Organizer Information
The Impart & Nalli Fellowships are a collaborative initiative between Impart and Nalli Silks, designed to support original research on the diverse textile traditions of South Asia. Impart is an online platform dedicated to making South Asian art histories more accessible through research, publications, educational resources, and public engagement. The platform works with scholars, artists, curators, and cultural practitioners to document and promote underrepresented narratives in the region's visual and material culture.
Its partner, Nalli Silks, is one of India's oldest and most respected textile companies. Founded in 1928, Nalli has played an important role in preserving and promoting India's handloom and textile heritage while supporting initiatives that encourage research, education, and cultural preservation. Established in the 2024–25 cycle, the Impart & Nalli Fellowships annually support independent researchers whose work expands knowledge about South Asian textile histories, practices, communities, and contemporary issues.
For the 2027–28 Fellowship Cycle, two research fellowships will be awarded, each providing substantial financial support to enable one year of independent research and project development.
Title & Description
The Impart & Nalli Fellowships 2027–28 is an international research grant programme supporting innovative projects focused on the rich and diverse textile traditions of South Asia. The fellowship encourages interdisciplinary research examining historical, cultural, environmental, social, technological, and economic dimensions of textiles across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tibet.
Applicants may propose projects exploring both historical and contemporary issues, including endangered textile traditions, labour practices, environmental sustainability, intellectual property, cultural rights, digitisation, archives, material culture, storytelling, architecture, religion, design, and textile technologies.
The fellowship welcomes a wide range of project outcomes beyond traditional academic research. Supported formats include documentary filmmaking, journalistic investigations, archival research, digitisation initiatives, exhibition development, book projects, practice-based research, archive activation, and collaborative creative projects.
Each selected fellow will undertake one year of independent research between January and December 2027, culminating in a comprehensive project report, a publicly accessible research dossier developed in partnership with Impart, and final public-facing outputs such as films, visual essays, exhibitions, written publications, interviews, or digital curatorial projects.
The programme is intended to generate new knowledge while making research openly accessible to scholars, practitioners, cultural institutions, and the general public.
Categories
- Textile Art
- Research
- Material Culture
- Design
- Craft
- Cultural Heritage
- Visual Arts
- Documentary Film
- Writing
- Journalism
- Photography
- Curatorial Practice
- Archive & Documentation
- Digital Humanities
- Exhibition Projects
- Book Projects
Eligibility
- Open to applicants worldwide.
- Applicants must be 18 years of age or older.
- Individuals residing in any country are eligible.
- Projects must focus on South Asian textiles.
- Early-career and mid-career applicants are encouraged.
- Eligible applicants include:
- Researchers
- Designers
- Writers
- Journalists
- Archivists
- Curators
- Educators
- Artists
- Cultural practitioners
- Independent scholars
- Collectives
- Small organisations
- Collaborative applications are permitted.
- Both new projects and ongoing projects may be submitted, provided applicants clearly identify the portion supported by the fellowship.
Program Benefits & Awards
- Two fellowships awarded annually.
- Grant of INR 5.5 lakhs (approximately ₹550,000) for each selected project.
- One full year of funded independent research.
- Financial support for:
- Fieldwork
- Research travel
- Documentation
- Project development
- Approved research-related expenses
- Collaboration with the Impart editorial team to produce a public research dossier.
- Publication of research findings on the Impart platform.
- Increased visibility among scholars, cultural organisations, museums, and textile professionals.
- Opportunity to produce publicly accessible research outputs including:
- Documentary films
- Interviews
- Visual essays
- Photography projects
- Academic and journalistic writing
- Curatorial projects
- Digital exhibitions
- Professional mentorship through periodic fellowship check-ins.
- Recognition from an international jury consisting of respected experts in textile research and design.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
- Application Review: September–November 2026
- Shortlisted Candidate Interviews: Late 2026 (online)
- Award Notification: December 2026
- Fellowship Period: January – December 2027
Location
India
Additional Details
- Projects may investigate historical or contemporary textile practices.
- The fellowship encourages interdisciplinary approaches combining art, design, history, anthropology, journalism, environmental studies, cultural heritage, architecture, literature, and technology.
- Applicants may submit proposals in various formats including documentary films, exhibitions, books, archives, and digital projects.
- Fellowship funding can support travel and field research when appropriately justified.
- Fellows must participate in regular progress meetings and submit periodic updates throughout the fellowship year.
- Required final deliverables include:
- Comprehensive project report.
- Public research dossier developed jointly with Impart.
- Final creative or research outputs.
- Final outputs are expected to be openly accessible to the public, although copyright arrangements will be determined individually.
- Applications are currently accepted in English. Applicants wishing to submit in another language are encouraged to contact Impart for assistance.
- Due to the high number of submissions, only shortlisted applicants will be contacted, and unsuccessful applicants will not receive individual feedback.
- Applicants must disclose any previous or current funding related to the proposed project.
- The fellowship maintains a strict no-AI policy. The use of Artificial Intelligence or Large Language Models (LLMs) in preparing the application form or supporting materials is prohibited and may result in immediate disqualification.
- Applications are evaluated based on the quality, feasibility, originality, and relevance of the proposed research, with shortlisted candidates invited to an online interview before final selection.