Deadline: 21-Oct-2025
The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) supports and encourages Ph.D. scholars to pursue their doctoral research in social and human sciences by awarding Doctoral Fellowships for innovative research proposals with the potential to add path-breaking contributions to the existing body of knowledge.
The priority areas are Economics, Prosperity/Development Studies, Management, Commerce, Sociology/Social Work, Social Anthropology, Culture Studies, Sanskrit Studies, Socio Philosophical Studies, Sociolinguistics, Gender Studies, Health Studies/Public Health, Political Science, International Relations/Geopolitics, Public Administration, Diaspora Studies, National Security and Strategic Studies, Education and Skilling. Research Proposals that span across disciplinary boundaries also fall within the areas of the Council’s interest.
The value of the Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship is Rs. 20,000 per month along with Rs. 20,000 per annum as contingency grant, with a total duration of two years. The Short-Term Fellowship is for six months or until thesis submission, whichever is earlier, and the Contingency Grant is a one-time award of Rs. 62,500.
The Doctoral Fellowships are open to Indian research scholars registered for Ph.D. in UGC recognized universities, deemed-to-be universities, colleges with approved Ph.D. programmes, institutes of national importance as defined by MoE/UGC, and ICSSR Research Institutes. Applicants must be full-time bonafide Ph.D. students with confirmed registration and approval of their topic by the statutory body of their institution. Candidates should not be more than 40 years of age on the last date of application, with relaxations for reserved categories. A minimum of 55% marks in post-graduation is required, with UGC NET qualification being mandatory, although a small percentage of fellowships may be awarded to non-NET candidates whose proposals are rated outstanding by experts. Preference will be given to PhD Students pursuing research in the priority areas of the ICSSR.
Applicants who have already availed major fellowships such as UGC JRF, RGNF, MANF, ICSSR, ICAR, CSIR, ICPR, ICMR, ICHR, or JNMF are not eligible to apply. However, those drawing UGC Non-NET Fellowship may apply. The schemes include Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship, Institutional Full-Term Doctoral Fellowship, Short-Term Doctoral Fellowship, and a Contingency Grant for advanced-stage research scholars.
Fellows are expected to stay and work full-time at their affiliating institution, with limited teaching hours allowed. They must submit progress reports, thesis submission certificates, and a soft copy of their thesis along with a summary. ICSSR follows plagiarism guidelines and requires a similarity index report at the time of thesis submission. Institutions are expected to provide research infrastructure, manage accounts, and ensure timely release of fellowship funds to scholars. The deadline for application is 21 October 2025.
For more information, visit ICSSR.