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

The next round of applications for Fellows will open in the autumn of 2025.

The next round of applications for Senior Grant Holders will open in the spring of 2026.

Eligibility

The Yusuf Hamied 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.

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) 

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 for each round. 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.