CRISP Fellowships 2024

Application deadline 5th February 2024

Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) is an organisation formed by 10 senior civil servants, who have served at the level of Secretary to Government of India, for working with the State and Central Governments for designing/redesigning schemes and policies in the Social Sector. It desires to make large-scale impact by conducting ‘concurrent evaluation’ of schemes, setting up monitoring systems, and drafting policies covering rural, urban development, poverty alleviation, education, health and institution building. The objective of CRISP is to bring systematic reforms, thus shifting focus from input-oriented implementation to outcome focused roll-out. More details about the organisation can be had at www.crispindia.net.

CRISP has set up a highly accomplished and professional team with expertise in social sector, data analytics and report writing for accomplishing its objectives.

The Centre for Research in Schemes and Policies (CRISP) is proposing to select 12 talented young professionals for the CRISP Fellowships 2024

CRISP Fellowship Programme

The CRISP Fellowship Programme is a one-of-its-kind experiential learning model in India that involves strategic collaboration between CRISP and State/Central governments, helping young professionals work at high echelons of governance in the social sector. The Fellowship provides a platform for young talent to drive impactful large scale projects while working closely with the public administration.
The Fellowship will enable CRISP Fellows to work on domains like policy implementation, data analysis, high quality report writing and strengthening existing government initiatives. During the programme, CRISP Fellows are expected to evaluate and suggest changes for the government’s flagship programmes across various thematic areas in the Social Sector.
CRISP Fellows are to act as catalysts in achieving the desired outcomes while ensuring transparency and accountability in the
process for reaching the last mile. They will drive convergence between various government stakeholders and departments within the administration to re-engineer processes and de-bottleneck implementation challenges.
CRISP Fellows would be required to travel extensively in the field, interact with the beneficiaries of the programmes and bring
stakeholder feedback about the programme implementation, along with suggestions for improving the implementation.

First Cohort of CRISP Fellows 2023

The first Cohort of (16) CRISP Fellows were recruited in January 2023, and after an intensive orientation programme which included field immersion, were placed in the CRISP State teams. Each of them has got an independent project of immense importance and have been mentored one of the CRISP Founding Members. The essays by the Fellows has been published by CRISP under the name “Thoughts on Social Sector”. They have also conducted several studies which have also been published on the website of CRISP.
The best performing Fellows would be considered for full-time placement in the CRISP Central Office. For all others, CRISP will
support in finding placements or admissions for higher studies.

Second Cohort of CRISP Fellowships 2024

CRISP proposes to recruit the second batch of CRISP Fellowships 2024, valid for a period of 2 years.

The total Fellowships, and the location of the Fellows is as follows:

State Number Expected HQ

Meghalaya 2 Shillong
UP 1 Lucknow
AP 1 Vijayawada
TG 1 Hyderabad
Karnataka 1 Bengaluru
Rajasthan 2 Jaipur
TN 2 Chennai
Central Office 2 Hyderabad

Total 12

Notes:

The above allocation to the States is only indicative.
While opting for a State/Project, the candidate should have working knowledge of the local language.
It may be expected that Fellows can be deployed anywhere in the Country depending on the requirements of the organisation.
Sector-wise Fellowships: Livelihoods (3), Panchayat Raj & RD (3), Higher Education (2), School Education (2), and Skills (2).
The selected Fellows should expect a very involving 2 years, where they will work with the senior-most civil servants on independent projects. They would be mentored and guided by the CRISP Founding Members in their work.

Eligibility criteria (essential)

A bachelor’s degree or higher from a renowned educational institution in policy-relevant subjects including Public Policy, Economics, Development Studies, Business Management, Law, Human Resources, Accounting etc. Candidates with academic and practical experience in technology, data management and analysis, and systems design/architecture are also encouraged to apply.
Good educational record, and evidence of having participated in activities or should have internships in socially relevant programmes at the college level.
Upto 2 years of work experience after graduation in social sector – covering areas such as education, rural development, health and gender empowerment.
Proficiency in English and in one among following languages- Tamil/Telugu/ Kannada/Hindi.
Exceptional writing skills to prepare Professional and Research Reports.

6. Preferred Competencies

Knowledge of Research Methodology and experience of having done at least one field study.
Proficiency in MS Office (MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint)
Advanced skills for doing data analytics
Ability to write professional reports after due analysis of data
Passion for social change
Prior exposure to policy and development sector, policy analysis/research and formulation desired.
Program management skills including monitoring and evaluation skills, data analysis and supervisory experience.
Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships with various stakeholders.
High-calibre interpersonal communication (documentation and presentation skills), advocacy and negotiation skills and the ability to work collaboratively with teams.
Ability to adapt to diverse educational and cultural contexts and maintain a high standard of personal conduct.
Previous experience in and knowledge of data analysis is strongly preferred.

7. Lock-in period

Only candidates who are willing to spend 2 full years on this Fellowship shall apply.
No person awarded the Fellowship shall leave the Fellowship programme before conclusion of 12 months.
In the event the Fellow has to exit the Fellowship programme within one year, the entire cost on the Fellowship programme invested by the organisation shall be recovered as decided by the organisation before relieving the Fellow.
Notwithstanding the above, if the performance of the Fellow is found to be below par, the organisation can terminate the Fellowship with one-month notice period.

8. Opportunities for the CRISP Fellows

Opportunity to hone technical/ non-technical skills and exposure to the inner workings of the Government.
Experience in administration of social welfare and economic development projects.
Stakeholder management through the implementation of government policies and schemes.
Access to and guidance from experienced and senior decision-makers.
Connection to a broad network of development institutions and actors.

9. Fellowship structure

The Fellowship will be a two-year full time paid programme.
Will be allotted a project arising out of MoU with State or Central Government.
Expected to study/implement the project independently and after making field visits.
Prepare an action plan giving goals, strategies, implementation process, expected outputs and anticipated outcomes. The plan should have activity-wise timelines.
CRISP Fellows will work under the overall supervision of a State Team Leader.

10. Fellowship compensation

Each CRISP Fellow will receive a monthly Fellowship amount of Rs. 75,000/-, subject to taxes.
5% of this would be the variable pay released at the end of the year based on assessment of performance.
In addition, travel expenses for field visits undertaken in the state will be reimbursed.

11. Role expected

1. The CRISP Fellows will be part of the CRISP team and posted in a State for implementing the MoU between the State Govt and CRISP. The team would be led by a Team Lead to who will guide and control the CRISP Fellows.

2. CRISP Fellows will be allocated an area of work – functional or geographical or both (arising out of the MoU between the State Govt and the CRISP) – along with clear functional deliverables, by the State Lead. The progress on these deliverables will be monitored closely by the Members of CRISP.

3. They are expected to work with all stakeholders both in Government and outside, for implementation of the projects assigned to them.

4. Apart from this, there will be a weekly mentoring of the CRISP Fellows by the Members of CRISP who are all very senior civil servants with more than 3 decades of experience at the highest levels of Governmental decision-making.

5. In fulfilment of the work allocated, the Fellows are expected to:

Study in detail the situation on the ground; and for this, travel extensively in the given area.
Interact with the Government functionaries at all levels to gauge the readiness of Government to take the project.
Prepare action plans containing the goals, strategy, implementation process, expected outputs and outcomes and the
activity-wise timelines.
Work closely with the State Governments offices to aid and support the implementation of policy interventions, industry and
government engagements, capacity building initiatives that CRISP is working on.
Assist in the framing of policies, structures, and processes that help bring efficiency in overcoming implementation challenges.
Support the leadership team with research and insight, recommending an appropriate approach for diverse policy and
program questions.
Aid the development and implementation of capacity building programs by primarily engaging with institutions, NGO’s and quasi governmental bodies.
Design primary and secondary research, speak with experts and synthesise data from multiple data points.
Develop and help implement programs and projects across the state.
Take on diverse operational tasks to ensure organisational success.

6. Assist the leadership team in creating and maintaining deep engagement with top stakeholders, and explore newer areas for cooperation with the State Govt.

12. Application process

Application shall be online on the website only
Applicant shall enclose a Statement of Purpose stating why they thinks they are the best fit for the CRISP Fellowship (in about 500 words)
Submit an assignment answering a problem statement that would be displayed in the Application Form.

13. Timelines

Application Start Date : 6th January, 2024
Application deadline : 5th February, 2024
Intimation of shortlisting of top-100 for the 2nd round : 10th February 2024
Second round (Group discussion on virtual mode) : 13th and 14th February
Final round (interviews on VC for the top 20) : 20/21/22nd February
Declaration of result and Offers : 25th February 2024
Joining and start of orientation programme : 3rd April, 2024

Click here to APPLY