Women in STEM to get scholarships from British Council

By: WE Staff | Friday, 3 March 2023

British Council announced the third batch of its Scholarships for Women in STEM. British Council is the UK's worldwide organization promoting opportunities for education and cultural engagement. 

Women with dependents may also apply for the award and will get additional assistance. Application deadlines range from March to May 2023, depending on the university. Students are advised to review each university's specific deadlines.

Women in the STEM fields from India and other South Asian nations are specifically targeted for 26 merit-based scholarships and fellowships, which have no country-specific cap. They are distributed across six UK universities: Coventry University, University of Bath, University of Manchester, University of Southampton, Imperial College London, and The University of Edinburgh. 

The scholarships will aid the chosen women scholars' STEM careers and assist them in further advance research and development in their home nations by exposing them to knowledge in the highly regarded STEM sectors in the UK.

For chosen Indian scholars who decide to enrol in a master's programme or an Early Academic Fellowship at a UK institution, the scholarship will cover tuition, a stipend, travel costs, visa fees, health insurance premiums, special support for mothers, and help with English language learning.

By actively participating in the alumni network, the scholars will have a lengthy platform to interact with the UK and encourage the subsequent generation of female STEM professionals. 115 scholars from the 2021/22 global cohorts enrolled in their desired courses for the 2021 fall semester. The scholarship was awarded to 21 Indian women in 2022–2023; they are presently enrolled at UK universities. 

“At British Council, we believe that scientific and technological domains stand to gain a lot more through increasing accessibility of women. These scholarships will bring talented women’s fantastic creativity, innovation, and unique perspective to these domains making them richer and more productive. We are excited to enable more women to embark on their journey towards a career in STEM fields by sharing access to the UK’s renowned research pedagogy, state-of-the-art facilities, and cutting-edge technology, that can transform their learning and expand their horizon of opportunities. Over the past few years, we have supported over 200 Indian women to access world-leading education and reach their potential, and we aim to continue adding more to support women in crafting a better tomorrow and inspiring others in the process.” Says Director Education, India, British Council Rittika Chanda Parruck.

"Receiving the British Council STEM scholarship has had a big influence on my life," said Prajakta Kumbhar, a Mumbai native studying MSc Pollution and Environmental Control at the University of Manchester. “I am certain that the scholarship will help me pave the way to a rewarding professional career by introducing me to new people, exposing me to a new culture, developing an open-minded perspective, and giving me worldwide credentials from a prestigious university. I want to make use of this opportunity to the fullest extent possible, and I'm thrilled that more women may now take advantage of it this year.”

The programme offers Indian women STEM scholars the opportunity to apply for master's degrees and Early Academic Fellowships at 21 UK universities in specialties such as computer science, data science, biotechnology, environmental engineering, civil engineering, medicine, public health, machine learning, robotics, information technology, renewable energy & energy management, and more.