Tagore National Scholarship for Cultural Research (TNFCR)

What is the Tagore National Scholarship for Cultural Research?

The Tagore National Scholarship for Cultural Research is one of two awards under the Ministry of Culture's Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research (TNFCR) scheme. According to the Ministry of Culture guidelines, the scheme was introduced to "invigorate and revitalize" cultural institutions by encouraging scholars and academicians to affiliate with them and work on research projects that unlock the institutions' unexplored resources: their manuscripts, artefacts, antiquities, records and collections.

The scheme has two tiers. The Tagore National Fellowship is the higher honour, for scholars of legend-level standing, paying Rs 80,000 per month. The Tagore National Scholarship is for accomplished but earlier-stage scholars, and for young artists and performers; paying an honorarium of Rs 50,000 per month. A selected scholar or fellow attaches to a designated "nodal institution" and works there on a project of mutual interest.

Key features

• Honorarium of Rs 50,000 per month for scholars; Rs 80,000 per month for fellows.
• Up to 25 scholarships and 15 fellowships are awarded in a year.
• Tenure of up to two years, extendable in exceptional cases (without pay).
• Open to both Indian and foreign nationals (foreigners capped at about one-third of fellowships).
• The scholar must work at and with the nodal institution.

Who is eligible for the Tagore National Scholarship?

Scholarship tier, who can apply

• A scholar with good academic credentials: at least one publication; either a book or a research paper in a reputed journal.
• Two years of research or teaching experience.
• Young artists and performers are expressly encouraged to apply for the scholarship.

Fellowship tier, who can apply

• Scholars who have made a significant contribution to knowledge, with at least two single-authored monographs and preferably five years of experience in conducting/guiding research or in performing/other arts.
• The guidelines describe the ideal fellow as someone who "has already become a 'legend' in his area of work," and advise those who do not come near that description not to apply for the fellowship.

Who cannot apply

• Employees of the nodal institution to which the applicant seeks attachment are not eligible to apply for the fellowship or scholarship at that institution.
• Members of the selection committees (the Institution Level Search-cum-Screening Committee, ILSSC, and the National Selection Committee, NSC) cannot apply while they serve on the board.
• Scholars who have substantial commitments elsewhere and cannot be present at the nodal institution for the major part of the tenure are advised not to apply; those unable to stay in the town where the institution is located will not normally be considered (unless the research does not require constant presence).

How much does the Tagore National Scholarship pay?

According to the guidelines:

• Scholarship honorarium: Rs 50,000 per month. However, a scholar serving in a University, College, Research Institute or Government set-up in India draws the same pay (including grade pay) he/she would have received in the parent organisation, with the employer's mandatory Provident Fund contribution paid by that parent organisation.
• Fellowship honorarium: Rs 80,000 per month for a fellow from abroad, from a non-academic/non-government set-up, or who has retired and is on pension; an in-service Indian fellow similarly draws parent-organisation pay.
• No honorarium is normally paid to a fellow already receiving full funding from other sources up to the honorarium level, but such a fellow still gets the contingency grant and allowances.

Contingency grant

• Scholars under non-Ministry institutions may receive a contingency grant on an actuals basis up to a ceiling of Rs 10,000 per month.
• Fellows under non-Ministry institutions may be reimbursed contingent expenses (academic trips, research assistants and the like) up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum.
• Foreign and India-abroad scholars/fellows under non-Ministry institutions get to-and-fro economy airfare reimbursed once during the tenure.

For fellows and scholars under Ministry of Culture institutions, this expenditure is borne by the concerned institution from its grant-in-aid.

Which institutions can a scholar work at?

Nodal (participating) institutions are grouped into four areas of specialisation:

• Group A — Archaeology, Antiquities, Museums & Galleries: e.g. Archaeological Survey of India, National Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art, Indian Museum (Kolkata), Salar Jung Museum (Hyderabad), and non-Ministry institutions such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Mumbai).
• Group B; Archives, Libraries and General Scholarship: e.g. National Archives of India, National Library (Kolkata), Rampur Raza Library, Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library (Patna), and institutions like the Asiatic Society (Mumbai) and Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (Pune).
• Group C, Anthropology & Sociology: e.g. Anthropological Survey of India, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya (Bhopal) and the Zonal Cultural Centres.
• Group D; Crafts, Performing/Visual/Literary Arts: e.g. Sangeet Natak Akademi, National School of Drama, Kalakshetra Foundation (Chennai), Sahitya Akademi, and JNU's School of Arts & Aesthetics.

The subject of research should be one that can be usefully pursued with the resources of the chosen nodal institution, and the project outcome must benefit that institution.

What documents are required?

How to apply for the Tagore National Scholarship

Unlike institutional schemes, here the individual scholar applies.

1. Watch for the advertisement. The Ministry of Culture and the concerned institution advertise the scheme in national and regional newspapers and on their websites, and disseminate it through professional associations.
2. Choose a nodal institution from the list (Appendix B) whose resources match your proposed research, and frame a project that uses that institution's collections.
3. Prepare your application. The application form, a research proposal per Appendix A, a write-up on how the work benefits the nodal institution, your publication record, proof of experience, and a declaration that you will complete the tenure if selected.
4. Submit directly to the concerned nodal institution within the timeline given in the advertisement.
5. Screening and selection, the institution's ILSSC shortlists worthy applications and forwards up to six to the National Selection Committee (NSC), which makes the final recommendation. A nodal institution can be awarded one fellowship and one scholarship, or a maximum of two scholarships, in a year.

The scheme also allows search and invitation: the institution or NSC may suo-motu invite eminent scholars to submit a proposal, so selection is not limited to those who answer the advertisement.

How many awards are given, and for how long?

The scheme envisages granting up to 15 Fellowships and 25 Scholarships in a year. Each nodal institution can be awarded one Fellowship and one Scholarship, or a maximum of two Scholarships, per year (the Ministry may relax these numbers at its discretion). The tenure is up to two years; an extension of up to one further year may be recommended in exceptional cases, but no remuneration, including the contingency grant, is payable during an extension.

Help and where to verify details

The scheme guidelines, application form, advertisement and a contact-details sheet are published on the Ministry of Culture website under Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research, and the scheme is listed on the national myScheme portal. The Ministry has not published a general toll-free helpline for this scheme; the guidelines direct applicants to the nodal institution they choose, and a scheme-specific contact-details sheet is available on the Ministry page. Because deadlines are set per advertisement and can differ by institution, applicants should confirm the current cycle's timeline directly with the nodal institution before applying.