Open any research job notice from an IIT, a CSIR lab or a DBT institute and you will see the same five or six post names again and again: JRF, SRF, Project Associate-I, Research Associate-I, Young Professional-II. Each comes with a pay line such as "₹31,000 + HRA" or "₹42,000 consolidated". Some of these numbers come from a government rulebook that every central-funded project follows. Some are an institute's own choice. A few are mistakes. This guide tells you which is which, so you can apply for the right post and know what will really land in your account.
Everything here comes from official documents: the Department of Science and Technology (DST) Office Memorandum of 26 June 2023 on JRF, SRF and RA pay, the DST Office Memorandum of 10 July 2020 on Project Assistant, Project Associate and Project Scientist pay, the Ministry of Education OM of 11 September 2023, the ICAR OM of 30 July 2019, and recent official ICAR notices for Young Professionals. Each section names the document it relies on, and the full list with links is at the end. Where we could not find an official figure, we say so instead of guessing.
If you are looking at ICMR posts (Project Research Scientist, Project Technical Support and so on), those follow a separate ICMR rulebook. We have covered it in our guide to ICMR project staff salary, so it is not repeated here.
At a glance: the five posts compared
This table is the short answer. "Per official OM" means the amount printed in the government memorandum, before HRA. Read the notes under the table before you compare two offers.
| Post | Who it is for | Minimum qualification | Monthly pay per official OM | HRA | Typical tenure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior Research Fellow (JRF) | Fresh MSc / MTech / ME graduates who want research experience, usually alongside a PhD | PG in basic science, or graduate/PG in a professional course, selected through NET (incl. lectureship), GATE or a national-level exam of a central agency | ₹37,000 (DST OM, 26.06.2023) | Yes, unless you live in a hostel | Up to 2 years as JRF, then SRF after assessment; ends with the project |
| Senior Research Fellow (SRF) | JRFs who have completed two years, or candidates with two years of research experience | JRF qualification + 2 years of research experience | ₹42,000 (DST OM, 26.06.2023) | Yes, unless in a hostel | Rest of the project, with yearly assessment |
| Project Associate-I (PA-I) | MSc / MVSc / BTech / BE / MBBS holders on a project, with or without NET/GATE | Master's in natural or agricultural sciences, MVSc, or bachelor's in engineering, technology or medicine | ₹31,000 with NET/GATE or national exam; ₹25,000 for others (DST OM, 10.07.2020) | Yes | Co-terminus with the project; upper age 35 |
| Project Associate-II (PA-II) | The same degrees plus 2 years of R&D experience | As PA-I + 2 years' R&D experience | ₹35,000 with NET/GATE route; ₹28,000 for others (DST OM, 10.07.2020) | Yes | Co-terminus; upper age 35 |
| Research Associate (RA-I / II / III) | PhD holders (or MD/MS/MDS); postdoc-level project work | PhD / MD / MS / MDS, or 3 years' experience after MVSc / MPharm / ME / MTech with at least one SCI paper | RA-I ₹58,000; RA-II ₹61,000; RA-III ₹67,000 (DST OM, 26.06.2023) | Yes, unless in a hostel | Ends with the project; level fixed by experience |
| Young Professional (YP-I / YP-II), ICAR | Graduates and postgraduates for support, data, extension, finance or research work in ICAR institutes and schemes | Set by each notice: YP-I usually a graduate degree; YP-II a graduate degree with extra qualification/experience, or a master's | YP-I ₹30,000; YP-II ₹42,000, consolidated (official ICAR notices, 2026) | No HRA | 1 year, extendable to a maximum of 3 years (1+1+1); age 21 to 45 |
Two notes on the table. First, the DST OMs bind projects funded by central government departments, and the 2023 OM was sent to "all Ministries/Departments/Agencies of the Government of India", so DBT, ANRF (formerly SERB), MoES, MeitY and Ministry of Education projects use the same JRF/SRF/RA numbers. Second, the Young Professional row comes from ICAR notices, not from a circular we could read. ICAR's own list of circulars shows "Revised Remuneration for Young Professionals (YP-I and YP-II) in ICAR System", dated 8 December 2023, but the file behind that entry does not open on ICAR's website today. The ₹30,000 and ₹42,000 figures are printed in ICAR headquarters and ICAR-IARI notices of 2026.
Read this first: five things most applicants get wrong
1. A "project JRF" is not the NET-JRF fellowship
If you cleared CSIR-UGC NET with JRF, you hold a fellowship that travels with you to a PhD programme. A JRF post on a DST or ANRF project is different: it is a job on a grant, paid from that grant, and it ends when the grant ends. The pay is the same ₹37,000 because both follow the same 2023 rates, but the security is not. A project JRF exists only as long as the project does. Many notices still ask for NET or GATE, because the DST OM defines JRF as someone "selected through" NET (including lectureship), GATE, or a national-level exam held by a central agency such as DST, DBT, DAE, DOS, DRDO, MoE, ICAR, ICMR, IIT, IISc, IISER or NISER.
2. NET or GATE changes Project Associate pay by ₹6,000 or ₹7,000 a month
The 2020 DST OM has two pay rates for the same post. A Project Associate-I who was selected through NET (including lectureship) or GATE, or a national-level exam of a central agency, gets ₹31,000 + HRA. Everyone else gets ₹25,000 + HRA. For Project Associate-II the two rates are ₹35,000 and ₹28,000. Over a three-year project that gap adds up to more than ₹2 lakh before HRA. If you have a valid score, put it on the application form and bring the certificate to the interview.
3. "+ HRA" and "consolidated" are very different offers
Under both DST OMs, HRA is paid on top of the base amount, as a percentage of it, at the Central Government rate for the city where you work. That is why our listings show "₹58,000 + 27% HRA" at one institute and "₹58,000 + 10% HRA" at another: same base, different city. The 2023 OM also says fellows may be given hostel rooms, and anyone living in a hostel gets no HRA. "Consolidated" means one fixed figure with nothing added. ICAR Young Professional posts are consolidated: the IARI notice of 22 October 2026 states plainly that "No House Rent Allowance (HRA) will be admissible".
4. Every project post ends with the project
The 2020 DST OM says it in one line: "All Manpower positions in projects will be co-terminus with the project." The ICAR Young Professional notices say the selected candidate "shall not claim regular appointment". None of these posts makes you a permanent employee, and none gives DA, bonus, LTC or retirement benefits. The 2023 OM also limits JRF/SRF to casual leave; RAs get leave as per the host institute's rules. A project post is a paid route to experience, papers and a PhD. Treat it that way.
5. Institutes add their own rules on top
The OM sets the floor. Institutes set extra conditions: a lower or higher age limit, a "PhD awaited" rate for RAs, a different HRA percentage, a shorter tenure. Our live listings show several of these, and we explain them in the examples section below. When an advert and the OM disagree, the advert decides your offer, but the OM tells you whether to ask a question.
Junior Research Fellow (JRF)
Pay: ₹37,000 a month plus HRA, effective from 1 January 2023, under DST OM No. DST/PCPM/Z-06/2022 of 26 June 2023. Before that the rate was ₹31,000 (the Ministry of Education OM of 11 September 2023 lists the old and new figures side by side).
Qualification: a postgraduate degree in basic science, or a graduate or postgraduate degree in a professional course, such as BTech, MTech or MPharm, with selection through one of two routes: national eligibility tests (CSIR-UGC NET including lectureship, and GATE), or a national-level selection process run by a central department or institution. In practice, most project adverts ask for NET or GATE, and add marks cut-offs such as 60% (55% for reserved categories).
What the work looks like: you work on the PI's funded project, run experiments or simulations, collect data, write reports and usually register for a PhD with the PI as supervisor. The OM requires JRF/SRF to send reports of their work to the sponsoring agency when asked, and to acknowledge the funding agency in every paper.
Example from our listings: IIT Indore's JRF on a DST National Quantum Mission project (last date 22 November 2026) pays ₹37,000 + HRA and copies the OM's qualification wording almost word for word. That is what a fully compliant JRF advert looks like.
Senior Research Fellow (SRF)
Pay: ₹42,000 a month plus HRA (DST OM, 26 June 2023; the old rate was ₹35,000).
Qualification: the JRF qualification plus two years of research experience. You can join a project directly as SRF if you already have two years of research experience, for example from an earlier project.
How JRF becomes SRF: the OM says that after two years, an external assessment by the institution where you are enrolled for your PhD is "mandatory for upgradation from JRF to SRF", and you "may be awarded SRF after successful assessment". It is not automatic. Once you are an SRF, a satisfactory assessment every year is needed to keep the fellowship.
The ICAR version: ICAR projects describe SRF pay by year rather than by JRF/SRF stage. ICAR's OM of 30 July 2019 set SRF pay in ICAR schemes at ₹31,000 + HRA for the first and second year and ₹35,000 + HRA for the third year. Current ICAR-IARI notices, such as the SRF walk-in on a mustard project on 26 November 2026, show ₹37,000 + HRA for years one and two and ₹42,000 + HRA for year three "as applicable under ICAR norms". These match the 2023 central rates, but we could not open the ICAR circular that made the change, so treat the year-wise structure as what ICAR institutes advertise, not as a circular we have read. ICAR also has its own qualification rule: a master's degree after a 4- or 5-year bachelor's degree, or NET if your bachelor's degree took 3 years.
Project Assistant, Project Associate and the senior project posts
These posts come from a separate rulebook: DST OM No. SR/S9/Z-05/2019 of 10 July 2020, titled "Scientific / Technical Manpower other than JRF/SRF/RA". It covers extramural and intramural R&D projects of the Ministry of Science & Technology (DST, DBT, CSIR) and the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the institutes under them. We found no later DST revision of this table, and 2026 adverts from CSIR and DBT labs still use its exact numbers.
| Post (2020 OM) | Essential qualification | Upper age | Monthly pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific Administrative Assistant / Field Worker | Graduate in any discipline | 50 | ₹18,000 + HRA |
| Lab Assistant / Technician / Project Assistant / Technical Assistant / Field Assistant | BSc or 3-year engineering diploma | 50 | ₹20,000 + HRA; 15% increase for every 3 years of experience, up to 4 times (12 years) |
| Project Associate-I | Master's in natural or agricultural sciences / MVSc, or bachelor's in engineering, technology or medicine | 35 | ₹31,000 + HRA (NET/GATE/national exam); ₹25,000 + HRA (others) |
| Project Associate-II | As PA-I + 2 years' R&D experience | 35 | ₹35,000 + HRA (NET/GATE/national exam); ₹28,000 + HRA (others) |
| Senior Project Associate | As PA-I + 4 years' R&D experience, or a doctorate | 40 | ₹42,000 + HRA |
| Principal Project Associate | As PA-I + 8 years' experience, or a doctorate + 4 years | 40 | ₹49,000 + HRA |
| Project Scientist-I | Doctorate in science, or master's in engineering/technology | 35 | ₹56,000 + HRA; 5% increase every 2 years after review |
| Project Scientist-II | As PS-I + 3 years' experience | 40 | ₹67,000 + HRA; 5% every 2 years |
| Project Scientist-III | As PS-I + 7 years' experience | 45 | ₹78,000 + HRA; 5% every 2 years |
Note the old names. The OM says existing Project Scientists B, C and D were "subsumed" into Project Scientist I, II and III, with their earlier pay protected. If an experience certificate says "Project Scientist-B", it maps to today's Project Scientist-I.
Who should apply for PA-I instead of JRF? If you have an MSc or BTech but no NET or GATE, a JRF post is usually closed to you, while a PA-I post is open at ₹25,000 + HRA. If you do have NET or GATE, compare the two: JRF pays ₹37,000 and leads to SRF at ₹42,000; PA-I pays ₹31,000 and leads to PA-II at ₹35,000 once you have two years of experience. JRF is the better-paid track for a PhD student. PA-I suits you if you want project experience before deciding on a PhD, or if your degree does not fit the JRF definition.
Selection: the OM asks the institute to form a committee of the Dean R&D (or nominee), one internal expert, one outside expert and the PI for Project Assistants and Associates. This is why even small walk-ins have a panel and not just the PI.
Research Associate (RA-I, RA-II, RA-III)
Pay: RA-I ₹58,000, RA-II ₹61,000, RA-III ₹67,000 a month, plus HRA (DST OM, 26 June 2023; old rates ₹47,000, ₹49,000 and ₹54,000).
Qualification: PhD, MD, MS or MDS or equivalent, or three years of research, teaching or design and development experience after an MVSc, MPharm, ME or MTech, with at least one paper in a Science Citation Indexed (SCI) journal.
How the level is chosen: the OM says RAs "may be fixed at a consolidated amount at one of the 3 pay levels" depending on qualification and experience, and the institute "may decide the level". The OM does not spell out the years. Institutes fill that gap themselves. IISc's circular of 11 October 2023, for example, fixes RA-I at PhD, RA-II at PhD + 1 year and RA-III at PhD + 2 years. So the same candidate could be placed differently at two institutes. Ask which level you are being offered and why.
"PhD awaited" rates: the DST OM has no RA level for candidates whose thesis is submitted but not yet awarded. Some institutes create one. IISc has an "RA-Provisional" level at ₹45,000 + HRA for thesis-submitted candidates. IISER Tirupati's current RA-I advert pays ₹58,000 + 10% HRA with a PhD certificate and ₹42,000 + 10% HRA if the PhD is awaited. Both are institute rules, not central ones.
ICAR's older RA structure: ICAR's 2019 OM paid RAs in ICAR schemes ₹49,000 + HRA for master's holders and ₹54,000 + HRA for PhD holders, with the master's route needing three years of research experience and one SCI or NAAS-rated paper. Recent ICAR adverts quote the newer 2023 central figures instead (an ICAR-CIFE RA on a DBT project pays ₹61,000 + 30% HRA). Check the advert, because the funding agency usually decides which table applies.
Young Professional (YP-I, YP-II) in ICAR
Young Professional is an ICAR post, not a DST one. It is used across ICAR institutes and schemes for research support, data, extension, IT, finance and administration. It is not a fellowship and is not designed around a PhD.
- Pay: YP-I ₹30,000 and YP-II ₹42,000 per month, consolidated, with no HRA (ICAR-IARI notice of 22 October 2026; ICAR headquarters notice of 18 May 2026 for YP-II).
- Age: minimum 21, maximum 45 years, with relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST and women and 3 years for OBC as per the IARI notice.
- Tenure: one year, extendable year by year to a maximum of three years (1+1+1) after performance review, under ICAR's guidelines of 4 December 2020 (OM No. Agril.Edn.1-06/2020-A&P).
- Leave: the ICAR headquarters notice gives 8 days of leave in a calendar year (pro rata) and 2 restricted holidays. Unused leave lapses.
- Qualification: each notice sets its own. ICAR-IARI's finance YP-I asks for a B.Com/BBA/BBS with 60%; its seed science YP-II asks for a master's degree; ICAR headquarters' YP-II asks for a graduate degree in a relevant field.
If you are an agriculture graduate who wants research exposure, YP-I at ₹30,000 can be a good entry point. If you have NET and want a PhD, an SRF post on an ICAR project pays more and counts as research experience in the usual sense.
How pay steps up
| Track | Step | What triggers it | Pay after the step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fellowship | JRF → SRF | Two years as JRF + successful external assessment by your PhD institution | ₹37,000 → ₹42,000 (+ HRA) |
| Fellowship | Staying SRF | Satisfactory assessment every year | ₹42,000 (+ HRA) |
| Postdoc | RA-I → RA-II → RA-III | Experience after PhD; level decided by the institute | ₹58,000 → ₹61,000 → ₹67,000 (+ HRA) |
| Project | PA-I → PA-II | Two years of R&D experience (fresh selection to the PA-II post) | ₹31,000 → ₹35,000 (NET/GATE) or ₹25,000 → ₹28,000 |
| Project | PA-II → Senior PA → Principal PA | 4 years' experience or PhD; then 8 years, or PhD + 4 | ₹42,000 → ₹49,000 (+ HRA) |
| Project | Project Scientist I/II/III | 5% increase every two years, subject to performance review | ₹56,000 / ₹67,000 / ₹78,000 base |
| Project | Project Assistant | 15% increase for each 3 years of experience, up to 4 times | ₹20,000 base |
| ICAR | YP-I → YP-II | Separate post with its own qualification; no automatic move | ₹30,000 → ₹42,000 consolidated |
Can you do a PhD on a project post?
Often yes, but the post alone does not make you a PhD student. You still have to be admitted to a PhD programme by the university or institute, through its own process. The DST OM links the JRF-to-SRF assessment to "the Institution where the student is enrolled for Ph.D.", which tells you that JRF/SRF posts are built with a PhD in mind.
Project Associate and Young Professional posts carry no such link in their rules. Some institutes do allow project staff to register for a PhD; others do not. Ask before you join: "If selected, can I register for a PhD here, and will my project work count?" The other risk is time. A project might last three years, while a PhD often takes longer. If the grant ends before you submit your thesis, your pay ends too. Ask the PI how many years are left on the project, not just how long the project runs in total.
A related limit: some labs cap how long you can stay on project posts overall. CSIR-TKDL's walk-in notice of November 2026 says the tenure of project staff "under one project or combination of different projects" cannot exceed six years. If you plan to move from one project to the next, check for a rule like this.
How to read a project advert in two minutes
- Find the funding agency. DST, DBT, ANRF, MoES and CSIR projects follow the DST tables above. ICAR projects follow ICAR norms. ICMR projects follow the ICMR rulebook. Industry and state-funded projects can pay anything. NIT Calicut's MoSPI project, for instance, pays a consolidated ₹35,000 to a Project Associate-I.
- Read the age line carefully. Check the date it is counted on: "as on the last date of application", "as on the date of interview", or a fixed date. CSIR-TKDL counts age on the interview date; NBRC counts it on the last date for applications. One day can decide your eligibility.
- Separate "essential" from "desirable". You must meet every essential condition. Desirable skills only help shortlisting. Do not skip a post because you lack a desirable skill, and do not apply if you miss an essential one.
- Check the pay line for the NET/GATE split and HRA. If a PA-I advert shows only ₹25,000, ask whether ₹31,000 applies to NET/GATE holders. If it says "consolidated", there is no HRA.
- Walk-in or email? A walk-in means you turn up on the date with originals, photocopies and a filled form. Check the reporting time printed in the notice. An email or online application has a hard deadline, sometimes with a clock time (IISER Tirupati's RA-I closes at 5 pm on 8 November 2026), and may need everything in a single PDF. IIT Indore's JRF notice, for example, asks for all documents in one PDF plus a Google Form.
- Read the tenure. "Initially up to 31 March 2027, extendable" is very different from "three years".
Real examples from our listings, checked against the rules
| Listing | Advertised pay | Official rule | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| BRIC-NBRC, Research Associate-I (DBT project), advert 30.10.2026 | ₹58,000 + HRA | RA-I ₹58,000 (DST OM 2023) | Matches. Age limit 40 is NBRC's own; the OM sets no RA age limit. |
| BRIC-NBRC, Project Associate-I (DBT project), advert 28.10.2026 | ₹31,000 + HRA | ₹31,000 with NET/GATE route, ₹25,000 otherwise; upper age 35 (DST OM 2020) | Pay matches the higher rate, but the advert does not mention NET/GATE, and it allows age up to 40 against the OM's 35. Ask NBRC which rate applies to you. |
| IIT Indore, JRF (DST-NQM), last date 22.11.2026 | ₹37,000 + HRA | JRF ₹37,000 (DST OM 2023) | Matches, including qualification wording. |
| CSIR-TKDL, Project Associate-I walk-in, 12.11.2026 | ₹31,000 + HRA (NET/GATE etc.) or ₹25,000 + HRA | Same (DST OM 2020) | Matches; age 35 on interview date. |
| ICAR-IARI, YP-I and YP-II (finance), notice 22.10.2026 | ₹30,000 / ₹42,000 consolidated, no HRA | ICAR YP notices 2026 | Matches. |
| ICAR-IARI, SRF (mustard project), walk-in 26.11.2026 | ₹37,000 + HRA (years 1–2), ₹42,000 + HRA (year 3) | ICAR 2019 OM had ₹31,000 / ₹35,000; newer ICAR circular not readable | Consistent with 2023 central rates; we could not verify ICAR's own revision document. |
| IISER Tirupati, Research Associate-I | ₹58,000 + 10% HRA; ₹42,000 + 10% HRA if PhD awaited | RA-I ₹58,000; no "PhD awaited" level in DST OM | Base matches; the PhD-awaited rate is an institute rule. |
| NIT Silchar, Project Associate-I (ANRF project) | ₹37,000 with GATE/NET, else ₹30,000; HRA 10% if no campus housing | DST OM 2020: ₹31,000 / ₹25,000 | Higher than the DST table; set by the project sanction. Not an error, but not the standard rate. |
Common mistakes
- Comparing base pay without HRA. ₹42,000 consolidated as YP-II is less than ₹42,000 + 27% HRA as an SRF in a big city, if you rent outside campus.
- Not declaring NET/GATE for a PA-I post. You lose ₹6,000 a month for the whole tenure.
- Assuming JRF turns into SRF automatically. It needs an external assessment after two years.
- Ignoring the "as on" date for age. Many candidates are rejected by a few days.
- Taking a project post for a PhD without asking about registration. The post and the PhD admission are separate.
- Expecting HRA while living in a hostel. The 2023 OM says hostel residents are not entitled to HRA.
- Believing a project post leads to a permanent job. Every rule cited here says the opposite.
Frequently asked questions
What is the JRF salary in 2026?
₹37,000 a month plus HRA for JRFs on centrally funded projects, under the DST OM of 26 June 2023, effective 1 January 2023. No later revision of this rate is listed on DST's OM page that we could check.
What is the SRF salary?
₹42,000 a month plus HRA. You need the JRF qualification and two years of research experience, or two years as JRF plus a successful assessment.
How much does a Project Associate-I get without NET or GATE?
₹25,000 + HRA under the DST OM of 10 July 2020. With NET (including lectureship), GATE, or a national-level exam of a central agency, it is ₹31,000 + HRA.
What is the difference between Research Associate I, II and III?
Experience after the PhD. Pay is ₹58,000, ₹61,000 and ₹67,000 plus HRA. The institute decides the level; IISc, for example, uses PhD, PhD + 1 year and PhD + 2 years.
Is Young Professional pay the same as JRF?
No. YP-I gets ₹30,000 and YP-II ₹42,000, consolidated, with no HRA. It is an ICAR engagement for up to three years, not a research fellowship.
How is HRA calculated?
As a percentage of your base pay, at the Central Government rate for the city where you work. That is why adverts show 8%, 10%, 16%, 18%, 20%, 27% or 30%. No HRA if you live in a hostel provided by the institute.
Do project staff get DA, PF or a pension?
The DST OMs say no DA, and no bonus, LTC or retirement benefits; the 2020 OM also excludes gratuity. Medical benefits follow the host institute's rules.
Is the upper age limit the same everywhere?
No. The 2020 OM sets 35 for PA-I/PA-II and PS-I, 40 for Senior and Principal PA and PS-II, and 45 for PS-III. The 2023 OM sets no age limit for JRF, SRF or RA, so institutes set their own: ICAR-IARI's SRF notice says 35, IISER Tirupati's RA-I says 35 and NBRC's RA-I says 40. ICAR YPs are 21 to 45. Always follow the advert.
Can I switch from one project to another?
Yes, by applying and being selected again. Your experience counts towards SRF, PA-II or RA levels. Some labs cap total project tenure; CSIR-TKDL's notice sets six years across projects.
Where do I find the official rules?
See the sources below. Ask the institute for the sanction letter's pay terms if an advert only says "as per norms".
Official sources
- DST OM No. DST/PCPM/Z-06/2022, 26 June 2023: Revision of emoluments for JRF, SRF and RA (pages 1–4).
- DST OM No. SR/S9/Z-05/2019, 10 July 2020: Scientific/Technical manpower other than JRF/SRF/RA (Annexure, pages 2–6).
- Ministry of Education OM F.No.12-2/2023-U1, 11 September 2023, as forwarded to IITs on 13 September 2023.
- IISc circular, 11 October 2023: adoption of the DST OM, with RA levels.
- ICAR OM, 30 July 2019: emoluments of JRF/SRF/RA in ICAR.
- ICAR headquarters notice, 18 May 2026, and ICAR-IARI notice, 22 October 2026: Young Professional terms.
The DST documents were checked against archived copies of their official dst.gov.in addresses, because DST's new website does not currently serve the old file links.
