Bengaluru’s Kasturirangan Trust opens 2027 research fellowship

The Kasturirangan Trust has launched in Bengaluru and opened nominations for its first fellowship, which will award six researchers a one-time ₹4 lakh grant towards research costs.

The trust is named after Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan, a former ISRO chairman and Rajya Sabha member. The trust said it will work across four areas: space and technology, education, sustainability, and public policy. It plans to support research through scholarships, grants, conferences, book writing and scientific curation, working with institutions in India and abroad.

For the Kasturirangan Fellowship 2027, applicants must have submitted their PhD thesis between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2026. Their research must connect more than one of the trust’s four focus areas and have a practical application. Fellows will also receive mentorship, attend two workshops each year to present their work, and join a peer community.

In its first year, the trust said nominations must come from leading universities or from a group of eminent individuals who knew Kasturirangan. Nominations opened on October 27 and close on December 31. The trust plans to announce the six fellows on April 25, 2027.