ICAR International Fellowship 2026 offers 30 three-year PhD fellowships in agriculture and allied sciences. Indian researchers can pursue doctoral research at identified universities abroad, while overseas researchers can study at eligible Indian Agricultural Universities. The application deadline is September 25, 2026.
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has invited applications for the Netaji Subhas-ICAR International Fellowship 2026, a doctoral fellowship programme aimed at researchers working in agriculture and allied sciences.
The programme will support 30 PhD fellowships for three years. Indian candidates can undertake doctoral research at identified overseas universities and institutions, while overseas candidates can pursue PhD research at eligible Indian Agricultural Universities in the ICAR-AU system.
ICAR International Fellowship 2026: Quick facts
- Number of fellowships: 30
- Level: PhD
- Duration: 3 years
- Minimum qualification: Master’s degree in agriculture/allied sciences
- Minimum academic requirement: 6.60/10 OGPA or 65%
- Fresh candidate age limit: 35 years
- In-service candidate age limit: 40 years
- Indian fellows abroad: US$2,000 per month
- Overseas fellows in India: ₹40,000 per month
- Application deadline: September 25, 2026
- Application email: adg.hrd.applications@gmail.com
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What is the Netaji Subhas-ICAR International Fellowship?
The Netaji Subhas-ICAR International Fellowship (NS-ICAR IF) supports doctoral research in identified priority areas of agriculture and allied sciences.
The programme has a two-way international research model. Indian researchers can go to identified overseas institutions, while overseas researchers can come to eligible Indian agricultural universities.
Who can apply for ICAR International Fellowship 2026?
Candidates must have a Master’s degree in agriculture or allied sciences. The minimum academic requirement is:
- 6.60 out of 10.0 OGPA, or
- 65% marks, or equivalent.
Age limit: For the 2026 fellowship:
- Fresh candidates: Maximum 35 years on the application deadline.
- In-service candidates: Maximum 40 years on the application deadline.
OTHER RESEARCH STORIES:
What research areas are covered?
Crop sciences: Priority areas include crop stress tolerance, pest management, seed science, molecular breeding, genomics, phenomics, remote sensing, drought and salinity tolerance, genome-wide association studies, high-throughput genotyping and genome editing. The list also includes single-cell genomics, single-cell metabolomics, genetic engineering and genomic selection.
Horticulture: Research areas include fruit-tree breeding, gene silencing and RNAi, DNA barcoding, GIS and remote sensing, pest and disease forecasting, agri-waste utilisation, organic farming and mechanisation in horticulture.
Biotechnology and nanotechnology: The programme covers:
- Molecular breeding
- Gene knock-down technology
- Marker-assisted selection
- Transgenic technology
- Biofortification
- Bioremediation
- Stem-cell research
- Nutri-genomics
- Nanotechnology in agriculture
- Nano-biosensors
- Metagenomics
- Genome-wide association mapping
- DNA-based diagnostics
- Plant immunity and disease resistance
Animal sciences: Priority areas include veterinary health, animal biotechnology, molecular diagnostics, recombinant vaccines, functional foods, biosecurity, dairy production and processing, animal health and next-generation gene sequencing.
Climate change and natural resource management: The fellowship also covers research on climate-change impacts, adaptation and mitigation, soil carbon sequestration, methane mitigation, agroforestry, water footprints, soil and water conservation, AI/ML for natural-resource management, geospatial tools, sensor-based irrigation and precision nutrient management.
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Which universities can Indian researchers choose?
The 2026 ICAR document lists 83 overseas universities and institutions:
- Cornell University
- Purdue University
- University of California
- University of Manchester
- University of Exeter
- University of British Columbia
- McGill University
- Wageningen University
- University of Tokyo
- University of Queensland
- Australian National University
- University of Melbourne
- University of Freiburg
- Monash University
- University of ZurichTechnion – Israel Institute of Technology
- University of Otago
- National University of Singapore
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Which Indian universities are included?
Overseas applicants can pursue their PhD at eligible Indian Agricultural Universities in the ICAR-AU system, including: - Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi
- Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai
- Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly
- National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal
- Banaras Hindu University
- Visva-Bharati University
- Central Agricultural University, Imphal
- Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University, Pusa
- It also includes State Agricultural Universities across several Indian states.
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