Kothari Fellowship, also known as ‘Dr. D.S. Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme’ is a post-doctoral research fellowship launched by UGC to enable and groom young researchers to pursue an academic or research career. This post-doctoral fellowship gives PhD holders an opportunity to acquire new skills, broaden their horizon and transition into cross-disciplinary areas. Started with the aim to popularise post-doctoral research culture in our country, at least 500 eligible candidates are awarded Kothari Fellowship with the rate of up to INR 46,500 per month and other benefits. The selection process remains open throughout the year for this post-doctoral fellowship which is tenable for a period of up to 3 years for research in the chosen field.

In this article, you will find all the details of the Kothari Fellowship. These details contain award value, eligibility conditions, application process and other important information. Find a brief overview of these details in the table given below.

Brief Overview of Kothari Fellowship

S.No.	Particulars	Details
1.	Award details	A monthly fellowship amount of up to INR 46,500 along with contingency grant, HRA and other benefits
2.	Application period*	Remains open all the year round
3.	Eligibility	PhD degree holders with the upper age limit of 35 years
4.	Application process	Online application submission through the official website of DSKPDF (Dr D. S. Kothari Post-Doctoral Fellowship)

* The application period mentioned above is tentative and may change as per the discretion of the fellowship provider.

Now that you have read the brief account of Kothari Fellowship, it’s time to read the complete details of the post-doctoral fellowship.

Kothari Fellowship – Award

Kothari Fellowship was initiated with the objective to offer a chance to fresh PhD degree holders to overcome the deficiencies in their training at the doctoral level and to explore new avenues of research in better settings in the Indian University Sector. Under this scheme, the selected candidates are provided financial assistance which is paid directly into the beneficiaries account through DBT platform only by Canara Bank. Find the Kothari Fellowship award detail in the table given below.

Award Detail of Kothari Fellowship

S.No.	Particulars	Details
1.	Fellowship amount	A monthly fellowship amount of INR 43,800 is received by the 1st year candidates. The candidates in the 2nd year receive a monthly fellowship amount of INR 45,000. During the last year of the post-doctoral research fellowship, the candidates receive an amount of INR 46,500 per month.
2.	Contingency grant	An annual amount of INR 1 Lakh is provided to the candidates as contingency grant.
3.	HRA (House Rent Allowance)	In case of unavailability of hostel accommodation in the institution, the candidates, applicable HRA as per rules would be paid.

Kothari Fellowship – Application Period

This fellowship is tenable for not more than 3 years in the field chosen by the candidates and can be applied at any time of the year. So basically, the application period of Kothari Fellowship remains open throughout the year. And on being selected, the awardee must join the department and the mentor not later than a period of 6 months from the date of issue of the fellowship award letter.

Kothari Fellowship – Eligibility Criteria

Kothari Fellowship is a post-doctoral research fellowship which is disbursed every year to at least 500 candidates who are PhD degree holders in the field of Science. Under this fellowship scheme, the candidates must identify a Mentor (who is affiliated to a university/institute wherein the Kothari Fellowship is tenable) for research work and obtain the Mentor’s consent for the mentorship. Given below is the details about the eligibility conditions that the applicants must fulfil in order to avail the benefits of the fellowship.

• The applicants must hold a PhD degree in the relevant subject under the Science faculty. Published research work of the candidate is preferable.
• Also, only PhD awarded unemployed candidates are eligible for the fellowship.
• The applicants must be below the age of 35 years. The applicants belonging to the reserved categories of OBC, SC/ST/Women and PwD are eligible for age relaxation of 3, 5 and 10 years, respectively.
• Teachers below the age of 35 years, working on confirmed posts in academic institutes may also apply for this fellowship.

Kothari Fellowship – Application Process

In order to make the application process easy and simple for applicants, UGC allows candidates to apply online through the official website of UGC Dr D S Kothari Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme. The Savitribai Phule Pune University acts as a nodal agency for implementing the online selection process. Find the step by step application guideline about how to apply for Kothari Fellowship.

• First, the applicants need to go to the home page of the website UGC DSKPDF and scroll down to click on ‘Apply’ button.
• Now, the applicants must apply for login and password by clicking on ‘Request for Login & Password for filling the Online Application’. The applicants need to fill the basic information and submit the request form.
• Upon submitting the request form, the candidates receive a system-generated email for email verification. The applicants must follow the instruction given in the email to authenticate the information provided by them.
• After the verification process, the candidates get an email containing the login ID and password within 10 working days of the submission of the request form.
• Now, the candidates need to use the login ID and password to fill the online application form of the Kothari Fellowship. The applicants must complete the application process within 10 days of the issue of login ID and password as they expire after that period.
• The applicants need to upload all the required documents which must not be more than 100 kb size individually in PDF or doc file.
• The applicants must take the printout of their application form and attach all the required documents. Now, this completed application must be sent to the address mentioned below.

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

Note: The applicants must mention their application ID on the envelope.

Kothari Fellowship – Key Documents

There are a few important documents that the candidates must keep ready with while applying for the fellowship. Highlighted below is the list of the key documents that the candidates should have with them.

• D. work summary in the prescribed format
• Concept proposal of the postdoctoral research in the prescribed format
• The CV of the Mentor in the prescribed format
• Certificates of Graduation and Postgraduation
• Certificate as proof of age such as class 10 certificate
• D. Degree Certificate or Certificate by the PhD guide/Registrar of University/Institute
• Original Certificate of Mentor on proper letterhead specifying that he/she is willing to guide the applicant for his/her Postdoc Research work in the prescribed format
• NET/SET Certificate if applicable
• Reserved Category/Physically Handicapped Certificate if applicable

Kothari Fellowship – Contact Details

In case of any query regarding the Kothari Fellowship, the applicants can contact the coordinator through call/email or visit at the address mentioned below:

Address: 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

Phone No.: 020 25601406

Email ID: dskpdf@unipune.ac.in

Also, read ‘MANF – Know All About Maulana Azad National Fellowship’ and ‘RGNF – Know All About Rajiv Gandhi Fellowship’ to know about other research-related fellowships.