The selection criteria for this programme mandates that applicants must be Barefoot Researchers who have graduated from the PUKAR Youth Fellowship after one or more years of training and feel the need to do more intensive research on the same or similar themes they explored during the period of the fellowship.

The Advanced Youth Fellowship selection process began by inviting applications from all the youth fellows of the Youth fellowship program (2005 to 2009). This new subset of research practice and training initiated in 2009 has taken PUKAR YFP to newer heights. Applicants were contacted and called for interviews and focused group discussions.