Each year, through an open call for proposals, the Foundation will advertise the Fellowship. There would be five categories of Fellowship themes each year: Ancient Indian History, Medieval Indian History, Modern Indian History, Freedom Movement & Post-Independence Indian History.

Open to Indian nationals only, including those staying outside India, the Fellowship involves a total grant of Rs. 15 Lakhs, payable as instalments on the completion of milestones by the Fellows. The commitment from the selected Fellows is to bring out a publish-worthy manuscript at the end of the Fellowship period.

Criteria for application is demonstrated and proven competence in research and writing skills. A Graduate Degree is the minimum requirement & a Masters/ Ph.D is an added plus. A degree in history alone is not mandatory, but certainly a bonus. In exceptional cases, these could be waived off in favour of a meritorious candidate. While submitting your proposal, please feel free to detail out the scope of the intended research, additional knowledge that this would add to the discipline, the themes that it will envisage and a structured road-map of the literature review, research methodology, writing, leading towards publication.

The shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by an esteemed jury and then the 5 awards made. The decision of the jury is final. During the course of the year, the 5 Fellows will receive a stipend of Rs 15 Lakhs, along with mentoring, onboarding workshops on research methodology, writing skills and so on.

Specific milestones will be there during the Fellowship and disbursal of stipend will be dependent on deliveries at those fixed milestones. Periodically a Fund Utilization report and also progress report on status of research & writing need to be given. A seminar on findings by the mid-year mark and an Annual Conference at the end of the Fellowship to present findings will be conducted. Thus, each year a new cohort of Fellows will join the emerging group of scholars in Indian history.

At the end of the Fellowship (with a maximum grace period of 4 months for any exceptional needs on prior permission), the Fellows will make ready a publish-worthy manuscript whose copyright they will hold. The Foundation will make best efforts to get the manuscript published, though the Fellows are also free to publish their manuscripts themselves. A copy of the research material will be made available to the Foundation for its archival purposes.