Key highlights:
· India’s first Foreign Policy Fellowship Programme commences.
· A collaborative effort on foreign policy by YFFP and Jindal Global University
· 18 Fellowships to be awarded in three years with 8 Fellows in the first year.
September 29, 2015: The Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA) of O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) and Youth Forum on Foreign Policy (YFFP) have commenced India’s first foreign policy fellowship, the ‘YFFP-Jindal Foreign Policy Fellowship Programme’. The YFFP-Jindal Foreign Policy Fellowship programme aims to establish an interface between young researchers, experienced practitioners and scholars from different areas of expertise within the field of international relations.
Congratulating the pioneering batch of eight Fellows, Ambassador Nalin Surie, Director General, Indian Council of World Affairs, hailed the Fellowship as a landmark initiative for getting young minds to contribute to the study of foreign affairs. He said, “The purpose of this Fellowship is to stimulate students to reflect on foreign policy. The subjects chosen by these young Fellows are topical and contemporary, the need of the hour is innovation and a fresh approach which is what these young scholars will bring.”
Prof. C Raj Kumar, Vice Chancellor of JGU, said, “Initiatives like this Fellowship help provide a platform for young scholars to work and publish on issues of contemporary relevance and help develop constructive dialogue around regional consciousness in South Asia. We are at a unique time in history where educational institutions should collaborate with think tank and research organizations to become leaders in knowledge creation.”
Mr. Gaurav Gogoi, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, and Founder Secretary, YFFP, said, “What is holding Indian universities behind is not the lack of human resources but the lack of quality research and knowledge creation.” He further emphasised that, “Our universities should take a lead in designing socioeconomic and foreign policy ideas and plans, and help eliminate the current dependency on consultancies. The need of the hour is for universities to contribute, advise and significantly aid governments in decision making in the fields of domestic and foreign policies.”
Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Sreeram, Dean of JSIA said, “It is a matter of pride for us to partner with YFFP and to bring to fruition the dream of launching a unique foreign policy Fellowship that will bring talent from across our region in South Asia and create scholars to advance research and knowledge of issues that are of cutting-edge importance both to India and the world.”
The first batch of 8 Fellows have been selected from across India and SAARC countries through a highly competitive and rigorous process and include; Ms. Loveleena Sharma, Masters in International Relations, South Asian University; Mr. Moses Raj GS, Lawyer and Former advertising professional; Ms. Angana Das, Masters in Conflict Analysis and Peace Building, Jamia Milia Islamia; Mr. Joy Mitra, Masters in Diplomacy, Law and Business, Jindal School of International Affairs; Ms. Nayantara Shaunik, Masters in International Relations, London School of Economics and Political Science; Mr. Peerzada Raouf, Masters, Centre for studies in Regional Development, JNU; Ms. Prapti Adhikari, Masters in International Relations, South Asian University; and Mr. Syed A. A. Farhan, Masters in Diplomacy, Law and Business, Jindal School of International Affairs.
Elaborating on the rigorous process of selection, Dean Chaulia, added, “We are covering a wide range of topics among these 8 Fellows to create discourse that will be publishable. The Fellows have been selected in a very competitive process. Dr. Waheguru Pal Singh Sindhu of the Brookings Institution and Dr. Siddharth Mallavarapu of South Asian University were on the panel the conducted the interviews and made the selections.”
The Fellows will generate high quality research output on issues such as South Asian politics, regional economic integration, international media & culture, energy security, cyber security and climate change.
JSIA is India’s first global policy school training students in international economics and politics. YFFP is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit initiative that seeks to develop an informed and substantive dialogue on foreign policy.
