London [UK]: The United Kingdom's Imperial College announced the new scholarship programme for Indian Masters students, the college informed through a statement.
According to the statement, under the 'Future Leaders Scholarship' programme, the college will support 30 students over the next three years with half of the scholarships reserved for female scholars.
This announcement came while Union Minister of Science and Technology Jitendra Singh visited Imperial to meet researchers and students and strengthen ties with India.
The scholarships will be for the students in the MSc programmes across Imperial's Faculties of Engineering, Natural Sciences, Medicine and the Business School, the statement read.
Talking about the scholarship programme, Professor Peter Haynes, Vice-Provost (Education and Student Experience) at Imperial, said, "It is a real priority for Imperial to continue to facilitate and support two-way mobility between India and the UK."
"I hope that we are able to welcome even more students from India in the future and I am very pleased to announce that Imperial is investing just over Pound 400,000 in scholarships for the future STEM-B leaders of India. The investment will see the launch of 30 merit-based scholarships over the next three years, with the first application round opening next academic year," he added.
He further informed that at least 50 per cent of these prestigious 'Future Leaders' scholarships will be reserved for female scholars.
The professor hoped to continue to work together on building upon the success and that Imperial can be at the fore of supporting UK-India partnerships in the coming decade."
The Imperial College also announced a new partnership with Chevening for scholars from India. Funding will be available for scholars who demonstrate the greatest potential to become leaders, decision-makers and opinion formers in India. The Chevening scholarship award will support academic fees and provide a monthly stipend, as per the statement.
During his visit to the college, Singh met with some of Imperial's Indian students and scholars and encouraged them to reach their potential. He also highlighted the rapid progress science in India was making in a number of fields and the growth of Indian startups.
The minister, accompanied by Professor Ajay Kumar Sood, principle scientific advisor to the Union government, and other scientists and officials, visited Imperial's labs and heard about Imperial's growing research collaborations with India, according to the statement.
