scholarships for Indians

The University Grants Commission has invited applications from interested Indian students for “Stipendium Hungaricum” Scholarship Program started by the Hungarian Government.

The scholarships are for 200 Indian students to pursue undergraduate, postgraduate, M.Phil/PhD and postdoctoral studies in Hungary in 2015.

Last date for submission of application is January 27, 2015 for the semester starting in February 2015. Detailed information regarding the scholarship scheme and the application procedure is available at www.ugc.ac.in.

The UGC says that these Scholarships are primarily in the fields of Natural and Life Sciences, Information Technology, Economics, Business Management and Engineering. The candidates applying for them should have an appropriate knowledge of English language on a certain level that is defined by the host institution.

Financial Provisions: The Hungarian government will provide : 1. Tuition free course. 2. Dormitory may be offered as per capacity of the host institutions. 3 Medical Insurance. 4. Monthly allowance (HUF 40460 stipend per month in case of BA/B.Sc/MA/M.Sc and HUF 1,00,000/- stipend per month for PhD. Students). The Indian side will bear the travel cost of Indian students visiting Hungary.

Those interested may apply in the prescribed application form and submit the duly filled application form along with the relevant documents to the Section Officer, IC Section, Room No. 508A, University Grants Commission, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi – 110002 on or before 27th January, 2015.

The applicant should also send the application form along with the scanned documents in one pdf file to the email id ugcic2@gmail.com.

The UGC reserves the right to shortlist /select candidates on the basis of its own selection criteria. Final selection will be made by the Hungarian Scholarship Board on the basis of the evaluation made by the UGC.

Fulbight-Nehru fellowships

NEW DELHI : United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) has announced Fulbright-Nehru master’s fellowships for Indian students who wish to pursue a master’s programme at select US colleges and universities in areas of art and culture management such as heritage conservation and museum studies, environmental science/studies, higher education
administration, public health, urban and regional planning, and women’s studies/gender studies.

The fellowship will provide J-1 visa support, round-trip economy class air travel, tuition and fees, living costs, accident and sickness programme for exchanges as per the US government guidelines.

The applicants should have completed an equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree from a recognised Indian university with at least 55 per cent marks. He should either possess a four-year bachelor’s degree or a completed master’s degree, if the bachelor’s degree is of less than four years’ duration.

The applicant must have at least three years’ full-time (paid or voluntary) professional work experience relevant to your proposed field of study and should have demonstrated experience in leadership and community service.

The deadline for application was July 1, 2014.

For details, visit www.usief.org.in/ Fellowships/Fulbright-NehruFellowships

British Council scholarships

MUMBAI: The British Council is offering 370 higher education scholarships to Indian students starting this year.

The Council has tied up with 36 universities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to back scholarships worth Rs100 million which will be granted to 260 undergraduate and postgraduate courses of various disciplines.

“The scholarships, worth a total of £1 million [approx Rs10 crore], were borne out of an association with the prominent varsities. The process of awarding these and the amount would depend on the institution,” said an executive at the central office of the British Council.

We launched the first batch of scholarships at Cochin in February and plan to expand to the other centres in the coming months,” the executive added.

Offered across various disciplines, including engineering, law, business, art and design, biosciences and information technology, the minimum scholarship is worth £750 for undergraduate and postgraduate courses at the University of Bedfordshire and the maximum award is worth £15,000 f or a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Reading.

Post-Doc research fellowships

NEW DELHI : The University Grants Commission has invited applications from permanent teachers in a university or an institution to award Raman Fellowships for Post Doctoral Research in the United States.

The applicant must be a permanent (confirmed) teacher in a university or an institution recognized by UGC under 2 (f) and 12B of UGC Act.

The objective of the Fellowships is to provide the teachers with an opportunity to have international collaborative research, training in advanced techniques and technologies in emerging fields.

ELIGIBILITY:

1. The applicant should be a permanent teacher in a university/institution recognized by UGC under 2(f) and 12B of UGC Act.
2. The applicant should possess at least 60 per cent marks or equivalent in the post-graduate degree.
3. The applicant should possess a Ph.D. degree in respective academic discipline (Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Science, Engineering, Technology, Agricultural Sciences) or MD/MS/Ph.D. in Medical Sciences.
4. The Applicant must provide proof of having carried out independent research work published in peer reviewed journals preferably indexed.
5. The applicant should be of age up to 40 years as on 31 December 2012.
6. The reservation will be available in accordance with the national norms.

The UGC notification issued on June 31 says that the nominee should have been accepted by an eminent US university/ scientific/ technological/ research institution, where major work in the area of study identified by the nominee is in progress. The US institution should be willingness to accept and extend support to the candidate for the work proposed. No bench fee will be charged by host institution in US.

The candidate should himself/herself correspond with the proposed host institution of US for placement. Candidate is required to produce evidence for this minimally, in the form of electronic communication, with the US institution to be visited along with merits/uniqueness of that host institute in the proposed area which satisfies the selection panel about the acceptance of the candidate if he/she is selected.

The notification said that the Fellow will be entitled to fellowship amount of US $ 3000 per month. The minimum period of the fellowship would be 6 months and maximum period of fellowship would be 12 months.

The notification said that the Fellow will also be entitled to a one time personal contingency grant of upto a maximum of Rs. 50,000 to cover for visa, airport transfer, medical insurance etc. Medical insurance
expenses, visa fee, airport transfer charges will be met by the fellow from out of this personal contingency grant.

It said that the Fellow will also be permitted to travel within USA to attend conferences or visit other institutes of interest with the approval of the advisor at the host institute. The Fellow will be entitled to avail one of the following grants for this purpose.

i) Grant of $ 600 for fellowship period upto 6 months
ii) Grant of $ 1200 for fellowship period beyond 6 months
Air-tickets for all the selected Fellow would be purchased by the respective university/institution by economy class for shortest route from their place of work in India to the place of the American host institute and back. The actual ticket amount would be reimbursed by UGC to the institution for the same on submission of all relevant documents duly certified by the competent authority of the institution.

Rules governing payment of salary, leave, medical, gratuity, GPF and pension etc. of the organization/ institution/ university to which the fellow belongs would continue to be applicable. No liability on any of these accounts will be borne by UGC.

The candidate selected for the award for this fellowship should commence their research within six month period from the date of award announcement. Failure to do so would render the fellow to forfeit the award.

http://www.ugc.ac.in/pdfindous/registration.aspx

Fulbright scholarships tripled

KOLKATA : The number of Fulbright fellowships offered to applicants from India and scholars from the U.S. coming to the country tripled after the Union government started funding the programme, Adam J. Grotsky the Executive Director of the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) said here on May 14.

In 2008, the government of India became a full partner of the programme as a part of a new agreement between the two countries and the Fulbright-Nehru fellowships were introduced. The very next year saw a doubling in the size of the programme and later the figures tripled, Mr. Grotsky said on the sidelines of an orientation programme organised for Fulbright scholars who will be travelling to the U.S. in the coming academic year.

In the 2008-09 academic year — the last year that the programme was completely funded by the U.S. authorities — 46 applicants from the U.S. travelled to India and 41 Indian scholars had gone there. In the coming academic session, fellowships were offered to 150 scholars in the US and 131 Indians, he added.

Mr. Grotsky said: “Traditionally, Fulbright was geared for the humanities, social sciences and the arts. But over the last decade we have seen an overwhelming response from applicants in applied science and the hard sciences.”

Science and Technology, Public Health, Environment Energy and Climate Change were some of the areas identified as priority areas by the USIEF and accordingly there had been an increase in the grants allotted to scholars from these disciplines, he said.

According to the USIEF data, 27 percent of the Fulbright-Nehru Fellows this year were from Science and Technology, 14 percent from Environmental studies and sciences and seven percent from Public Health.

Debal Ray, an employee of the West Bengal government who will be conducting research on environmental issues at Cornell University, also spoke of the need for greater diversity among the applicants and expanding the programme beyond the metropolitan cities that provide the bulk of the applicants.

Mr. Grotsky said the organisation was trying to address the issue and started an outreach programme to create awareness about the scholarships in the tier-II and tier-III cities in India.

He said the USIEF “made a big push in the north-east” as well as other towns. Of the 131 Fulbright-Nehru fellows from India, five were from the north-eastern States.

40% qualifyers reject JRF, NET

NEW DELHI : Nearly 40 per cent of the students qualifying the CSIR-UGC NET examination have not taken up the fellowship primarily because they prefer to go abroad for higher studies, says a study published in the Current Science issue dated February 25.

Data pertaining to CSIR- supported Junior Research Fellows (JRFs) indicates that around 41 per cent students who qualified for CSIR–UGC NET — conducted from December 2008 to June 2010 — did not avail the fellowships offered.

The study — ‘Are CSIR–UGC NETqualified Junior Research Fellows going away from science?’ — reveals that lack of interest is attributed to awardees’ preference to go abroad for higher studies. Employment in academics, R&D institutes and other fellowship offers were some of the other reasons why the students were not availing the fellowship.

But a sizeable percentage of NET-qualified students also took up the fellowship by clearing NET again and only a small percentage of these students opted for a career in non-scientific institutes.

So, the concerns that NET-qualified students are moving away from science are unfounded, the study notes. CSIR director general Dr Samir K Brahmachari said the students were interested in inter-disciplinary research.

Mechanical Engg Scholarships in US

Despite economic slowdown the US universities still draw a large number of students from India – cost being the only hurdle. Courses in popular subjects such as mechanical engineering tend to be especially expensive and any external financial aid is usually welcom. Some leading universities in the USA offer international scholarships to support overseas students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in mechanical engineering and related disciplines. A few independent organisations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) also offer scholarships for international students. Here’s a quick look at a few of these: 

John Hopkins University 

The Charles R. Westgate Scholarships in Engineering are merit-based scholarships offered by John Hopkins University. They provide engineering students full tuition per year and also a stipend to meet living expenses for four-year undergraduate study. Up to two scholarships are available each year for entering students with outstanding high school records and achievements in various areas.  

Link: http://www.uniguru.co.in/studyabroad/international-scholarships/us-usa/qn/engineering-technology/211/qid/g/scholarship1.html

Illinois Institute of Technology 

Undergraduate international students applying to Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) are automatically considered for institutional scholarships once they gain admission at IIT. The scholarships, awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions can be renewed as long as students maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale.  

Fulltime international students applying to Master's Programmes in mechanical engineering who have strong academic records may also be eligible for a one-year, half-tuition academic scholarship. Fulltime students applying to M.S. and Ph.D. programmes also stand the chance of qualifying for fellowships and assistantships. International students are eligible for up to $12,000 per year in scholarships. Students are considered automatically for these scholarships and fellowships at the time of admission, but need to ensure the funding deadline mentioned in the admission application is met.  

University of Wisconsin-Stout

The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) at University of Wisconsin-Stout offers scholarships to deserving Indian students pursuing undergraduate STEM courses. This is a merit-based scholarship and internship programme restricted to AISES members. They partially cover tuition and other educational expenses. 

American Society of Mechanical Engineers Scholarships

ASME offers several scholarships to encourage international students pursuing mechanical engineering in the USA. 

Three Willis F. Thompson Memorial Scholarships, valued at $5,000 each are awarded annually to mechanical engineering students who are interested in the field of power generation. 

The $4500 Garland Duncan Scholarships are awarded to students enrolled in ABET accredited programmes or mechanical engineering and related courses. The winners are selected based on many factors such as leadership, scholastic ability, financial need and potential contribution to the mechanical engineering profession. 

Two $4,000 Melvin R. Green Scholarships are awarded on similar basis by ASME. 

The ASME Foundation Hanley Scholarship of value $2,500 is for students pursuing ABET accredited undergraduate degrees in mechanical engineering or related baccalaureate programmes.  Preference is given to applicants demonstrating financial need or scholastic ability.  

This is a guest blog by Priya from Uniguru. Uniguru is India’s largest study-abroad website hosting information on more than 5,00,000 courses, 11,000 scholarships and 4700 universities and colleges across USA, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, New Zealand.

Agatha Harrison Fellowship

Applications are invited from Indian Nationals for the award of Ms. Agatha Harrison Memorial Fellowship (only one fellowship) which the Government of the India instituted at St. Antony’s College, Oxford (U.K.).

The Fellowship is tenable for one year which can be extended by a year more on the basis of performance of the candidate. The fellowship carries an amount of £ 27,603/- per annum, the break –up of which is as follows:

 

           

(a)	Stipend	£ 20,902.50
(b)	Travel Allowance	£      675.00
(c)	College Lunches	£   2,009.25
(d)	6 High Table Dinner	£      416.25
(e)	Other Administration Charges	£   3,600.00
	Total	£ 27,603.00

                                          

 

The candidate is eligible for Economy Class air passage (both ways). Only spouse of the selected candidate will be provided Economy Class Air-fare provided he/she stays in UK with the scholar for a continuous period of one year. (As the fellowship amount is sufficient for only one person, the candidate will have to meet the expenditure on maintenance of spouse).

The Fellowship is meant for scholars who have specialized in Modern Indian Studies in the subject fields of History, Economics and Political Science. Candidates should have uniformly brilliant academic record with 60% (at least) in Post graduation and with a Ph.D. degree in the subject-field chosen or published works of equivalent merit, which have received outstanding recognition. Where only grades are awarded, the candidates are required to furnish exact percentage of marks and also indicate the conversion formula. The candidates applying for the Fellowship should keep in mind that this Fellowship is intended to be for a young scholar, who is bent on pursuing an academic career and whose status would be comparable to that of a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford..

 

EXPERINCE : A minimum of three years teaching experience at Graduate/Postgraduate level after completing Ph.D. as on 24.02.2012.

  

AGE : Candidates should be between 30 and 40 years, as on 24.02.2012..

 

Candidates should apply for the above Fellowship on plain paper in the prescribed proforma given below with one recent passport size photograph furnishing the requisite details/particulars to the Section Officer (ES.4 Section), Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, West Block-1, Wing-6, R.K. Puram, New Delhi-110 066 by 24.02.2012 (Friday at 5.30 P.M) The application received after the last date, will not be entertained.

 

Mere fulfilment of Minimum requirements as laid down in the advertisement does not qualify a candidate for interview. Interview letters are sent only to a limited number of candidate after their applications are scrutinized by the Committee.

Applications must be accompanied by attested copies of all Certificates regarding date of birth, qualification, mark-sheets in respect of all the Examinations passed along with experience certificate of Employment and one copy of recently taken passport size photograph, with signature, to be pasted on the application form.

Equivalent foreign degrees and diplomas are acceptable but the proof of equivalence should be furnished (Certified by the Competent Authority)..

Candidates who have already been abroad for studies/ training/ specialization either on Scholarship or on their own for a period exceeding 6 months are eligible to apply provided they have been in India for at least 3 consecutive years after returning from abroad. Candidates residing abroad are not eligible.

While indicating the period of past experience and stay abroad, candidates should mention the specific dates.

The candidate must have completed tertiary Education in English Medium only.

As the Fellowship is administered in U.K., the applications should be submitted in English only in the specified proforma.

Applications in subject fields other than those specified in para-2 above will not be considered. Candidates who do not possess the requisite qualifications need not apply.

Candidates must furnish a clear and precise programme of study/research (minimum 300 words) justifying that their study/research can be carried out in the United Kingdom. Candidates are advised to describe their research proposals carefully as these will be a primary condition in selection

Incomplete applications and applications received after 24.02.2012 (Friday at 5.30 P.M) will not be considered and no correspondence will be entertained. Canvassing in any form will disqualify the candidate.

Documents submitted along with the application will not be returned. Hence, the candidates are advised to send only attested copies of the certificates. The decision of the Selection Committee shall be final. No representations in this connection will be entertained.

ICHR to triple JRF amount

NEW DELHI : Faced with the dwindling number of applicants for Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) has decided to increase the fellowship amount three-fold

The ICHR is also initiating steps to amend the bylaws to encourage senior historians to apply for the Senior Academic Fellowship (SAF).

ICHR member secretary Ishrat Alam told The Hindu on December 28 that the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has approved, in principle, the proposal sent by the ICHR to revise its JRF amount and to bring it on a par with similar fellowships offered by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Orders are likely to be issued in this regard soon, he said.

Though the ICHR is one of the most prestigious bodies having all the expertise and infrastructure, the number of applicants for JRF began dwindling.

At present, the remuneration is as low as Rs 5,000 a month which was fixed in 1988-89, whereas UGC offers Rs. 15,000 per month for a similar kind of fellowship.

The selection process in the ICHR is comparatively strict, which young researchers are wary of. The ICHR has been receiving applications from provincial universities but not from Central universities where the UGC fellowship is available.

The ICHR has been requesting the MHRD to revise the amount since 2006 and finally it has agreed, he said.

Mr. Alam said a clause in the ICHR bylaws discourage the historians from applying for the SAF. The clause has it that the fellowship amount should not exceed the pension amount of the applicants. But ever since the 6th Pay Commission recommendations were implemented, this clause has become a hurdle in awarding SAF, he said, and added that the ICHR has sent

a proposal to the MHRD to amend this clause.

The number of JRFs doubled

NEW DELHI : On January 21, 2011 the Union cabinet decided to double the number of CSIR-UGC Junior Research Fellowships (JRF) in the remaining plan period so that the benefits can be extended to more students pursuing their career in science and engineering.

The annual number of Junior Research Fellowships (JRF), open to students with MSc in any science discipline or a B.Tech in engineering, will increase from 1,200 to 2,400 each year, leading to a total of 12,000 fellowships over the next five years.

Science policymakers have been worried about the slow growth in the number of science and engineering doctorate-holders in India. “This will boost the number of Ph.Ds from India,” said Samir Brahmachari, the Director-General of the CSIR.

The number of science and engineering doctorates from India last year was a little more than 9,000, about half of an estimated 18,000 from China, Brahmachari said. Even Brazil had more than 10,000 PhDs, he said.

The total cost of providing fellowships for 12,000 more students in the 11th Plan period – up from 6,000 fellowships offered in the 10th Plan period – has been estimated at Rs 444.34 crore.

The additional fellowships are required because the number of students opting for a career in science has been rising for two years.

“In December, 2009 almost 1.12 lakh students appeared in the NET as compared to 87,000 students who sat for the examinations in June 2009 and December, 2008,” Brahmachari said.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) too has enhanced the number of fellowships. The UGC will now offer 600 fellowships every year compared to 300 it used to give out in the past, he said.

Combining with CSIR’s planned increase in the number of Junior Research Fellow (JRF) to 2,400 every year, the new cabinet decision will ensure that every year 3,000 students can carry out their doctoral research.

Currently, a CSIR-UGC junior research fellow receives Rs 12,000 per month whereas a senior research fellow gets Rs 14,000. Both receive an annual contingency of Rs 20,000.

This is set to change as the Department of Science and Technology (DST) has initiated a fresh proposal recommending Rs 17,500 as the JRF amount and SRFs expecting to receive more than Rs 20,000 per month. The amount of contingency will be enhanced.

However, senior faculty are concerned that the best doctorates will continue to leave India for post-doctoral research positions until India finds a way to absorb and retain Ph.D-holders in institution, universities, and colleges.

“Indian science will only improve when our best Ph.Ds remain and work here,” said Subhash Lakhotia, a senior biologist at the Banaras Hindu University. “Some of the most productive research emerges during the post-doctoral years,” he said.

Researchers believe poor faculty is one reason why India’s second-tier institutions have been unable to improve research productivity while top-ranking institutions have contributed a steady 30 per cent of research papers.

The CSIR officials said the increase in the number of applicants for its JRF exam— from 70,000 in 2007 to 87,000 in 2008, 116,000 during 2009 — is evidence of growing demand from students.

BACKGROUNDER :

Recognizing the need to identify and nurture young scientific talent who could be enrolled for Ph.d. programmes the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) launched a research fellowship scheme in 1983. In 1989, NET was recognized by UGC as pre-qualification for Lectureship and was renamed as CSIR-UGC National Eligibility Test for Junior Research Fellowship and Eligibility for Lectureship. Since 1990, NET is being conducted twice a year in the month of June and December.

NET is held across the country in 25 cities and at 125 exam centers in five subject areas viz. Life Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences and Mathematical Sciences. Selection is made through two paper system.

Currently more than 1,50,000 students have been writing the NET each year. The CSIR-NET has established an enormous credibility in the country and it has become a bench mark for selecting candidates for pursing Ph.D. programme, appointment either as a lecturer or a project research fellow or for employment in various R&D organization all across the country.

In the recent times serious concern has been expressed by educationalist, scientists, policy markers etc. over declining interest of students to take up careers in basic sciences. There has been an emphasis on enlarging the pool of scientific manpower to contribute towards S&T development in the country which is the reliable benchmark to become a developed nation.
In order to achieve this goal focused efforts are required to be made to identify and nurture bright young students who can take up scientific research as a career. The present programme is one such focussed effort in this direction.

Cambridge announces scholarships

NEW DELHI : On January 12, 2009 the University of Cambridge announced a new scholarship programme for Indian students in honour of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarship Programme starting from 2010 will provide full funding, covering fees and means-tested maintenance for undergraduate study in any subject at any of the colleges that are part of the university.

The scholarship programme is named after Dr Manmohan Singh because he graduated with a First in Economics from St. John's College, Cambridge, UK in the late 1950s

The scholarship programme will be launched with gifts from Sir Evelyn and Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild through the Eranda Foundation and from the Sunil Bharti Mittal-led company, Bharti Airtel, Vice-Chancellor of the university Alison Richard announced at a press conference here on January 12, 2009.

The fund will be underpinned by substantial funding from Cambridge Assessment, a department of the University and the parent of Cambridge International Examinations (CIE). CIE is the world’s largest provider of examinations for 14 to 19-year-olds, and an important participant in the development of India’s education provision. A 1.5 million pounds fund has been set up to support the Indian students; this includes a half million pound endowment in perpetuity.

As the programme develops, there are expected to be up to ten Manmohan Singh undergraduate scholars studying at the University at any one time. This initiative will enable more Indian students to study at Cambridge.

The Manmohan Singh Undergraduate Scholarships will complement the three Manmohan Singh Scholarships that were launched for post-graduate students at St John’s College, Cambridge, and were announced in New Delhi in November 2007. The £35,000 post-graduate scholarship covers all costs, including tuition, maintenance, and cost of living for Indian students to read for Ph.D & M.Phil degrees at St John’s College in areas such as science, technology and social sciences.

“The university is honoured that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is such a distinguished Cambridge alumnus, has agreed to lend his name to this important initiative. This is another great example of the breadth and depth of the Cambridge-India partnership,” said Prof. Richard.

“This scholarship will be a need-based programme. Interested students can apply to the university or any of the 28 colleges under it. Of the selected students, scholarships will be awarded on the basis of their financial aid need, which will be assessed by the Cambridge Overseas Trust,” she pointed out.

In a message released by the university on January 12, 2009, Dr. Singh said he was humbled by the honour and expressed confidence that the programme would not only help strengthen relations between the peoples of India and the U.K. but also serve “our shared objective of creating a better world based on equity and justice.”

Dr. Singh graduated from Cambridge with a First in Economics in the late 1950s. The university that has entered its 800th year of existence also launched three Manmohan Singh Scholarships for post-graduate students at St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 2007.

UK varsity launches big scholarships for Indians

LONDON : One of UK’s research-intensive universities, Queen’s University Belfast, has launched scholarships for Indian engineering and science students worth up to 400,000 USD.

The scheme, open to 100 talented Indian students who wish to enrol in a postgraduate engineering or science programme at Queen’s University in 2012, will be entitled to the J Abdul Kalam Scholarship.

Launching the scholarships on a visit to the Bangalore headquarters of Infosys Limited, Queen’s University Vice-Chancellor, Professor, Sir Peter Gregson said: “Not only will 100 top Indian students have the opportunity to receive one of the prestigious scholarships, they will also have the benefit of studying at one of UK’s leading science and engineering universities. This will further enhance their skills and allow them to make a significant contribution to the economic development of India.” Queen’s University, Belfast is a member of the Russell Group of the UK’s 20 leading research-intensive universities.

The Chancellor of Queen’s University, Kamalesh Sharma, is Secretary General of the Commonwealth and a former Indian High Commissioner to the UK. The University has invested over 500,000,000 USD over the last 10 years in creating one of the most modern and dynamic campuses in the UK.

Dr Kalam, on his visit to the university in 2009, was awarded an Honorary Doctorate that recognised his contribution to science, engineering and public service in India.

“Queens has an established and proud history of working closely with the industry and is now partnering some of the finest research institutions and universities in India. The sharing of knowledge and skills across international borders is vital in today’s world and I am confident that the Dr Kalam Scholarships will have rewarding outcomes which are beneficial to both India and Northern Ireland,” he added.

Engineering at Queen’s University was ranked in the top 10 in the UK in the most recent Research Assessment Exercise 2008, which identified areas of world-class research across all of its engineering disciplines. This excellent outcome reinforced Queen’s position as a University leading the way in areas central to society’s future.

Queen’s University Belfast is the current holder of the UK Times Higher Education Outstanding Engineering Research Team of the Year. The award recognisesthe team’s work in tackling the world’s worst case of on-going mass poisoning and creating the first low-cost chemical free arsenic removal plant in India.