The Ph.D. Programme at GIFT was launched in 2018-19, with the admission of four scholars, followed by three scholars in 2019-20. In the academic year 2020-21, seven scholars were admitted to the programme. Eight scholars joined in 2022-23, followed by nine scholars in 2023-24. Currently, there are 31 research scholars across five batches. The first batch is in the final stage of submission, with one already submitted. The second batch intends to submit their theses by the end of next year. The third batch is actively working on their chapter writing, while the fourth batch has completed their proposal confirmation and is focusing on the first two objectives of their thesis. The coursework for the fifth batch of Ph.D. scholars is currently going on.
Besides the coursework and writing dissertation, PhD scholars are also involved in various academic activities. The students at GIFT formed the Young Scholars Forum and began organizing various academic and cultural activities, bringing new energy and vitality to the campus. At the instance of Young Scholars Forum, a new online publication, Weekly Updates on Indian Economy, was started in January 2020 at their instance. This is a weekly compilation of important news items pertaining to different aspects of the Indian economy that appeared in leading dailies, especially those dealing with the economy. This continues to be published every Friday and sent to all those on our mailing list and uploaded to the GIFT website.