ICSSR Yuva Shodh Pratibha Scheme: Youth and Decolonisation 
(Empowering the students of Four Year Undergraduate Programme under NEP 2020)

On the 58th Foundation Day of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), 12th May 2026, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Union Minister for Education launched Yuva Shodh Pratibha Scheme (YSPS) – a special initiative for undergraduate students under NEP 2020. In alignment with the Panch Pran (Five Resolves), ICSSR is providing research opportunities to the 4th year undergraduate students under NEP 2020. The broad theme for the Call for Research Proposals under the ICSSR–YSPS for the year 2026–27 is “Youth and Decolonisation".

Dedicated to Undergraduate students, the ICSSR Yuva Shodh Pratibha Scheme (ICSSR-YSPS) invites students enrolled in Four-Year Undergraduate Programmes under NEP 2020 to develop research projects on the themes and sub-themes identified by ICSSR, with the objective of decolonising knowledge, promoting theoretical and critical inquiry in interdisciplinary areas of research, and challenging Eurocentric models of knowledge production and research.

The ICSSR-YSPS aims to encourage students to develop interpretative methodologies and critical skills to decolonise dominant colonial knowledge systems, terminologies, vocabularies, and structures through Bharatiya perspectives, local experiences, contextual realities, and Indian intellectual traditions, in order to upscale original thinking and context-based knowledge production.

Students shall develop competencies by incorporating real-life social experiences and knowledge existing in folk and socio-cultural traditions to formulate inclusive and contextually grounded knowledge and research.

In the process, the key outcome of ICSSR-YSPS is to develop a generation of thinkers in the social sciences and humanities who are original, rooted in Bharatiya traditions of thought, and capable of producing creative solutions for societal benefits and realizing the goal of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. In the process it is expected that the intellectual and research landscape of the nation shall outgrow the residues of colonialism.

The underlying principle of ICSSR-YSPS is that the spirit of enquiry and research obtains maximum expected outcomes when pursued and carried out in collaboration with peers. By formulating questions and building methodologies based on shared ideas and context-based methods, the young researchers would understand and experience the value of collective thinking and shared endeavours to solve societal problems and overcome challenges. ICSSR calls upon young scholars to demonstrate the spirit of teamwork. The project team may comprise (at least) two or three students from the same institution. The team shall be led by one student, designated as the Lead Researcher, along with Researcher–1 and Researcher–2, as the case may be. In other words, if the team comprises two members, the applicant will be the Lead Researcher and the other student will be Researcher–1; whereas, if the team comprises three members, the applicant will be the Lead Researcher and the other two students will be Researcher–1 and Researcher–2, respectively.

The project shall be conducted under the guidance, supervision, and mentorship of a regular faculty member of the affiliating institution. The research proposal submitted by the team of students should provide a comprehensive and analytical assessment of the identified theme(s) and sub-theme(s). The mentor faculty member and the institution shall be responsible for ensuring that the project funds are utilized in accordance with the guidelines of ICSSR.

The duration of the project shall be eight months, and financial support given for each research project selected for the award shall be up to INR 3.00 lakh. Students in the sixth and seventh semesters of UG may apply. However, students shall be considered eligible for the award who present documented evidence of registration under Four-Year Undergraduate Programmes under NEP 2020.