The SHAKTI Scholars: NCW Young Research Fellowship is a new initiative by the National Commission for Women to provide grants to young researchers who wish to work on policy-related research pertaining to women's rights, safety, and empowerment in India. It offers a short-term research grant and a national platform to contribute directly to evidence-based policymaking on women-centric issues.
Objective and Focus of the Fellowship
The basic objective of the SHAKTI Scholars Fellowship is to support rigorous, practical research that can provide solutions to real problems faced by women across India. NCW aims to utilize these research outputs towards informing policies, programmes, and advocacy on the safety, dignity, justice, and economic participation of women.
In particular, the fellowship encourages policy-oriented work rather than exclusively theoretical studies to make sure that recommendations can be taken up by governments, institutions, and civil society.
Key Thematic Areas of Research
Fellows must work on contemporary and critical issues affecting women's lives, including but not limited to:
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Women's safety, dignity, and gender-based violence
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Access to legal rights, mechanisms of justice and court processes
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Cybersecurity and safety of women and girls online
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Effective implementation of the Prevention of Sexual Harassment framework in workspaces
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Women's leadership, political participation, and representation
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Health, Nutrition, and Access to Essential Services
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Education, skills development and employability
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Economic empowerment and women's labour-force participation
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Socio-cultural norms, unpaid care work and work–life balance
These broad themes allow applicants coming from law, social sciences, gender studies, public policy, technology, health, and related fields to devise relevant projects.
Eligibility Criteria and Target Group
The fellowship focuses on young Indian researchers at an early stage in their careers. Key eligibility conditions are given below:
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Citizenship: The candidate must be an Indian citizen.
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Age: Applicants should be between 21 and 30 years of age at the time of application.
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Education: A minimum of a bachelor's degree from a recognized institution is required; applicants pursuing or in possession of postgraduate or higher research degrees are preferred.
Those having considerable experience in research, yet are not currently enrolled in a formal program. This is a design that ensures both students and early-career independent scholars can apply.
Grant Amount, Duration and Selection Process
Each selected SHAKTI Scholar gets a grant of ₹1 lakh for six months of research.
The amount is released in installments linked to the progress of the work, thus incentivizing the Scholar to complete the milestones well within time in a structured way-a proposal approval, mid-term progress, and final report submission.
Application forms submitted only through email to NCW before the Due Date (in this cycle: 5:30 PM on December 31st) will be considered. After screening, the applications go before an expert committee, following which short-listed candidates are invited for an online interview as part of the final selection process.
Wider NCW Initiatives and Significance
SHAKTI Scholars Fellowship further complements NCW's larger effort towards women's rights, launching a 24×7 helpline 14490 to help women in distress. By funding young researchers, NCW endeavors to create a pipeline of evidence-based ideas and policy solutions that are rooted in field realities and a gender-sensitive perspective. The fellowship is, therefore, not only a financial grant but also a structured opportunity to engage with a national institution, contribute to women-centric policy debates, and strengthen the ecosystem for gender-focused research in India.
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