 6.8 above, be required to undertake the research work and produce a draft thesis within a reasonable time, as stipulated by the University based on these Regulations.
2. The scholar shall make a pre-submission presentation of the thesis in the Department. Pre-submission presentation shall be open to all faculty members and research scholars/students, and the feedback and comments obtained from the participants may be suitably incorporated into the draft thesis, as advised by the RAC. The scholars who have qualified Ph.D. course work are permitted to have pre- submission presentation before the completion of three years but can submit the thesis only after the completion of three years from the date of registration.
3. Title of research: The research scholars may work on the topic approved by the Research Advisory Committee and the specific title of the research work should be finalized by the Supervising Teacher before the pre-submission presentation.
4.  Ph.D. scholars shall publish at least one research paper in UGC CARE listed journal, and make two paper presentations in conferences/seminars, recognized by the Department Council concerned, before the submission of the thesis for adjudication and produce evidence for the same in the form of presentation certificates and reprints. In areas/disciplines where there are no or only limited number of UGC CARE listed journals, the journals can be from the Calicut University Post graduate board of studies approved listed of journals.
5. The thesis submitted for adjudication shall contain an undertaking from the research scholar and a certificate from the Research Supervisor attesting to the originality of the work, vouching that there is no plagiarism using the software approved by the UGC/University and that the work has not been submitted for the award of any other degree/diploma of the University or to any other Institution. However, for subjects where plagiarism check software is not available, manual check by the Research Advisory Committee may be done. A two page abstract of the thesis should be included in the thesis.
6. The thesis for Ph.D. submitted for adjudication, shall be evaluated by the respective Research Supervisor and two External Examiners, who are not in employment of the University, of whom one examiner may be from outside the state/country. However, for the subject of Malayalam the condition that one examiner may be from outside the state/country may not be insisted upon.
7. The two External Examiners for evaluation of Ph.D. thesis shall be appointed by the Vice Chancellor from among the panel of ten experts, out of which five of them may be from outside Kerala. Assistant Professors who have successfully guided doctoral candidate with a minimum of 7 years of experience, and who are actively involved in research may be included in the panel submitted by the supervising teacher, giving consideration to the specialization in the topic of study.
8. The thesis shall be sent to another External Examiner, contained in the approved panel of examiners, in case the evaluation report of one of the External Examiners is unsatisfactory and does not recommend for conduct of the viva-voce.

• Open defence and Viva Voce:

1.  Public viva voce ,based on the observations given in the evaluation report, shall be conducted by a Board consisting of one of the External Examiners from one among the examiners who evaluated the thesis, nominated by the Head of the Department/Principal of the college/Head of the Institute in consultation with the Supervising teacher, as Chairperson, and the Research Supervisor and Head of the Research Centre as members.
2. Open defence of the research scholar to defend the thesis shall be conducted only if the recommendations in the evaluation report(s) of the External Examiner(s) on the thesis submitted in the format specified by the University for the purpose, is/are satisfactory and specific recommendation for conduct of the viva-voce is made.
3. Open defence shall be open to all faculty members of the Department, research scholars and interested experts/researchers/students. The Viva board may decide on conducting a closed or open viva voce.
4.  Open defence in respect of scholars referred to in Clause 8.7 of these Regulations, shall be held only if the recommendation in the report of the third External Examiner is satisfactory.
5.  The University shall formulate appropriate methods, to complete the entire process of evaluation of thesis for Ph.D. within a period of six months from the date of submission of the thesis/dissertation.

ACRC is one of the pioneer institutes in India that started research programmes focusing on Cancer. ACRC has already generated more than 110 Ph.Ds and most of them are recruited by prestigious and high-profile institutions worldwide.

As per the University norms.

The Ph.D. programme shall be for a minimum duration of three years, including coursework and a maximum of six years from the date of admission.