ICSSR Post-Doctoral Fellowship
Ministry of Education
The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) offers Postdoctoral Fellowships to encourage original and quality research by young and mid-career scholars in the field of social sciences. It is designed for researchers who have just finished their Ph.D. in advanced social science research.
What you get
- Monthly Fellowship amount @ Rs.31,000 per month
- Contingency Grant @ Rs.20,000 per annum
- API points as per the UGC Guidelines in force at the point of time
- Institutional overhead (7.5%) – supports the hosting institution.
Who can apply
- The applicant must be an Indian citizen.
- Must be under 45 years of age (5-year relaxation for SC/ST/PwD).
- Must possess a Ph.D. in a social science discipline.
- Must have demonstrable research competence via publications.
- Must affiliate with a public-funded Indian institution approved for Ph.D.
- Must have a supervisor who is a serving faculty (Associate Professor or above).
- Applicant must not be a defaulter of any ICSSR grant/project/fellowship.
Who cannot apply
- Those who are not fulfilling the edibility criteria.
How to apply
Online
Step 01: Visit ICSSR website - www.icssr.org - and navigate to Fellowships section. Step 02: Click on Post-Doctoral Fellowship Scheme. Step 03: Register/Login to the ICSSR portal. Step 04: Fill the online application form. Step 05: Upload documents and submit.
Details
This scheme is open to Indian citizens under the age of 45 who hold a Ph.D. and have demonstrated research ability through earlier publications. All candidates must be affiliated with a Ministry of Education or UGC-recognized public-funded Indian university, and a senior faculty member (not less than an Associate Professor) from the same institution must supervise their study. The fellowship offers a ₹31,000 monthly grant and ₹20,000 annual contingency grant for a period of two years. The applications for the fellowship are invited through advertising on the ICSSR website and social media platforms. The scheme covers a wide range of disciplines under the discipline of social sciences, with 26 major areas including priority research topics. In addition to conducting full-time research, fellows are expected to provide progress updates on a regular basis and publish at least two research publications in reputable journals. The final submission includes published articles, audited financial data, summaries, and a book-length report. Given India's social science ecosystem, it seeks to promote research excellence, evidence-based research, and scholarship that is also relevant to policymakers.