Homi Bhabha Fellowship — Fellowship

The Homi Bhabha Fellowships Council supports people who have already established themselves in their work and want to take a serious project further. The Council selects fellows with the help of an Advisory Board and committees of consultants and specialists, and those chosen are between 30 and 45 years old. Fields are unrestricted: fellows have included scientists, engineers, agronomists, architects, educationists, historians, social scientists, writers, artists and administrators.

Degree study such as a PhD falls outside the scheme, which funds advanced work by people who have finished their academic or institutional training. Fellows may work on their own or inside an institution, whichever suits the project. The Council is based at the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Nariman Point, Mumbai.

Benefits & funding

₹40,000 per month for a fellow who is not in full-time employment.
₹20,000 per month for a fellow who stays in a full-time job.
Tenure of one to two years; the nature and length of each award vary with the case.
Backing for study, research, travel and practical training in service of the project.
Freedom to base the work independently or at a suitable institution.

Eligibility

Age 30 to 45.
A record of successful practice in the applicant’s own field after completing academic or institutional training.
Support and recommendation from a recognised institution or a person of eminence in the field, which the Council normally expects.
Any field of human endeavour qualifies, including administration, agronomy, architecture, art, education, engineering, industry, literature and science.
Projects aimed at a further degree, such as a PhD, or at training alone do not qualify.
A Homi Bhabha Fellowship cannot as a rule be held at the same time as another fellowship or similar scheme of financial assistance.
The Council publishes no citizenship or residency condition.
The Council’s Senior Award and Group Award categories are closed to applications, so the fellowship is the open route.

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Age requirement
30–45 yrs

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Application process

1
Download the application form from the Council’s Download Form page, available as PDF, DOC or DOCX.
2
Fill in the project details: field of activity, a concise description of the work, where you plan to base it, and the period you need.
3
Complete the personal and career sections: education, grants and fellowships held, current research projects, memberships of professional bodies, and positions held.
4
Prepare the supplementary statements: previous accomplishments, a list of publications, exhibitions, performances or patents, and the project proposal itself.
5
Write the proposal so a referee outside the field can judge it, with a critical overview of the relevant literature, the methodology and the expected outcome.
6
List up to four referees; statements by referees are treated as confidential.
7
Declare any other fellowship or funding applied for that covers the same project or period.
8
Send the completed form to the Hon. Executive Director and email the supplementary statements to hbfc1966@gmail.com.
9
Shortlisted applicants go through screening, interviewing and testing by the Council or its committees.

Program timeline

Year-round
applications accepted on an ongoing basis; the Council publishes no annual deadline.
After submission
screening, interviewing and testing by the Council or its committees.
On award
the fellowship runs between one and two years, with dates set case by case.
Diamond Jubilee Celebration of the Homi Bhabha Fellowships Council.
18-19 December 2026