BARC Junior Research Fellowships Recruitment 2026

Eligibility Criteria :

Candidates must be Indian citizens with a good academic record. Applicants should have qualified in at least one national-level examination such as UGC-CSIR NET (JRF only), JEST, ICMR-JRF, ICAR-JRF, DBT-JRF Biotechnology Eligibility Test, GATE (Physics/Chemistry/Life Sciences/Biotechnology), or JGEEBILS.

Candidates should have obtained a minimum of 60% marks in B.Sc. and 55% marks in M.Sc. from a recognized university. Those who have completed a five-year Integrated M.Sc. or B.S.–M.S. (Dual Degree) must have at least 55% aggregate marks. Applicants with a four-year bachelor’s degree (B.S. with fourth-year research) are also eligible if they have secured a minimum of 75% aggregate marks.

Students who have completed their course but are awaiting final results for M.Sc., Integrated M.Sc., B.S.–M.S. (Dual Degree), or B.S. (with fourth-year research) may also apply, provided they meet the required marks up to the previous semester and complete all academic requirements before 10 August 2026.

Eligible qualifications include M.Sc./Integrated M.Sc./B.S.–M.S. (Dual Degree)/B.S. (with fourth-year research) in Physics, Chemistry, or Life Sciences and related disciplines such as Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Genetics, Agriculture, Bioinformatics, Marine Biology, and Food Science, subject to the required subject combinations at the undergraduate level.

However, candidates with certain specializations such as Electronics & Instrumentation, Industrial Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Nanoscience, Nanotechnology, Fisheries, Horticulture, Forestry, Agronomy, Animal Husbandry, Medicine/Medical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Home Science, or B.Tech/M.Tech in Life Science disciplines are not eligible.

All required qualifications must be completed before 10 August 2026, and candidates must produce the necessary documents at the time of joining.

Salary / Stipend :
Selected candidates will initially be appointed as Junior Research Fellows (JRF) and will receive a monthly stipend of ₹37,000 for the first two years. Based on satisfactory performance, the fellowship may be upgraded to Senior Research Fellow (SRF) from the third year with a stipend of ₹42,000 per month.

The total fellowship duration is five years. In addition, candidates will receive a contingency grant of ₹60,000 per year, which includes book allowance. Financial assistance may also be provided to attend one international conference during the PhD programme, subject to institutional rules.

Age Limit :
The maximum age limit is 28 years as on 01 August 2026.

Age Relaxation:
OBC (Non-Creamy Layer): 3 years.
SC / ST: 5 years.
Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD): 10 years.
Age, qualification, and category status will be considered as on 01 August 2026.

Application Fee :
Candidates are required to pay an application fee of ₹500 while submitting the online application. Payment must be made online through net banking, debit card, credit card, or UPI.
Women candidates and applicants belonging to SC, ST, and PwBD categories are exempted from the application fee.
After submitting the application form, candidates must pay the fee using the generated application number through the “Make Payment” option in the portal. Applications without fee payment will be treated as incomplete and rejected. The fee once paid will not be refunded and must be paid before the last date of application submission