The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) is receiving applications for the Direct Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) 2026.
The fellowship is designed to provide research opportunities to eligible candidates who wish to pursue full-time research in universities, and recognised industrial research organisations.
Candidates can submit their applications online through the CSIR-HRDG application portal by September 17, 2026. The fellowship is available only to Indian citizens.
| Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Fellowship | Direct Senior Research Fellowship (SRF) |
| Organisation | Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) |
| Recruiting Group | Human Resource Development Group (HRDG) |
| Advertisement No. | 2026/DirectSRF/1 |
| Advertisement Date | August 14, 2026 |
| Application Start Date | August 18, 2026 |
| Application Last Date | September 17, 2026 |
| Monthly Fellowship | ₹42,000 |
| Contingent Grant | Up to ₹20,000 per year |
| Initial Tenure | Up to 2 years |
| Possible Extension | Up to 1 additional year, subject to assessment |
| Maximum Age | 32 years |
| Application Mode | Online |
| Application Fee | No application fee |
| Official Application Portal | srfra.csirhrdg.res.in |
CSIR Direct SRF 2026 Eligibility
M.Sc./ B.E./ B.Tech. or equivalent degree with at least 55% marks and one publication in SCI Journal and should have completed at least two years of post-M.Sc./ B.E./ B.Tech. research experience.
or
M.Tech./ M.E. or equivalent degree in engineering/ technology with at least 60% marks.
or
B.Pharm./ B.V.Sc./ B.Sc. (Ag) or equivalent degree with at least 55% marks and one publication in SCI Journal and should have completed at least three years of research experience.
Note: Those who have been awarded Ph.D./ M.D./ M.S./ MDS degrees or have submitted their thesis for the award of Ph.D./ M.D./ M.S./ MDS degrees are not eligible for the position of SRF.
The maximum age for the Direct Senior Research Fellow position is 32 years as on September 17, 2026.
Selection Process
CSIR will shortlist candidates based on their academic record, research experience, research publications and assessment of the proposed research work.
Shortlisted candidates will be called for interviews.
Documents Required
Applicants should keep the required documents ready before starting the online application. The notification lists the following documents:
- Recent photograph
- Signature
- Date-of-birth proof
- Qualifying degree and grade-to-percentage conversion certificate, if applicable
- PhD registration/submission/award proof
- Caste certificate, where applicable
- PwD certificate, where applicable
- Research experience certificate, including fellowship office orders
- Undertaking for employed candidates, where applicable
- Signed declaration and undertaking by the candidate, supervisor and Head of Institution
- Research proposal
- First pages of up to three best research papers in a single PDF, where applicable
Important Dates
| Advertisement Date | August 14, 2026 |
| Online Application Starts | August 18, 2026 |
| Online Application Closes | September 17, 2026 |
Download Official Notification (PDF)