India Research Scholar
The India Research Corps is a platform for students looking to pursue on-ground research and deliver valuable insights that can be used for real-world decision making.
Upon completion of the research, the student becomes an India Research Scholar and will join the alumni group.
Based on the area of specialisation, selected students are matched to research questions that are relevant to their field of study. It is important that students applying to this programme have an orientation towards solving problems. Our research seeks to find answers to questions that pose challenges for organisations. Each of these questions represents a ‘fork in the road’ and the answer delivered might direct the organisation in one direction or the other. Being mindful of this and helping them find solutions is a critical component of the research.
This Scholarship is a full-time engagement with a monthly stipend that is paid to students. The duration of the engagement can vary between six months and nine months, depending on the research question being pursued.
Students can use this research work as their master’s thesis. PhD scholars can use this work to build towards their thesis.
Student from any university in the world may apply to this programme.
Eligibility to Apply
- Any student pursuing a master’s degree in engineering, public policy, or social sciences can apply to become an India Research Scholar.
- PhD Scholars interested in research that seeks to solve on-ground challenges can also apply to the programme.
- The programme is ideal for 2nd-year Master’s or 3rd-year PhD students who have finished their coursework, since significant fieldwork might be involved.
- Willingness to travel to the field location in India where the research needs to be undertaken.
Student Workflow
Workflow Description
Literature Review – The student will be expected to look at past research on related topics and study their methodology as well as outcomes. This will help set the baseline and also understand what could be improved upon. A literature review is essential to undertaking good-quality research.
Upskilling – All scholars in the cohort spend a week building their research design, data collection, and communication skills. During this stage, you could also study tools or methods that may be new to you and understand how you can adopt the same for your research.
Research Design – The host organisation will identify an internal or external mentor who can review the research design. The scholar will document this in an inception report and present it to the reviewers.
Field Research – The scholar conducts the field research, adhering to the methodology agreed upon and documented in the inception report. The scholar then analyses the data to answer the question posed by the client.
Communication – Once the analysis is completed, the host will spend time with the student to review the final thesis outline and ensure that the arguments are clear and comprehensively answer the research question.
Capstone Presentation – The students present the results to the client to close the programme.