The Gates Cambridge Scholarship programme was established in October 2000 by a donation of US$210m from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the University of Cambridge; this is the largest ever single donation to a UK university.
Each year Gates Cambridge offers 80 full-cost scholarships to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Approximately two-thirds of these awards will be offered to PhD students, with approximately 25 awards available in the US round and 55 available in the International round.
This year many Indian and Global Indian scholars have been selected from among the 74 worldwide candidates for the prestigious Gates Cambridge Class of 2021.
Professor Barry Everitt FRS, Provost of the Gates Cambridge Trust said: “This year has been extraordinarily challenging, but it has highlighted the importance of the international, outward-looking and socially committed approach of these diverse and outstanding scholars.
"Like their predecessors, this year’s cohort are an extraordinarily impressive and diverse group who have already achieved much in terms of their academic studies and leadership abilities and have already shown their commitment to improving the lives of others in multiple ways.
“We are sure that the 2021 class of scholars will flourish in the rich, international community at Cambridge and will make a significant impact in their fields and in the wider global community.”
Ila Ananya, an MPhil Social Anthropology student who completed her Masters in Gender Studies at SOAS, University of London and Rishabh Bajoria is a PhD student in Legal Studies are among the list of winners.
Other International Indian names include: US-based Tathagat Bhatia, educationists Surya Pratap Deka and Nikita Jha and epidemiologist Anwesha Lahiri from Cambridge University, Psychology graduate Mishika Mehrotra, astronomy student Arnab Sarkar and genetics scholar Samarpita Sen, physical sciences student Venkata Chaluvadi, radiologist Tanvi Rao, healthcare expert Veeraj Shah and English Literature student Meena Venkataramanan.
Indian students have had a good track record with the Gates Cambridge programme, with 11 selected in 2008 and 10 in 2001. Apart from the US, India has the highest share of Gates Cambridge Scholars-Elect this year.
