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 closed

Eligibility

Applications to Visiting Fellowships for Fellows are open to all Fellows and Foreign Members of the Royal Society. Applicants cannot be a member of the Society’s Council, the awarding body for the scheme. 

Applications to Visiting Fellowships for Senior Grant Holders are open to Royal Society Research Professors, Royal Society Wolfson Fellows and University Research Fellows on Renewal (i.e. 5-8 years into their early career fellowship).

Applications

Calls for applications for Senior Grant Holders and for Fellows are now closed and will re-open in 2025.

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 the number of Visiting Fellowships available will be confirmed at the beginning of each round. If more 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 6 weeks of return. Visiting Fellows may also be asked to provide feedback on the scheme to improve future implementation.