The Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowships

The Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowships support the Royal Society’s mission to promote excellence in science and the application of science for the benefit of humanity. The programme is generously supported by the Yusuf and Farida Hamied Foundation as part of the Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Programme for India.

Applications for this scheme are now open

Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowships for senior grant holders 2025 - Application form

Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowships for senior grant holders 2025 - Guidance notes

The Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowships for Senior Grant Holders enable five Senior Grant Holders of the Royal Society to make visits to India for between 3 to 12 weeks. The programme will cover return international flights up to a maximum of £5,000 and a weekly travel grant of £1,000.

Eligibility

The Yusuf Hamied Visiting Fellowships for Senior Grant Holders are open to the following Royal Society grant holders:

• Royal Society Research Professors
• Royal Society Wolfson Fellows
• University Research Fellows on Renewal (i.e. 5-8 years into their early career fellowship)

Applications

Applications should outline the length of stay, amount requested, a schedule of activities and set out how the visit will achieve the aim of the scheme to 'support the exchange of expertise between scientific communities and India,' giving reference to planned and proposed activities as well as longer term outcomes.

All applications should be submitted via email to the Yusuf Hamied Programme.

Selection

Applications will be reviewed by a group of members of Council of the Royal Society and up to five applicants will be selected for the Visiting Fellowships this year. If more than five applications are received, a decision will be made based on the research areas covered in the application, the range of partner organisations and locations proposed, and the quality and impact of the anticipated outcomes. The breadth and diversity of applicants will also be taken into consideration. The decision of the Royal Society is final. 

Visits

The scheme supports visits to India of between 3 to 12 weeks.

The Royal Society will help visiting Fellows make arrangements for their return flights (up to a maximum of £5,000) via its travel agent. Visiting Fellows will be expected to arrange their own travel insurance and accommodation while in India. Any additional costs for travel incurred above £5,000 must be met by the Visiting Fellow and/or their institution.

The weekly travel grant of £1,000, calculated pro rata, is expected to cover any accommodation, in-country travel, insurance, visa and subsistence costs as well as any project, activity or research costs. Any additional costs incurred above this travel grant must be met by the Visiting Fellow and/or their institution. Visiting Fellows will be expected to arrange their own travel insurance and visa.

Reporting

Returning Visiting Fellows will be asked to provide a short report (up to 1,000 words) outlining the main highlights of their visit and how their visit supported the exchange of expertise between scientific communities in the UK and India within six weeks of return. Visiting Fellows may also be asked to provide feedback on the scheme to improve future implementation.

Please note that Visiting Fellowships for Fellows are now closed and the next round will open in the autumn.