Kothari Fellowship

The Kothari fellowship invites applications from PhD degree holders within 35 years aspiring to pursue a career in research or academics. Kothari fellowship, also popularly known as the Dr D.S. Kothari postdoctoral fellowship scheme, is run by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under the Government of India. The UGC recognises and awards a minimum of 500 postdoctoral candidates every year.

The selected students will receive up to INR 46,500 monthly and additional benefits. The Kothari fellowship programme runs for up to three years. The UGC accepts applications for the Kothari fellowship throughout the year. The Kothari fellowship application for 2023 still needs to be updated. However, the expected date for 2023 will be declared soon.

Table of Contents

• Eligibility Criteria
• Rewards 
• How to Apply?
• Essential Documents
• Contact Details

Eligibility Criteria of Kothari Fellowship

The Kothari fellowship programme awards deserving candidates with a PhD degree in the science discipline, including engineering and medicine. Those who have submitted their PhD thesis are also eligible to apply for the programme. However, the Kothari fellowship programme will recognise the fellows with a PhD degree as postdoctoral fellows. Those who are yet to formally receive the PhD degree will be awarded the bridging fellowship. The eligibility criteria of the Kothari fellowship programme are as follows:

• The candidates should be unemployed with a PhD degree in science, engineering or medicine.
• The programme will prefer candidates with published research work to their credit. 
• The Kothari fellowship programme also accepts teachers. However, they should hold a confirmed post in an educational institution.
• The applicants should not be over 35 years of age. However, the Kothari fellowship programme provides age relaxation to candidates belonging to the reserved categories as per the government regulations.

Tabulated below are age relaxation followed in the Kothari fellowship programme:

Rewards of Kothari Fellowship

UGC had launched the Kothari fellowship to encourage students to pursue research work in India. Besides monetary benefits, the programme will enable the fellows to broaden their horizons and explore new research avenues. The duration of the DS Kothari fellowship is three years.

They also offer a fellowship amount and other rewards to the selected candidates. However, the Kothari fellowship amount will differ for candidates with a PhD degree and those who are yet to formally receive a PhD degree. Listed below are the details of the Kothari fellowship rewards:

• The selected fellows will receive a contingency grant of INR 1,00,000 per annum.
• Additionally, they will also receive an HRA allowance as per the norms if they cannot find hostel accomodation on the campus.
• The postdoctoral fellows will receive a consolidated amount each month. However, the amount will vary according to the years in the programme.

Tabulated below are the details of the DS Kothari fellowship amount for each year:

How to Apply for the Kothari Fellowship?

Eligible candidates can apply to Dr Kothari postdoctoral fellowship online through the official UGC website. Savitribai Phule Pune University, in coordination with the UGC, implements the online selection process. The applicants should request a login ID and password before applying for the Kothari fellowship. Mentioned below are the stepwise procedure to apply for the Kothari fellowship:

Step 1: The applicants should visit the official UGC DSKPDF (University Grants Commission - Dr D. S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship) website.

Step 2: Next, they should click on the apply online button available on the homepage.

Step 3: The candidates should obtain a login ID and password by clicking on the link request for login and password for filling the UGC-DSKPDF online application form.

Step 4: After clicking on the link, they should fill in the form to obtain the UGC Kothari fellowship credentials. 

Step 5: The applicants will receive an email. They should click on the link given in the mail to complete the email verification process.

Step 6: Next, they will receive a mail with the Kothari fellowship login credentials on their registered email ID within seven days of their request.

Step 7: After receiving the login credentials, the candidates should click on the link uploading the UGC-DSKPDF online application using the received login and password.

Note: The Kothari fellowship login credentials are valid only for ten days. Hence, the applicants should submit the DS Kothari fellowship application form within ten days after receiving the login credentials.

Step 8: Next, they should provide their registered email ID, login ID and password.

Step 9: Now, the applicants should fill in the application form and upload the required documents.

Step 10: Lastly, they should take a printout of the DS Kothari fellowship application form, enclose it in an envelope with copies of the essential documents to support their candidature. They should mention their application ID on the envelope and post it to:

The National Coordinator, Dr D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Cell, C/o Interdisciplinary School of Scientific Computing, Savitribai Phule Pune University, Ganeshkhind Post Office, Pune 411 007, India.

Essential Documents for Kothari Fellowship

The candidates should upload all the necessary documents while filling up the application form. They should ensure the documents are in the PDF or doc file format, not exceeding 100 KB. Additionally, they should attach the photocopies of the documents and send them by post to the national coordinator of the Kothari fellowship. Listed below are the essential documents required for the Kothari fellowship:

• Age proof
• Caste certificate (if applicable)
• Academic certificates
• PhD work summary 
• Research proposal
• Mentor's CV
• Mentor's willingness to guide the student in the postdoctoral research on a letterhead
• Certificate from a PhD guide or registrar of an institution (for candidates who have not officially received a PhD degree yet)
• NET/ SET certificate (if applicable)

Contact Details of Kothari Fellowship

In case of any queries regarding the Kothari fellowship, the candidates can get in touch with the DSKPDF cell. The contact details are as follows:

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