About Us

The Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), was established as an autonomous organisation in 1969, by the Ministry of Education (now known as the Ministry of Human Resource Development), Government of India. The primary objective of the ICSSR is to promote and fund research in the social sciences. Regional Centres were set up in the early days for the promotion of the objectives and activities of the ICSSR in the regions. The Eastern Regional Centre (ERC), established in Calcutta (at 10, Lake Terrace, Calcutta - 700 029) with the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta (CSSSC) as its host institution, started functioning from 1973. In May, 2012 the office of the ERC was shifted from 10, Lake Terrace, Kolkata - 700 029 to its new building at 1/R1, Baishnabghata Patuli Township, Kolkata - 700 094. The ERC covers the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal along with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

  OBJECTIVES:

To provide a platform for the social scientists of the region to come together for promotion of social science research.

To serve as a nodal point for promoting interaction between social scientists of the region with national and international communities of social scientists.

  ACTIVITIES:
  • To sanction Study Grants to scholars from the eastern region to visit libraries in India for short periods for their research.
  • To maintain collections of books and periodicals in the social sciences.
  • To undertake publication and assist publication of journals and books in social sciences.
  • To support bibliographical work especially in regional languages.
  • To organize and support conferences / seminars / workshops in the region.
  • To grant partial financial support for research projects conducted in the region.
  • To assist the visiting foreign scholars, invited by the ICSSR under Cultural Exchange Programme.
  • To maintain a guest house for visiting scholars.
  DISCIPLINES CONSIDERED FOR FUNDING:

The proposals for the academic activities should fall in one of the following social science disciplines : Economics, Commerce, Management, Business Administration, Sociology and Social Anthropology, Social Work, Demography, Gender Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Geography, Public Administration, Psychology, Education, Criminology, Other-Linguistics, Legal Studies, National Security Studies etc. Besides these disciplines, relevant inter-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary subjects will also be considered.

  MAJOR ACTIVITIES OF THE ERC:

Partial Financial Assistance to Organize Seminars / Conferences / Workshops in Social Sciences in India ICSSR-ERC provides partial financial assistance to organize seminars / conferences on themes of contemporary relevance in different disciplines of social science preferably with an interdisciplinary multi-disciplinary / trans-disciplinary focus by academic bodies and institutions (Central Universities, State Universities, Cotleges affiliated to either Central or State Universities, Institutions of National Importance receiving grants from UGC / Central Government) including NGOs and voluntary organizations engaged in social science research and to generate wider awareness about issues and counterpoints, exchange of views and opinions among experts and scholars.

Study Grant Scheme

The purpose of the study grant is to provide financial assistance to Ph.D. scholars in the field of social sciences for consulting libraries / archives / data centres in different cities / towns in India for collecting research material.

Research Project Grant

Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) provides grants to scholars (professional social scientists having significant publications to their credit, civil servants, journalists, social workers, etc. known for their academic interests and with a record of publications) to conduct research in various fields of social sciences which have a theoretical, conceptual, methodological or policy orientation on the subject of their choice. Grant-in-aid, under the Research Project Scheme, is available for research proposals with a time duration ranging from 3-24 months.

Publication Subsidy

The ICSSR-ERC provides subsidy to publishers to publish doctoral dissertations, research reports, seminar proceedings and books. It also provides financial subsidy for publication of manuscripts of the research work done by senior research scholars, as well as by young research scholars.

ERC Brochure