CFTRI Project Associate-I Gut Probiotics Recruitment 2026

CFTRI Project Associate-I Recruitment 2026: Overview

CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CSIR-CFTRI), a national laboratory of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Mysuru, is looking for a Project Associate-I for a research project on how human gut probiotics use two unusual sugars — manninotriose and verbascotetraose, both non-fructosylated α-GOS. The post is filed under project number FIR070407 and advertisement PAT 65/2026.

This is a temporary project engagement, not a regular CSIR post. You will work on the CFTRI campus in Mysuru, Karnataka. The first term runs for up to six months and can be stretched up to March 2028 or the end of the project, whichever comes first. If you hold a Masters in biotechnology, microbiology, biochemistry, molecular biology, botany, zoology, genetics or a close subject, and you enjoy bench work with enzymes and DNA, this post fits you well. The stipend is higher for candidates who have cleared a national test such as CSIR-UGC NET or GATE.

Service Conditions and Caveats

• Six-year cap: If you have already worked a total of six years as project staff in any CSIR lab, you cannot apply. This counts every CSIR project together, including NMITLI, OLP/MLP, contract R&D and non-CSIR funded projects.
• Results must be out: You need your Masters result in hand when you apply. Final-semester students and anyone with a result awaited are not eligible.
• Current CSIR project staff: You need a No Objection Certificate from your present Principal Investigator to apply. If you are selected, you join only after giving a No Dues Certificate and resigning from your old project.
• No claim to a permanent job: The engagement ends with the project and gives no right to regularisation or to register for a higher degree at CSIR-CFTRI.
• Funding and review: The post depends on funds being available in the project before results are declared. Your work is reviewed from time to time, and the engagement can be cut short if performance is not up to the mark.
• Shortlisting: If many people apply, a committee can shortlist on marks in your Masters, higher qualifications, or the desirable experience. No TA/DA is paid for attending the interview.

Application Submission Notes

You apply only through the CSIR-CFTRI Project Manpower (PAT Cell) portal at patcell.cftri.res.in — no other mode is accepted. Upload scanned certificates for your date of birth, caste, qualification and experience with the form. CFTRI no longer picks project staff from old subject panels, so you must apply separately to this advertisement even if you were empanelled earlier. Shortlisted candidates get the interview date by email, so use an address you check often.

• Carry out laboratory research on how human gut probiotic bacteria use manninotriose and verbascotetraose
• Run enzyme assays to measure how the probiotic enzymes break down these sugars
• Purify and characterise the enzymes involved in the project
• Use recombinant DNA techniques for cloning and expression work
• Plan and run R&D experiments in line with the project objectives