The Sarai-Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) Independent Fellowships allow time for individuals in India from diverse backgrounds to either begin or continue research into specific aspects of media and urban culture and society, broadly and creatively defined, and to also think carefully and rigourously about the various public forms in which their research might be rendered. The Sarai-CSDS is also interested in using the materials generated through the research to continue to build up their thematic archive of research on the city. Finally, these fellowships aim to spark, overlap and allow access to newly emerging research networks across disciplines, academic and non-academic institutions, organisations, practices, geographical locations and professional backgrounds.

For administrative purposes, applicants of these fellowships are required to be resident in India, and to have an account in any bank operating in India; however, they do not require the fellows to be resident at Sarai-CSDS. Applications can be sent in Hindi or in English and the final research work and presentation can also be in either Hindi, English, or a combination of the two languages.

The research fellowship for 2007 will run from March 2007 to the end of October 2007, with a final workshop that all fellows are expected to attend. It will award up to Rs 70,000 during this period.

Proposals from teams, partnerships, collectives and faculty are welcome, as long as the grant amount is administered by and through a single individual, and the funds are deposited in a single bank account in the name of an individual, partnership, registered body or institutional entity.

Sarai is a programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), Delhi. The Sarai Programme at CSDS was initiated in 2000 as a platform for discursive and creative collaboration between theorists, researchers and practitioners actively engaged in reflecting on contemporary urban spaces in South Asia - their politics, built form, ecology, culture and history - as well as on the histories, practices and politics of information and communication technologies, the public domain and media forms.

Click here for more information about these fellowships and the application process.

English proposals should be postmarked on or before Tuesday, October 31 2006; Hindi proposals should be postmarked on or before Monday, November 13 2006.