CSIR TKDL Recruitment 2026 Notification Out - Apply Online for 50 Senior Project Associate, Project Associate Posts

The CSIR-Traditional Knowledge Digital Library Unit (CSIR-TKDL Unit), New Delhi, has released Advertisement No. TKDL/08/2026 inviting applications for Senior Project Associate and Project Associate-I positions. A total of 50 positions have been notified across Delhi, Jammu, Srinagar, Leh, Palampur, Chennai and Hyderabad, in disciplines such as Information Technology, Data Science, Ayurveda, Unani, Sowa Rigpa, Siddha, Patent, Sanskrit and Yoga.

The positions are for the project titled "Information systems of traditional knowledge for protection and promotion" (TKDL-TK, MLP002639). The engagement is purely temporary and on contract basis, initially up to 31 March 2027 and extendable up to a maximum of 31 March 2031, co-terminus with the project. Extension beyond 31 March 2027 is subject to review by a Review Committee.

Eligible candidates must apply online through www.csir.res.in on or before 12 October 2026, 5:00 PM. Selection is through a written test held at the respective posting location between 14 October 2026 and 30 October 2026, followed by an interview of shortlisted candidates. Read this article for the complete details on post-wise vacancies, eligibility, salary, age limit, important dates, selection process and how to apply for CSIR TKDL Project Associate Recruitment 2026.

CSIR TKDL Project Associate Recruitment 2026 Overview

CSIR-TKDL Unit is engaged in the protection and preservation of India's traditional knowledge present in ancient texts, including the Indian Systems of Medicine, by converting the information into structured format and modern languages. It aims to prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge through the grant of intellectual property rights. The Unit functions under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), an autonomous body under the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science and Technology.

CSIR TKDL Vacancy 2026 Notification PDF

Candidates should download and read the CSIR TKDL Jobs 2026 notification PDF carefully to check vacancy details, eligibility, age limit, and application instructions. The notification also includes important dates and selection process details. The direct download link is available in the Important Links section below.

Download CSIR TKDL Job 2026 Notification PDF

CSIR TKDL Project Associate Recruitment 2026 Vacancy Details 

A total of 50 positions are notified. The posting location may change as per project requirements and availability of candidates. A panel of waitlisted candidates will also be constituted to fill vacancies in the near future, and this panel will be valid for one year.

Posting Locations

• Delhi: CSIR-TKDL Unit, 14, Satsang Vihar Marg, Spl. Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110067
• Hyderabad: CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Uppal Road, Tarnaka, Hyderabad - 500007
• Chennai: CSIR-Central Leather Research Institute (CSIR-CLRI), Sardar Patel Road, Adyar, Chennai - 600020
• Jammu: CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Canal Road, Jammu - 180001
• Srinagar: CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine Branch Laboratory, Sanat Nagar, Srinagar - 190005
• Leh-Ladakh: National Institute for Sowa Rigpa, Skalzangling, Near Head Post Office, Leh - 194101, Ladakh
• Palampur: CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur - 176061 (H.P.)

Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must fulfil the essential and other stipulated criteria as on 12-10-2026. Candidates who are in the final semester or whose results are awaited are not eligible. Mere fulfilment of the minimum qualification does not confer any right to be called for interview, and candidature is purely provisional. Post-wise qualifications are given below.

Information Technology (TKD3901, TKJ3901, TKC3901, TKH3901, TKL3901, TKS3901, TKP3901)

• TKD3901 (Senior Project Associate, IT): Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Technology in Computer Science/Information Technology or equivalent, or MCA, with three years' experience in R&D in Industrial and Academic Institutions or S&T Organisations and scientific activities and services; OR ME/M.Tech in Engineering or Technology in Computer Science/Information Technology or equivalent with two years' experience in R&D in the same settings.
• TKD3901 Experience: Core Java and above, advanced Java, J2EE, SQL queries, implementing MVC architecture using Spring and Hibernate frameworks, Postgres database, JavaScript, AJAX, JSON, AngularJS, Bootstrap, jQuery, JDBC and RESTful; exposure to JBoss and Tomcat servers; familiarity with IDEs such as NetBeans/Eclipse; proficiency in SQL coding using procedures/functions, cursors, triggers and packages; understanding of code versioning tools such as Git. Knowledge of data science applications is an added advantage. OR proficiency in engineering, administering and managing multiple relational database flavours (e.g. Oracle, SQL Server, PostgreSQL) including database migration.
• TKC3901 and TKH3901 (Project Associate-I, IT-Data Science): Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Technology in Computer Science/Information Technology/Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning/Data Science/Electronics or equivalent, or MCA.
• TKC3901 and TKH3901 Desirable skills: Proficiency in one or more of Core Java, J2EE, EJB; strong knowledge of Python, SQL, machine learning, and data analysis and visualization tools; understanding of statistical modelling and predictive analytics; familiarity with cloud platforms and big data technologies; good communication and problem-solving skills.
• TKJ3901, TKL3901, TKS3901 and TKP3901 (Project Associate-I, IT): Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Technology in Computer Science/Information Technology or equivalent, or MCA.
• TKJ3901, TKL3901, TKS3901 and TKP3901 Desirable skills: Proficiency in one or more of Core Java, J2EE, EJB, Enterprise Java, Spring, Jasper Reports, Struts, Hibernate, Maven, REST, SOAP and an IDE such as Eclipse/NetBeans/IntelliJ IDEA, with working knowledge of relational databases (e.g. SQL Server, PostgreSQL); OR proficiency in installation, configuration, administration and troubleshooting of RHEL7 or above, nginx and Apache Tomcat, with knowledge of RHEL OS upgradation, performance tuning, licensing, patching, vulnerability remediation, Java-based web servers, server hardening and server backups.

Ayurveda, Unani, Sowa Rigpa and Siddha

• TKD3902 (Senior Project Associate, Ayurveda): BAMS (Ayurveda) or equivalent with three years' experience in R&D in Industrial and Academic Institutions or S&T Organisations and scientific activities and services; OR MD (Ayurveda) or equivalent with two years' experience in the same. Candidates with proficiency in Sanskrit or Malayalam will be preferred.
• TKD3903 and TKJ3902 (Project Associate-I, Ayurveda): BAMS (Ayurveda) from a recognized University or equivalent.
• TKH3902 and TKS3902 (Project Associate-I, Unani): BUMS (Unani) from a recognized University or equivalent. Candidates with proficiency in Arabic and/or Persian will be preferred.
• TKL3902 (Senior Project Associate, Sowa Rigpa): Bachelor's degree in Sowa Rigpa medicine or equivalent with three years' experience in R&D in Industrial and Academic Institutions or S&T Organisations and scientific activities and services; OR MD (Sowa Rigpa) or equivalent with two years' experience in the same.
• TKL3903 and TKP3902 (Project Associate-I, Sowa Rigpa): Bachelor's degree in Sowa Rigpa medicine from a recognized University or equivalent.
• TKC3902 (Senior Project Associate, Siddha): BSMS (Siddha) or equivalent with three years' experience in R&D in Industrial and Academic Institutions or S&T Organisations and scientific activities and services; OR MD (Siddha) or equivalent with two years' experience in the same.
• TKC3903 (Project Associate-I, Siddha): BSMS (Siddha) from a recognized University or equivalent.

Patent, Sanskrit and Yoga

• TKD3904 and TKH3903 (Senior Project Associate, Patent): Master's degree in Chemical or Biological Sciences/Bioinformatics/Cheminformatics or equivalent with three years' experience in R&D in Industrial and Academic Institutions or S&T Organisations and scientific activities and services; OR Doctoral degree in Chemical or Biological Science or equivalent with two years' experience in the same. Desirable: experience in patent analytics/informatics or PG Diploma in IPR, and good written and oral skills in English.
• TKD3905 and TKH3904 (Project Associate-I, Patent): Master's degree in Chemical or Biological Sciences/Bioinformatics/Cheminformatics or equivalent. Desirable: proficiency in patent analytics/informatics or PG Diploma in IPR, and good written and oral skills in English.
• TKD3906 (Senior Project Associate, Sanskrit): Master's degree in Sanskrit or equivalent with three years' experience in R&D in Industrial and Academic Institutions or S&T Organisations and scientific activities and services; OR Doctoral degree in Sanskrit or equivalent with two years' experience in the same. Desirable: knowledge of traditional medical texts and familiarity with medical terms including diseases, plant names, etc.
• TKD3907 (Project Associate-I, Yoga): Master's degree in Yoga from a recognized University or equivalent.

Other Requirements

• Preference will be given to candidates with proficiency in applicable languages, and working knowledge of computers and commonly used software.
• Candidates who are currently employed must furnish a no-objection certificate from the current employer at the time of joining.

Salary/Stipend

The monthly emoluments for CSIR TKDL Project Associate Recruitment 2026 depend on the post and the qualifying exams cleared by the candidate:

• Senior Project Associate: Rs. 42,000/- per month + HRA
• Project Associate-I: Rs. 31,000/- per month + HRA for candidates who have qualified (a) a National Eligibility Test - CSIR-UGC NET including lectureship (Assistant Professorship) or GATE, or (b) a selection process through national level examinations conducted by Central Government Departments and their Agencies and Institutions
• Project Associate-I (others): Rs. 25,000/- per month + HRA for candidates who do not fall under the above category
• The engagement is purely temporary and on contract basis, initially up to 31 March 2027 and up to a maximum of 31 March 2031, co-terminus with the project.

Age Limit (as on 12-10-2026)

The age limits are as follows. These limits are relaxable for candidates of statutory groups as per CSIR/Government of India rules (SC/ST/OBC/PwD/woman, as per the notification).

• Senior Project Associate: Maximum 40 years
• Project Associate-I: Maximum 35 years
• Minimum Age: Not specified in the notification

Application Fee

• The notification does not mention any application fee for CSIR TKDL Project Associate Recruitment 2026.
• No TA/DA will be paid for attending the test/interview.

Important Dates

Candidates should note the following dates. The written test will be held at the posting location of the post applied for, on the date and time mentioned against the post code.

• Last Date for Online Application: 12-10-2026 (up to 5:00 PM)
• Written Test - Information Technology posts (TKD3901, TKJ3901, TKC3901, TKH3901, TKL3901, TKS3901, TKP3901): 14-10-2026
• Written Test - Sowa Rigpa posts (TKL3902, TKL3903, TKP3902): 15-10-2026
• Written Test - Unani posts (TKH3902, TKS3902): 16-10-2026
• Written Test - Ayurveda posts (TKD3902, TKD3903, TKJ3902): 22-10-2026
• Written Test - Patent posts (TKD3904, TKD3905, TKH3903, TKH3904): 23-10-2026
• Written Test - Siddha posts (TKC3902, TKC3903): 26-10-2026
• Written Test - Sanskrit and Yoga posts (TKD3906, TKD3907): 30-10-2026

Selection Process

Selection will be through a written test followed by an interview of shortlisted candidates.

• Candidates must present themselves at the posting location mentioned against the post code for the written test on the stated date and time.
• The results of the written test will be declared on the same day.
• The interview of shortlisted candidates will take place in hybrid mode (offline and online), either on the day of the written test or on another day, as informed after the written test. If the Committee so desires, candidates will be asked to appear in person and will be informed accordingly.
• Candidates are requested to wait after their written test for results/instructions unless informed otherwise.
• Candidates must bring the following at the time of the written test: original certificates/testimonials, two copies of self-attested photographs, a set of self-attested copies of certificates/testimonials in support of age, qualification, marks obtained and experience (if any), and a neatly typed bio-data on A4 paper.
• Candidates belonging to statutory categories must bring the original category certificate issued by the competent authority, along with self-attested copies.

Terms of Engagement

• The tenure is co-terminus with the project and, under no circumstances, will exceed six years cumulatively, inclusive of all CSIR postings. Performance will be reviewed periodically, and staff not found up to the mark may be terminated without assigning any reason.
• The contract confers no right to continuation beyond the tenure, absorption or regularization in CSIR. It may be terminated at any time with one month's notice from either side or one month's stipend in lieu thereof.
• Project staff will be governed by the CSIR guidelines on engagement of project staff, as amended from time to time.
• The posting location may change as per requirement, and project staff may be required to travel as per need.
• The Head, CSIR-TKDL Unit may increase/decrease the number of positions or cancel the recruitment process at any stage, and his decision is final and binding. Canvassing in any form will render the candidate disqualified.

How to Apply

Eligible candidates can apply for CSIR TKDL Project Associate Recruitment 2026 through online mode only. Follow the steps below:

1. Visit the official website, www.csir.res.in, and open the online application form for the advertisement TKDL/08/2026.
2. Fill in all the details related to educational qualification, statutory category, experience, etc. Candidates who wish to apply for more than one post must apply separately for each position.
3. Upload scanned copies of the original documents: certificates establishing educational qualifications (matriculation onwards), age, statutory category (for SC/ST/OBC/PwD/EWS candidates), experience certificate (if any), list of publications/patents (if any) and detailed bio-data. Candidature will be summarily rejected if these are not uploaded.
4. Submit the application on or before 12-10-2026, 5:00 PM.
5. Keep the generated application number for future correspondence.
6. Report at the posting location on the test date and time with the original documents, self-attested copies, photographs and bio-data.

Incomplete applications or applications received through any other mode will not be accepted. For queries, contact 011-26851136 or [email protected]. For technical problems while submitting the online form, write to [email protected].

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