Eligible candidates can submit their applications through the official ICSSR website. ICSSR Senior Fellowship 2026-27: The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) has invited applications from Indian scholars for its Senior Fellowship Scheme for 2026-27. The application window opened on October 21, and the deadline for submission is November 20.
Applicants are advised to read the detailed guidelines carefully before applying and submit their applications well before the deadline to avoid a last-minute rush.
The recommendations of the Expert Committees will be placed before the relevant ICSSR committees for consideration and approval.
ICSSR Senior Fellowship 2026-27: The research undertaken by Senior Fellows is expected to contribute to national development by providing evidence-based solutions to current and future challenges across different fields.
Applicants should not attach a separate research proposal. Applications can be submitted in either English or Hindi. Candidates submitting applications in Hindi must use the Arial or Mangal Unicode font for the Devanagari script. The Council has directed affiliating institutions to forward applications only from candidates who meet the minimum eligibility criteria specified in the detailed guidelines for ICSSR fellowship schemes. To be eligible for the Senior Fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria: The ICSSR Expert Committees reserve the right to convert a fellowship proposal into a project proposal. The fellowship selection process involves evaluating applications and conducting interactions or presentations with panels of subject experts across multiple phases. The list of selected candidates will be published on the official ICSSR website. Only selected candidates and their affiliating universities will be informed individually through a provisional award letter specifying the formalities and documents required to join the fellowship. The Senior Fellowship is a full-time research engagement. The fellowship will be awarded for two years, with no extension permitted. The fellowship offers the following financial assistance: The fellowship amount will be governed by the Ministry of Education’s directives issued from time to time. Under salary protection, a fellow is entitled to the salary and allowances admissible under the applicable rules, along with the contingency grant. However, special allowances and benefits, including children’s education allowance, medical reimbursement, and leave travel concession (LTC), are not admissible from the ICSSR. The parent institution may pay or reimburse these expenses in accordance with its rules. The ICSSR will also pay the leave salary and pension contributions, or contributions towards the Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) and gratuity, for the period during which the fellow holds the fellowship, in accordance with the rules of the parent institution. The Senior Fellowship is intended for senior Indian researchers who have made significant contributions to the social sciences through research projects and publications. These may include books published by reputed publishers and research papers published in peer-reviewed journals with a high impact factor. The research undertaken by Senior Fellows is expected to contribute to national development by providing evidence-based solutions to current and future challenges across different fields.
The research proposal must be submitted only in the format provided with the application form, according to the official notification.
