KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship

What is the KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship?

Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) runs the Post-Doctoral Fellowship to support Kerala-domiciled researchers in the years immediately after they finish a doctorate. KSCSTE is the apex science and technology body of the Government of Kerala, headquartered at Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram.

The post-doctoral years are the point at which many Indian research careers quietly end. A newly minted PhD has the training but no independent funding, no laboratory of their own and, in Kerala specifically, limited local positions. A funded post-doctoral term at a different institution is what turns a doctorate into a research career, and this fellowship exists to make that term available without the researcher having to leave the state.

According to the KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship page, the fellowship provides a monthly fellowship of Rs 60,000 and an annual contingency grant of Rs 75,000, for a period of up to 2 years, which is explicitly non-extendable.

Key features

• Rs 60,000 per month for a maximum of 2 years.
• Rs 75,000 per year contingency grant for consumables, travel and publication.
• Host institution must differ from the PhD institution.
• Kerala government R&D centres and university departments preferred.
• Not open to anyone who has already held a post-doctoral fellowship.

Across a full two-year term the fellowship is worth Rs 14.4 lakh in stipend plus Rs 1.5 lakh in contingency.

Who is eligible for the KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship?

You can apply if:

• You are a permanent resident of Kerala.
• You hold a PhD in Science or Engineering, and the degree is completed at the time of application, a submitted thesis is not enough.
• You obtained a minimum of 60 per cent in your post-graduate degree.
• You have at least one research paper in an SCI journal, or one secured patent.
• You have identified a host research centre different from your PhD institution, and a scientist there has consented to mentor you.

You cannot apply if:

• You have previously received a post-doctoral fellowship from KSCSTE or from any other agency. This exclusion is absolute.
• Your PhD is not yet awarded.
• Your post-graduate marks fall below 60 per cent.
• You have no SCI publication and no patent.
• You are not a permanent resident of Kerala.
• You propose to work at the same institution where you did your PhD.

Where can the research be carried out?

KSCSTE sets a clear preference order for the host research centre:

1. Government R&D centres and university departments in Kerala, the preferred hosts. This includes the KSCSTE R&D institutions and the state universities.
2. Exceptional institutions outside Kerala. The Indian Institute of Science, the IITs and the IISERs are named as acceptable exceptions.
3. Private R&D institutions — permitted only where they satisfy at least 2 of 4 mandatory requirements laid down by KSCSTE. Applicants proposing a private host must attach the compliance documentation, and this is the route most likely to attract queries during scrutiny.

In every case the host must differ from the doctoral institution.

How to apply for the KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship

1. Identify a host research centre and a scientist mentor who will supervise the work, and confirm the institution is eligible under the preference order above. Obtain written consent from the mentor.
2. Obtain the institutional endorsement from the head of the host institution confirming laboratory space, facilities and administrative support.
3. Write the research proposal. A defined scientific question, methodology, a two-year timeline, expected publications and a budget mapped to the Rs 75,000 annual contingency.
4. Assemble the documents: PhD certificate, post-graduate mark list showing 60 per cent or more, Kerala residence proof, publication or patent evidence, and the applicant declaration in KSCSTE format.
5. Register on submit.kscste.kerala.gov.in, the KSCSTE digital project proposal submission system, and create your applicant account.
6. Complete the Post-Doctoral Fellowship application online and upload every document. Check file formats and size limits before the last day, since portal load rises sharply near the deadline.
7. Submit before the closing date and time, and save the acknowledgement and proposal reference number.

What happens after submission

KSCSTE screens proposals for formal eligibility first: residence, degree, marks, publication and the host institution condition. Proposals clearing that stage go to subject experts, who assess the scientific merit of the plan, the fit between the applicant and the mentor, and the feasibility of the work in the host laboratory within two years.

Selected candidates receive a sanction order routed through the host institution, which administers the fellowship and contingency grant and files utilisation certificates. Fellows are expected to submit progress reports and to acknowledge KSCSTE support in publications arising from the work.

How to check your application status

1. Log in to submit.kscste.kerala.gov.in with your registered credentials and open the proposal record.
2. Keep the proposal reference number from your acknowledgement to hand.
3. Contact the Scientist-in-Charge at jaya.kscste@kerala.gov.in or on +91 471 2548402 for queries the portal cannot answer.
4. Watch kscste.kerala.gov.in/post-doctoral-fellowship/ for result notifications and for the next call.

Why post-doctoral fellowship applications get rejected

• PhD not completed at the date of application. Applicants who have submitted but not defended are ruled out.
• Post-graduate marks below 60 per cent, a hard cut-off with no stated relaxation.
• Same institution as the PhD proposed as host.
• Previously availed a post-doctoral fellowship, including from central agencies such as SERB, UGC or CSIR.
• Private host institution that does not meet 2 of the 4 mandatory requirements, or does not document that it does.
• Missing mentor consent or institutional endorsement, which makes the application incomplete regardless of the applicant's merit.
• No SCI publication and no patent.

Almost every avoidable rejection here is documentary. Applicants who start the mentor and endorsement conversations a month before the deadline rather than a week before it clear scrutiny far more often.

Key dates

The most recently notified cycle closed on 31 December 2025 at 5 p.m., a date that was itself an extension of the original deadline. KSCSTE has extended deadlines in past cycles, but an extension should never be assumed. Each new call is published on the KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship page.

Help and contact

• Scientist-in-Charge: +91 471 2548402
• Email: jaya.kscste@kerala.gov.in
• Address: KSCSTE, Sasthra Bhavan, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695004
• Scheme page: kscste.kerala.gov.in/post-doctoral-fellowship/
• Proposal portal: submit.kscste.kerala.gov.in

There is no application fee for the KSCSTE Post-Doctoral Fellowship, and selection is by expert evaluation alone. No consultant or agent can influence the outcome.