The CPRG launched the CPRG-Social Sciences Research Grant in September 2022. This grant was aimed at providing support to young scholars and early career researchers engaged in the disciplines across the humanities and the social sciences. With research grants up to INR 1 lakh, the SSR aimed to bring focus to research on contemporary India and Indian value systems, culture, and history. Those working on research in disciplines such as sociology (caste & other social identities), political science, international relations (historical and contemporary), anthropology and diaspora studies, law and jurisprudence, economics, development studies, environment, gender studies, among others were a focal point of this grant. The primary objective of this grant was to encourage investigation into themes and connections between conventional knowledge systems and connecting them with their current social and political contexts.
Research focusing on Indian value systems, culture, and history (ancient, medieval, and modern) in the humanities and social sciences was also encouraged through the grant. The SSR Grant sought to provide opportunities to Masters, Doctoral and Postdoctoral candidates, with a priority given to those who exhibited a clear propensity to detailed and good scholarly research. Researchers with pre-existing primary funding sources were also encouraged to apply. Applicants were required to submit research proposals along with their CVs, writing samples, and budgetary specifications. The deadline for applications to the SSR grant was on the 30th of November, 2022.
The CPRG-Social Sciences Research Grant, 2022 received around 150 applications. Students and researchers from institutions like the Indian Institute of Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Calcutta, University of California, King’s College London, University of Warsaw, New York University, and University of Chicago, applied for the SSR Grant.