NPEI Dissertation Fieldwork Fellowship

The New Political Economy Initiative at Indian Institute of Technology Bombay is opening up this biannual call for the NPEI Dissertation Fieldwork Fellowship to support fieldwork-oriented doctoral or thesis work of the candidates enrolled in Indian universities and whose research advances our understanding of the Indian economy.

This competitive fellowship encourages field-based, interdisciplinary research that challenges disciplinary boundaries while remaining grounded in studying economic phenomena. This fellowship hopes to enable innovative projects that bring in rigorous field methods to shed light on economic processes, dynamics, institutions, and transformations in contemporary India.

Fellowship Award

The maximum award is INR 200,000. Fellowship amount is are nonrenewable. There is no limit to the duration of the fellowship, and applicants may request funding to cover distinct research phases (for example, two summers) if this is part of the research design. Support from the New Political Economy Initiative does not include funds to cover institutional overhead or any fees related to the administration or supervision of our grants and fellowships.

Application Cycle and Deadline

This is a rolling fellowship call. It will take up to 4 months to complete the review process and arrive at a final decision. The application link will be active twice a year as per the following schedule:

• 1st October to 30th November (for project start dates between July 1 and December 31 of the following year)
• 1st April to 31st May (for project start dates between January 1 and June 30 of the following year)

Candidates are requested to calculate it for themselves and apply for a cycle that leaves enough room in case of any unforeseen delays.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program or a research master’s programme (where submission of a dissertation is compulsory for successful completion of the degree) in an Indian University. Qualified students of any nationality or institutional affiliation within India may apply. However, the geographical location of the “field” should be in India.

Applicants must designate a dissertation advisor (from their university), as part of their application. This person will take responsibility for supervising the project that has been selected for the fellowship and will be contacted for due diligence purposes by the selection and the evaluation committee.

To receive an award, applicants must fulfill all of their program’s degree requirements, other than the dissertation/thesis, before the start date listed on their application form. Successful applicants must provide proof from their department that they have completed all the necessary coursework and exams. Applicants must have an approved research proposal from their department or be at an advanced stage of doctoral candidacy.

Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply. As part of their resubmission, they must explain how they have addressed the reviewers’ concerns, along with any changes to their plans.

By definition, these proposals have to come from individuals. Co-authored proposals are not eligible.

Evaluation Criteria

Our reviewers assess the quality of the proposed research and its potential contribution to the mandate of the New Political Economy Initiative and its research clusters.  Before starting the application, we advise all applicants to go through our website to understand our work. Your application must have a clear articulation of this focus.

As is clear from the name of the fellowship, we are actively looking for projects that have a very clear field component. For the purpose of this fellowship, we are not interested in primarily statistical exercises as an end and means to answer the research question. We encourage applicants to trespass the boundaries of the methods and questions defined by their disciplines and submit novel proposals.

Reviewers reserve the right to ask for clarifications and forward suggestions for resubmission. However, the applicants (along with their advisor at the university) can make a decision for such updates in the proposal.

We expect applicants to draw inspiration from a broad range of scholarship (here is a non-exhaustive list of examples: [1] [2] [3] [4]). The fellowship will support applications ONLY when it is clearly grounded in economic concerns such as, but not limited to, price formation, firm organisation, efficiency and productivity, sectoral dynamics, supply-chain analysis etc. Our assumption is that these economic dynamics are always embedded in society and therefore can only be studied through a combination of field-based and data-based methods. This fellowship is to encourage field-based methods for the same.

Successful proposals will have the following features:

• A well-defined research question
• A detailed description of the evidence that will be sought, with detailed literature review
• A feasible plan for gathering and analyzing this evidence, a committed timeline with an elaboration of each phase
• A discussion of the applicant’s qualifications to carry out the research
• A compelling account of the project’s potential to demystify a segment of the economy, an economic phenomenon, dynamic, or institution
• A budget estimate for the usage of the fellowship

Application Process

Use this application [currently inactive] form to submit an application, before submitting, please read the instructions below.

General information about you and your project

• A full research proposal as approved by your university processes
• Answers a few questions about your project
• A detailed Plan A budget (Best-case scenario)
• A detailed Plan B budget (Worst-case scenario)
• A bibliography relevant to your proposed project.

Please do not send any other materials beyond what the application requests. If your application is successful, we will request copies of all relevant materials when we notify you of your award. We will ask you to submit permits and permissions required for the proposed project within a stipulated deadline.

Applications must be in English. Applicants must complete the application in full, any segment left unfilled, will lead to disqualification. To help candidates, all fields are marked as required.

We have a strict policy against the use of Generative AI. Any reflection of its usage for the substance of your proposal will lead to disqualification.

Requirements from successful candidates at the end of the support

• Submit the financial report and complete the accounts settlement for the support provided along with a detailed narrative report
• Submit at least 4 public facing articles as contribution to our blog series “Notes from the field”
• Submit a short article (1800-2000 words) that briefly summarizes your thesis
• All outputs that come out of this support should acknowledge the support from New Political Economy Initiative
• Candidates can become part of the network that the New Political Economy Initiative is building and actively choose to contribute to an existing piece of work or project. This does not necessarily imply taking up paid roles
• Successful submission of the dissertation at the university

The precise guidelines will be communicated to selected applications at the start of the fellowship.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Who is eligible to apply?
   Students enrolled in a doctoral program or a research master’s program (with a dissertation requirement) in an Indian university. Students of any nationality may apply, but the research field must be within India.
2. Can I apply if I have not yet completed my coursework or comprehensive exams?
   No. Applicants must complete all requirements other than the dissertation before the project start date, and provide departmental proof when asked to produce the same.
3. Can co-authored proposals be submitted?
   No. Like you can’t submit a  PhD or Master’s dissertation co-authored with a peer, you should not submit collective proposals for this fellowship.  Only individual proposals are eligible.
4. How much funding can I receive?
   The maximum award is INR 200,000. Fellowship are nonrenewable. Applicants may request funding for distinct phases (e.g., two summers) if justified in the research design.
5. Can I use this fellowship to travel for a conference?
   This support is explicitly limited to fieldwork support. We do not support travel for a conference.
6. Can the fellowship cover institutional overheads or supervision fees?
   No. The fellowship covers only research-related fieldwork expenses. The payment will be made directly to the candidate making a proposal in their personal bank account.
7. How long does the review process take?
   The review process typically takes 4–5 months. Applicants should plan their timelines accordingly.
8. What are the language and submission requirements?
   Applications must be submitted in English, in full, via our application form. Incomplete applications will be disqualified.
9. Can I use AI tools like ChatGPT and others to draft my proposal?
   Sure, if you want to be disqualified.