AcSIR PhD Admission January 2027: Apply by 31 October

AcSIR – the Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research – has issued its admission notice for the January 2027 session. The academy admits PhD students for its member institutes, and the last date to apply is 31 October 2026. Applications are made online through the AcSIR admission portal.

AcSIR is an institution of national importance set up by an Act of Parliament and is the degree-awarding body for 78 research institutes – including 38 CSIR laboratories, 28 ICMR institutes and 5 institutes under the Department of Science and Technology. If you want to do a PhD at a CSIR or ICMR laboratory, this is the admission route you apply through.

AcSIR PhD admission for the January 2027 session with a last date to apply of 31 October 2026

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AcSIR PhD admission January 2027: quick facts

Quick facts2026-27

Scholarship from	Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) – PhD admission for the January 2027 session at its member CSIR, ICMR and DST institutes, with the candidate’s own national JRF/SRF fellowship
Last date to apply	31 October 2026 (online application on the AcSIR admission portal)
Official website	AcSIR admissions portal (official website)

Go to official website

What is AcSIR and which institutes does it cover?

AcSIR describes itself as an overarching academic institution encompassing 78 prestigious research institutes – 38 institutes of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), 28 institutes of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and 5 institutes under the Department of Science and Technology (DST), among others. Students admitted through AcSIR are registered at one of these institutes and the PhD degree is awarded by the academy, so the same admission notice governs PhD entry at CSIR laboratories such as CSIR-CDRI Lucknow, CSIR-CCMB Hyderabad and CSIR-IGIB Delhi.

Programmes on offer in the January 2027 session

Ph.D. (Science) in Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Physical Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, and Mathematical & Information Sciences.
Ph.D. (Medical Research).
Ph.D. (Engineering).
IDDP (M.Tech + PhD in Engineering) – the Integrated Dual Degree Programme.
CSIR GATE/GPAT Junior Research Fellowships at CSIR institutes for the IDDP and PhD programmes.
Joint PhD programmes (cotutelle mode) with international universities, for candidates who want a jointly supervised doctorate.

Eligibility for AcSIR PhD admission

AcSIR sets the common framework, but the exact academic bar is fixed by each member institute, so read the individual institute’s admission page as well as the AcSIR notice. The institute-level rules published by CSIR-CDRI, Lucknow – a CSIR institute that admits through AcSIR – are a good example of what to expect:

Qualifying degree: a master’s degree in science with a minimum of 55% marks (without rounding off) or an equivalent grade for General (UR) and General-EWS candidates, and a minimum of 50% marks for OBC (NCL), SC, ST, third gender and Persons with Disability (PwD) candidates.
Entry through a national fellowship: the applicant should have a valid and tenable national-level fellowship – a JRF or SRF from agencies such as CSIR, ICMR, UGC, DBT or DST – or an equivalent fellowship such as DBT-BET, INSPIRE or RGNF.
Entry as project staff: candidates employed as project assistants in a sanctioned R&D project at the institute for at least one year can apply with prior permission, as per the institute’s rules.

For the CSIR GATE/GPAT Junior Research Fellowship route, a valid GATE or GPAT score is the qualifying requirement, and the fellowships are tenable at CSIR institutes for the IDDP and PhD programmes.

Fellowship and funding

AcSIR itself does not pay a stipend – students join with a national fellowship such as a CSIR, ICMR, UGC, DBT or DST JRF or SRF, DBT-BET, INSPIRE or RGNF.
Candidates applying under the CSIR GATE/GPAT Junior Research Fellowship route at CSIR institutes receive the fellowship under that route.
Admission is provisional on production of valid score cards or fellowship letters, and is confirmed after the final fellowship award letter is received.
Reservation of seats is as per Government of India rules.

How to apply for AcSIR PhD admission January 2027

Open the AcSIR admission portal at acsir.res.in/admissions and register for the January 2027 session.
Choose the member institute and the programme – Ph.D. (Science), Ph.D. (Medical Research), Ph.D. (Engineering) or the IDDP – that you want to apply for.
Upload your qualifying degree certificates and mark sheets, your national fellowship or score card (CSIR, ICMR, UGC, DBT, DST JRF/SRF, DBT-BET, INSPIRE, RGNF, GATE or GPAT as applicable) and the other documents the institute asks for.
Submit the application before 31 October 2026. After the applications are screened, an assessment committee evaluates them and selected candidates are invited for an interview.
Carry your original score card or fellowship letter to the interview – provisional admission is confirmed only after the final fellowship award letter is produced.

Important dates

Admission notice for the January 2027 session: issued by AcSIR.
Last date to apply: 31 October 2026.
Session: January 2027 (AcSIR admits for sessions starting in January and August).

AcSIR PhD admission January 2027: frequently asked questions

What is the last date for AcSIR PhD admission for the January 2027 session?

The last date to apply is 31 October 2026, as stated in the AcSIR admission notice for the January 2027 session. Applications are submitted online through the AcSIR admission portal at acsir.res.in/admissions.

Does AcSIR pay a PhD stipend?

AcSIR is the degree-awarding academy and does not pay a stipend of its own. Students join with a valid and tenable national-level fellowship such as a CSIR, ICMR, UGC, DBT or DST JRF or SRF, or an equivalent fellowship like DBT-BET, INSPIRE or RGNF. There is also a CSIR GATE/GPAT Junior Research Fellowship route at CSIR institutes for the IDDP and PhD programmes.

Which institutes can I do an AcSIR PhD at?

AcSIR encompasses 78 research institutes, including 38 CSIR institutes, 28 ICMR institutes and 5 institutes under the Department of Science and Technology. You choose the member institute and programme when you apply.

What is the minimum percentage required for AcSIR PhD admission?

The academic bar is set by each member institute. At CSIR-CDRI, for example, the qualifying master’s degree in science needs a minimum of 55% marks (without rounding off) for General and General-EWS candidates and 50% marks for OBC (NCL), SC, ST, third gender and PwD candidates.

What is IDDP in the AcSIR admission notice?

IDDP is the Integrated Dual Degree Programme – M.Tech plus PhD in Engineering. It is offered alongside the PhD programmes, and CSIR GATE/GPAT Junior Research Fellowships at CSIR institutes are available for both the IDDP and the PhD programmes.

Can I do a joint PhD with a foreign university through AcSIR?

Yes. The admission notice lists opportunities for Joint PhD Programmes in cotutelle mode with international universities, which allow a jointly supervised doctorate.