Abhijit Sen Rural Research Internship – National Foundation for India

Apply by 31st Dec 24

National Foundation for India (NFI) is a nonprofit organisation founded in 1992. Over the past 30 years, NFI has worked in 24 states across India with over 100 partners to build a plural, equitable and democratic society by promoting social justice philanthropy. The organisation has focused on mobilising resources for grassroot organisations to build capacity and strenghten resilience of marginalised and rural communities.

The National Foundation for India is inviting applications from students pursuing undergraduate/post-graduate studies, for the Second Cohort of the Abhijit Sen Rural Internship. NFI’s rural internship programme aims to promote rigorous academic scholarship among university students towards the rural economy, and sensitise them to the challenges faced by rural communities in the country. The programme was named after (late) Prof. Sen to honour his legacy and work towards rural development and informed research.

This 50-day research internship aims to provide students the opportunity to visit rural areas for field research, interact with the community and understand their socio-economic conditions and challenges. The internship will also initiate the interns in appropriate research methodology, and will help introduce them to relevant secondary literature. Interns are expected to define a topic of interest which they will explore through small surveys, interviews and focused group discussions with farmers/villagers on different aspects of the rural economy and produce a short research report based on their study.

Led by a senior development economist, the research process will be guided by a panel of experts who will work with the interns as academic mentors. The interns’ stay and fieldwork will be facilitated by local community organisations working in those areas. All research reports and supporting documents produced from this effort will be disseminated widely amongst NGOs and policymakers to ensure the sharing of learnings, better programme implementation, and policy advocacy.

Field locations in:
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra

Programme details:
1. In-person Orientation and Formation of Cohort – 5 days
2. Field Visit – 30 days
3. Report Writing – 15 days

Benefits:
1. Capacity building for guided and informed research, and advance knowledge in a topic of your choosing
2. Opportunity for exposure to rural India and civil society organisations working on rural issues
3. Fieldwork and Research Report writing experience
4. NFI will cover all travel, food and accommodation expenses
5. A stipend of Rs. 20,000 will be paid to the intern upon completion of the research report

Positions:
Up to 100 internships will be provided to students across India

Eligibility:
Students pursuing undergraduate/post-graduate courses from any Indian university/college/technical educational institution.

Selection Process: Written application, a brief essay exam, and final in-person interview. Women students and students from Dalit, Adivasi, Tribal and minority communities are encouraged to apply.

Tentative timeline: 

• Application deadline: 11:59 PM, 31st December 2023 (Sunday)
• Announcement of shortlisted candidates and in-person interviews: February, 2024
• Orientation programme to be held in Delhi: last week of May, 2024
• Interns will leave for fieldwork directly after the orientation programme: June, 2024