Bangalore’s Urban Fellowship Programme 2022, IIHS

India’s urban development transformation is unprecedented in scale and complexity. It has potential for economic development and increased employment, as well as the challenges associated with persistent inequality, extreme poverty and environmental degradation. You have the opportunity to shape this transition with the Urban Fellowship Program.

The Urban Fellowship Program is a scholarship-based program, nine months, residential, interdisciplinary, and full-time fellowship program based in Bengaluru’s IIHS City Campus. The program combines classroom teaching with site-based applied learning, live projects and internships. This is to expose Fellows to urban practice in a variety of forms. This Programme is open for recent graduates as well as young professionals with diverse educational backgrounds and practice areas. The 6th Batch of UFP is graduating in May 2022

Role and Responsibility of a Fellow in UFP

• Learn from practice as young professionals who are looking to enter the urban sectors.
• Fellows with work together to build a foundation to design  and develop interdisciplinary urban interventions.
• Fellows will learn and understand issues of urbanisation in India and the Global South from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
• Develop skills necessary to analyse, understand, and identify key urban issues in India.
• Network with diverse global, national, and local thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and change makers.
• Learn from a diverse and experienced faculty who bring together theory and practice.

Eligibility Crteria

• The ideal candidate should have a Bachelor’s degree in any discipline or subject. They must also not be older than 30 years when the UFP commences. Candidates must be born after August 1992. The Programme may consider certification programs and non-degree training after 10+2 education, depending on facts and circumstances.
• Candidates who have not completed formal education in the 10+2 can still apply, particularly if they have relevant experience in the urban sector.

Application Process

The Written Application

First, a written application will be evaluated. It is designed to assess curiosity, innovative thinking, alignment to the UFP, and a strong desire for urban questions, challenges, and issues.

Interdisciplinarity Selection

The applications will be evaluated within the respective disciplinary categories. For example, engineers with engineers and architects with architects.

A Diversity of Identity and Life Experience

To ensure a diverse UFP Class, points will also be awarded as part of the evaluation of written applications:

1. Caste
2. Religion
3. Gender (including transgender)
4. Education of the Mother & Father
5. 10+2 Education in Non-Metropolitan Cities
6. Types of Secondary Schooling: Central Public, State Public, and Private
7. Differential physical ability

Individual applicants may score points in as many categories as they are applicable. The total diversity score for any candidate cannot exceed 15%.

The interview stage will feature a final group of approximately 100-150 candidates depending on the number of applications received.

The Interview

During the interview stage, the candidate’s curiosity, creativity, and alignment with UFP will be assessed. This ensures that the candidate’s expectations are aligned with UFP. The interview will be friendly, welcoming and enabling. It’s an opportunity for candidates to show their best.

Final offers of admission to the UFP will depend on the combination of scores from both the written application as well as the interview.

IIHS Diversity Declaration

IIHS strives to foster a safe, diverse, inclusive, open and enabling learning environment. It adheres to the principle that individuals should not be discriminated against on the basis their personal beliefs or characteristics, such as caste or religion, region or ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age or marital status, or disability.

This commitment includes the IIHS UFP. Fellows should strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all aspects of their professional and personal lives. IIHS encourages women, people with disabilities, and those who are economically or socially marginalized to apply.

Deadline

11 April 2022

Scholarship

• Tuition fee for the UFP 2022-23 is INR  2.3 Lakhs + GST for the entire programme, payable in three installments over the year. This fee includes all costs of travel for the UFP on exposure visits as well as expenditure on local and inter-city travel for UFP Practica and applied projects.
• All admitted Fellows will be required to pay a Rs 20,000 deposit to secure their admission which will be refunded at the end of the programme. Fellows in financial need can request a deposit waiver that will be considered on a case by case basis at the time of admission to the UFP.
• The UFP is committed to providing scholarships to candidates that receive admission, who are unable to pay the programme tuition, after a review of their financial needs. The programme is thus need-blind. A candidate’s selection and admission into the programme will not be affected by their ability to pay.
• In addition to scholarships that cover tuition fees, there are a limited number of stipends available to cover daily living expenses for candidates with significant financial need. Candidates wishing to be considered for this will have a chance to indicate so in the admission forms.