ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026: : The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has invited online applications for its Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme for the financial year 2026-2027. Indian scholars can submit applications through the ICSSR website from June 22, 2026, while the last date for online submission is July 21, 2026.The scholarship is open only through the online application process. Applicants must use the prescribed research proposal format available in the application form. Separate research proposals or copies of research papers will not be accepted. Applications can be filled in either English or Hindi, and no hard copies are required.Eligibility criteria for applicantsApplicants must be Indian citizens and must not be more than 45 years of age as on the closing date of application. An age relaxation of five years is available for SC, ST and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities candidates. Applicants must hold a PhD degree at the time of application, and their research ability must be reflected in published work.Applicants must be affiliated to an Indian publicly funded university, deemed university, university with an approved PhD program, an ICSSR research institute, an institution of national importance approved by the Ministry of Education, or a government research institute. The scholarship will be administered through the affiliated institution under the supervision of a serving senior social scientist not below the rank of Associate Professor, subject to ICSSR approval.Direct link to apply online for ICSSR Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026Application and selection processOnly one application can be submitted under the Postdoctoral Fellowship scheme, although applicants can apply separately for other ICSSR schemes. The affiliated institution shall forward applications only to candidates who meet the prescribed eligibility conditions.Applications will be evaluated and interact or present before panels of subject matter experts in several stages. The final recommendations will be placed before the relevant ICSSR committees. Selected applicants and their affiliated institutions will receive provisional award letters upon approval.Scholarship duration and research requirementsThe scholarship is a full-time research commitment for two years with no provision for extension. Selected fellows will receive Rs.31,000 per month with a contingency grant of Rs.25,000 per annum, as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Education.During the scholarship, scholars must publish at least two research papers in peer-reviewed journals related to their research topic and acknowledge ICSSR support. At the end of the term, fellows must submit a final book report, an abstract of 3,000 to 4,000 words, published research papers and a plagiarism report showing a Similarity Index that does not exceed 10 percent.
