Punyashloka Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Special Call for Women-Led Research on Women-Led Development (India)

The rationales behind the call is to foreground the diverse experiences of women across regions, sectors, cultures and time periods. By recognizing their unique contributions to socio-economic, political and cultural lives, the call aims to highlight the critical role women play in advancing sustainable development.

This Special Call is to support women researchers to undertake study and document women’s experiences, leadership, and active role as the core focus in conducting research and developing insight and generate critical outcomes. The applicant should design and develop their proposals with an emphasis on women voices, lived experiences, community mapping, participatory rural appraisal (PRA) etc., in order to produce evidence-based research outcomes.

Areas of Research 

• The applicants applying for the Call shall explore the Women-Led development in the following areas of research:
  • Women-Led Social and Political Development (Documentation)
  • Economic Development, Financial Inclusion, and Entrepreneurship
  • Science, Technology, and Innovation
  • Climate Action, Environmental Sustainability, and Resilience
  • Media, Arts, Sports, and Cultural Influence
  • Education, Skill Development, and Inclusive Social Growth
  • Regional Development and Grassroots Leadership
  • Women in the Informal and Unorganized Sectors
  • Women in Leadership, Decision-Making, and Political Participation
  • Health, Well-being, and Gender-Sensitive Healthcare Systems
  • Preserving Heritage: Culture Ethics and Linguistic Traditions
  • International Relations, Business, and Corporate Leadership
  • Defense, Security, and Strategic Affairs
  • Women’s Role in Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
  • Women and Digital Transformation: Bridging the Gender Gap in Tech
  • Philanthropy, and Community Service
  • Work-Life Balance: Challenges, Solutions, and Policy Interventions

Funding Information

• The grant awarded under this call will be of value upto INR 25 Lakhs.
• Duration: The duration of the research shall be of 12 months.

Eligibility Criteria 

• This Special Call is exclusively for women researchers. Therefore, only women are eligible to apply as Project Director or Co-Project Director.
• Women Researchers who are permanently employed or retired as faculty from UGC Recognized Indian Universities/Deemed to be Universities/Affiliated Colleges/Institutions under (2) F or 12(B), ICSSR Research Institutes, ICSSR Recognised Institutes and Institutes of National Importance as defined by the Ministry of Education (MoE) are eligible to apply. Applicants from these institutions should have substantial research experience demonstrable through publications of books /research papers/reports. The Project Director and Co-Project Directors must also hold a Ph.D. Degree and belong to the field of Social and Human Sciences.
• In exceptional cases, Independent researchers with PhD degrees in Social and Human Sciences, who are not affiliated permanently with any institution mentioned in Clause 2.1 but have produced at least two sole-author books published by reputed publishers and/or 05 articles in peer-reviewed journals can also be considered as Co-Project Directors (Only Women).
• Further, those researchers with PhD degrees who are in contractual appointment in academic/research institutions mentioned in Clause 2.1 and have produced at least two sole-author books published by reputed publishers and/or 05 articles in peer-reviewed journals may also apply as Co-Project Directors.

Application Requirements 

• Applicants must submit an online application, including the research proposal, annexures, and other required documents, in the prescribed format.
• Research proposals should either be in English or Hindi. Arial/Mangal Unicode (Devanagari) font should be used to fill Application form in Hindi.
• Researchers may apply for only one project at a time. Multiple applications by the same applicant, including those submitted under modified names or with different titles, will result in rejection.

For more information, visit ICSSR.