The Royal Society Yusuf Hamied Visiting Professorships

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

The inaugural round of applications for Senior Grant Holders will open on Tuesday 9 May 2023 and close on Friday 16 June at 3pm.

The next round of applications for Fellows will be announced later this year. 

Eligibility

The Yusuf Hamied Visiting Professorships for Fellows are open to all Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society. Applicants cannot be a member of the Society’s Board, the awarding body for the scheme.

The Yusuf Hamied Visiting Professorships 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)

Application

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

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

Selection

The Royal Society’s Board will review the applications received and select up to four Fellows and Foreign Members, and up to four Senior Grant Holders for the Visiting Professorships each year. If more than four applications are received for each call, Board will also consider the research areas covered in the application, the range of partner organisations and locations proposed, and the quality and impact of the anticipated outcomes as well as take into consideration the breadth and diversity of applicants. The decision of the Board is final.

Visits

The next awards for Senior Grant Holders are expected to be announced in June 2023 and the visits should take place between 1 August 2023 and 31 July 2024.

The Royal Society will help Visiting Professors make arrangements for their return flights (up to a maximum of £5,000) via its travel agent. Visiting Professors 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 Professor and/or their institution.The weekly travel grant of £1,000 is expected to cover any accommodation, in-country travel, insurance 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 Professor and/or their institution. Visiting Professors will be expected to arrange their own travel insurance and visa. 

Reporting

Returning Visiting Professors 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 6 weeks of return. Visiting Professors may also be asked to provide feedback on the scheme to improve future implementation.