Global Fellows Fund

The Global Fellows Fund supports high impact international placements for PhD students in labs at Imperial’s strategic international partners.

With support from both their PhD supervisor and a host supervisor at one of Imperial’s partner institutions, PhD students can apply for funding from the Turing Scheme to spend between 1 and 3 months at the partner institution.

The goals of the programme are to:

• Develop new skills, experimental techniques and/or methodologies through access to commentary training and laboratories not available at Imperial;
• Take part in activities to enhance their professional competencies and expertise through international and interdisciplinary teamwork;
• Add value to the PhD experience by providing students the opportunity to develop as internationally mobile and globally minded scientists.

Participants will enhance:

• their ability to work collaboratively on research ideas;
• their ability to network and communicate effectively and with impact in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams;
• their intercultural and international competency and awareness;
• their creativity to develop collaborative research ideas; their appreciation of research in international institutions.

Imperial College participants must:

• Be a current doctoral student from any discipline (note: this programme is not open to MRes students).
• Should be over 6 months into their PhD at the time the placement takes place.
• Have not previously received a Global Fellows Fund grant in the last 12 months.
• Have support from their Imperial supervisor and a host supervisor at an Imperial partner institution to undertake a placement that will support their scientific and professional goals.

For students who have prior experience of living in the country of the proposed placement, please explain how this placement will add value or build on that experience. Please note, if we receive more applications than available funding priority will be given to students without extensive experience of the country of destination.

Applicants should first discuss their interest in undertaking a visit as part of the Global Fellows Fund with their supervisor or other contacts in their department. This will help to gain a sense of existing collaborative relationships with Imperial partner institutions, and to gauge the potential of finding a host supervisor.

Applicants who identify an academic or group which they think might be suitable for a visit should either ask their supervisors to contact the potential host or contact the host directly themselves to determine suitability.PhD_Global_Fellows_Fund_Information_for_Supervisors_202425 (PDF)

Academics at partner institutions are not required to host Imperial students and it is fully at their discretion to determine if a visit is suitable for scientific, professional, and logistical (i.e. space) reasons.

Once a suitable host supervisor is found, applicants will need to complete an online application providing details on the host and answering the following questions:

• Please provide a layperson summary of your work (200 words, not reviewed)
• Please provide details of your proposed research placement. What will you do during your research placement and how will it add value to your PhD (500 words)
• Please explain how you will take advantage of this opportunity in the host institution and country to enhance your personal and professional skills, competencies and networks (250 words)
• Please explain why you would be a good ambassador for Imperial and how the placement will have a positive impact on the wider College community. For example, by developing networks and connections that benefit your faculty/department (250 words)

Review Process

Applications will be reviewed by the Global Fellows Fund Review Committee chaired by the Director of Graduate School with relevant faculty representatives.

Applications will be reviewed after each application cycle on 27 November 2024. 

The panel will assess applications based on the following criteria:

• Added value to PhD (application of research to PhD project, opportunity to develop new skills, experience new approaches or equipment)
• Added value to individual (Skills, networks and personal development)
• Added value to Imperial (research links, pipeline to future collaborations)

Applicants will be informed via email whether their application has been successful and provided with further details on receiving the Turing scheme grant and arranging the placement.

Applicants who are approved for funding, can then contact their host institutions to organise registration and other logistics.

Click on the partners for more information:

• Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany
• Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Bengaluru, India
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai, India
• Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
• French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
• African Institute of Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), Rwanda, Cameroon, South Africa, Senegal and Ghana
• Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
• University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
• Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology)
• National University of Singapore

Turing Scheme grant

Financial details about the Turing Scheme funding, including daily grant rates, are available on the Student Financial Support webpage

The Turing Scheme recognises that students from under-represented backgrounds are less likely to spend a period of their degree overseas. Widening access to these opportunities is a key priority of the scheme and enhanced funding is offered to students from lower income backgrounds or those who meet the relevant eligibility criteria. You can find out more about widening access and eligibility for enhanced funding on the webpage above.

Special grant top up 

For the 2024/25 academic year, the International Relations Office will provide top up funding equal to the cost of living grant provided by the Turing scheme grant to help cover more of the overall costs.  For those eligible for extra funding due to meeting the enhanced criteria, the matching top up will not include flight costs nor exceptional costs.

NB The Turing Scheme grant is a contribution to the overall cost of undertaking the placement and will not cover total costs. Students are advised to discuss with their supervisor potential sources of funding that would be able to supplement the grant to cover any additional costs not cover by the Turing scheme grant or International Relations top up.

Global Fellows Fund Placements are independently organised research placements and participants are expected to liaise with their host supervisor and institution to arrange the details of their stay.

All the partner institutions are used to hosting international researchers for short-term stays but there will be deadlines and processes to follow. It is recommended to give yourself plenty of time (several months) to complete pre-departure processes (visa, booking flights, arranging accommodation) when planning the placement start date as delays can happen.

The individual partner pages include links to webpages at the partner institution to research the processes involved and key contacts.

Please also review the guidance about Preparing for a Global Fellows Fund placement.