India announces $500k in scholarships to boost Indo-Pacific ties

This new scholarship will also expand to include doctoral and postgraduate students in STEM projects in the US.

Study Abroad: During the Quad summit last week, India announced a scholarship of $500k for Indo-Pacific students. These scholarships are available to the students who are applying to the Government of India-funded technical institutes' four-year undergraduate engineering program.

The Summit hosted representatives from countries including Australia, Japan, the US and India. In this Summit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were hosted by US President Joe Biden.

“India is pleased to announce a new initiative to award fifty Quad scholarships, worth $500,000, to students from the Indo-Pacific to pursue a four-year undergraduate engineering program at a Government of India-funded technical institution,” stated the Wilmington Declaration.

“The Quad is committed to strengthening the deep and enduring ties between our people, and among our partners. Through the Quad Fellowship, we are building a network of the next generation of science, technology, and policy leaders,” added the declaration.

As per the PM India statement, during the past four years, the Quad Leaders have met six times and Quad Foreign Ministers have met eight times.

"Quad country representatives convene on a regular basis, at all levels, to consult one another, exchange ideas to advance shared priorities, and deliver benefits for partners across the Indo-Pacific region. All Quad governments have institutionalized the Quad at all levels and across a diverse array of departments and agencies. Today, Quad Leaders announced new initiatives to solidify these habits of cooperation and to set up the Quad to endure for the long-term," said the government statement.

Quad countries preparing for future pandemics

The countries are committed to preparing for future pandemics. India is all set to release a white paper on this and will also host a workshop on pandemic preparedness. Australia is increasing specialists in public health who can take charge of the roles related to public health in the region during the pandemic outbreaks. The first training session of these specialists will start in Darwin, Australia soon.

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