O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) Announces Academic Scholarships and Research Fellowships for 2020 Graduates

• Unique Support Programme to Aid 200 Students amidst Covid 19 Disruption on Jobs and Careers

Chennai, 23 July, 2020: O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) announces 200 Research Scholarships for Undergraduates and Fellowships for Master’s and Ph.D. Graduates of 2020. This is an unprecedented and extraordinary initiative taken by the University to secure the future and alleviate the anxiety of its students where careers have been adversely affected by Covid 19. In all 200 JGU students graduating in 2020 will benefit from the programme. 

The Teaching & Research for Intellectual Pursuit (TRIP) Fellowship programme will support 100 high quality academic careers for (Master’s and Ph.D.) students amidst Covid 19 related impact on jobs and careers. Under the career support plan, 100 JGU graduates (Master’s and Ph.D.) of its 2020 batch will receive generous Fellowships from the University.

JGU has also announced 100 GRIP Scholarships (Graduate Research Immersion Programme) for all the graduating students of JGU with a view to focussing on research and institutional mentorship for young and aspiring researchers. The six-month GRIP Scholarship will provide financial support along with accommodation and other benefits and privileges. 

“Amidst the ongoing global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, we are cognisant of the predicament that the graduates of universities in India and around the world are facing,” said, Professor (Dr.) C. Raj Kumar, Founding Vice Chancellor of O.P. Jindal Global University. “We believe that JGU must help and support our students, especially during these extraordinarily difficult times. 

The decision of JGU to offer 200 Scholarships and Fellowships to the 2020 graduates of JGU is a landmark initiative in higher education that will invest in the future of young and aspiring academics and research scholars. The Fellowships (for Masters and PhD. Students) and the Scholarships (for Undergraduates) are part of an effort to help the graduating batch of 2020 find meaningful ways to be engaged in research with a view to empower the development of next general academics, researchers and teachers. This will help the students in their overall career progression by providing them pathways in the pursuit of academic careers,” Professor Kumar said.

The 100 Teaching & Research for Intellectual Pursuit Fellowships offers students with the opportunity to gain holistic academic experience in a two-year fellowship programme to develop their academic & research capabilities, intellectual competencies, teaching skills with a pedagogical understanding of the learning ecosystem. The TRIP Fellowships will financially support the 2020 graduates of JGU from the Master's and Ph.D. programmes to develop pathways to a career in academics that will also help overcome the uncertainties in the career trajectories of students caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The TRIP Fellowships will support the academic and research inclined graduates of JGU to further sharpen their research skills and produce journal articles and publications of international standards working with the leading scholars and researchers of JGU. It would also further the agenda of producing high quality academics and researchers for Indian and global higher education institutions in law, management, social sciences and humanities.

The six-month GRIP Scholarships Initiative addresses the challenges faced by our graduating students, enabling them to navigate the ongoing crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The ensuing lockdown and lack of opportunities or clarity to pursue learning or career streams has created uncertainty for many students. The objective of this programme is to support graduating students in their overall career progression and transition into their higher education or professional careers. The programme will provide unique and wide-ranging opportunities for GRIP Scholars to interact with industry experts, practitioners, lawyers, judges, leading national and international academics and researchers, journalists, government officials, and institutional leaders who are regularly hosted at JGU as part of the University’s broad institutional agenda of advancing intellectual debates, discussions and collaboration across disciplinary areas and boundaries. 

The TRIP Fellowship is a two-year programme, which will commence in October 2020. The TRIP Fellows & Academic Tutors will be selected through a competitive process from the Master’s students graduating in 2020 and from the Ph.D. students who have successfully completed their thesis defence. After the successful completion of responsibilities under the TRIP Fellowship, the TRIP Fellows & Academic Tutors would be considered for the position of Assistant Lecturer in JGU and could be a part of the JGU faculty.

About O.P. Jindal Global University: O.P. Jindal Global University (JGU) is a non-profit global university established by the Government of Haryana and recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). JGU was established as a philanthropic initiative of its Founding Chancellor, Mr. Naveen Jindal in memory of his father, Mr. O.P. Jindal. JGU is one of the few universities in Asia that maintains a 1:9 faculty-student ratio and appoints faculty members from India and different parts of the world with outstanding academic qualifications and experience. JGU is a research intensive university, which is deeply committed to its core institutional values of interdisciplinary and innovative pedagogy; pluralism and rigorous scholarship; and globalism and international engagement. 

JGU has established nine schools: Jindal Global Law School (JGLS), Jindal Global Business School (JGBS); Jindal School of International Affairs (JSIA); Jindal School of Government and Public Policy (JSGP); Jindal School of Liberal Arts & Humanities (JSLH); Jindal School of Journalism & Communication (JSJC); Jindal School of Art & Architecture (JSAA); Jindal School of Banking & Finance (JSBF) and Jindal School of Environment & Sustainability (JSES). JGU has been granted with “Autonomy” by the University Grants Commission and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, for receiving the then highest “A” Grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). This makes JGU the only private university in the state of Haryana and one of the only two private universities in India to be given the status of autonomy.

JGU has been ranked the number One Private University in India in the QS World University Rankings 2021. JGU is also the highest-ranked Indian university, which focuses solely on Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, and the youngest Indian University to be ranked this year. JGU is ranked among the top 300 universities in the world in faculty-student ratio (1:9) and is ranked amongst the top 450 universities in the world in employer reputation. In addition, JGU is ranked amongst the top 500 universities in the world in international faculty, which makes up 14% of JGU’s total faculty. JGU is also the only Indian private university in the top 150 ‘young’ universities in the world (under 50 years of age) in the QS Young University Rankings 2021. In September 2019, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India issued a Letter of Intent (LOI) to select JGU as an ‘Institution of Eminence’ (IoE), This makes JGU one of only ten private universities in India to be awarded this status. JGU is an initiative of Jindal Steel & Power Foundation.

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