ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026: The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has invited online applications for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program for the financial year 2026-2027. Indian scholars can submit applications through the ICSSR website from June 22, 2026, and the last date for online submission is July 21, 2026.This scholarship is open through an online application process only. Applicants must use the research proposal format specified in the application form. Individual research proposals or copies of research papers will not be accepted. The application can be filled in English or Hindi and no hard copy is required.Applicant Eligibility CriteriaApplicants must be Indian citizens and must not be more than 45 years of age on the closing date of application. Five years of age relaxation is available for SC, ST and benchmark disabled candidates. Candidates must hold a PhD at the time of application and their research abilities should be reflected through published work.Applicants must be affiliated with an Indian public university, a deemed university, a college with an approved PhD program, an ICSSR institute, an institution of national importance approved by the Ministry of Education, or a government research institution. The fellowship will be administered through an affiliated institution under the supervision of a working senior social scientist of not less than the rank of associate professor, subject to approval by the ICSSR.Direct link to apply online for ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026Application and selection processAlthough candidates may apply individually to other ICSSR programs, only one application may be submitted for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The affiliated institution can forward applications only to candidates who meet the prescribed eligibility criteria.Applications will be evaluated, interacted or presented in front of a panel of subject matter experts at multiple stages. Final recommendations will be submitted to the relevant ICSR committee. Selected candidates and their affiliates will receive provisional award letters upon approval.Scholarship Duration and Research RequirementsThe scholarship is for two years of full-time study with no provision for extension. As per the directives of the Ministry of Education, the selected fellows will receive a monthly support of Rs 31,000 and an annual contingency grant of Rs 25,000.During the fellowship, scholars must publish at least two research papers related to their research topic in peer-reviewed journals and acknowledge the support of the ICSSR. At the end of their term, fellows must submit a book-length final report, an abstract of 3,000 to 4,000 words, the published research paper, and a plagiarism report with a similarity index of no more than 10%.
