Israel has come up as one of the most popular study destinations for Indian students, especially for science and medical aspirants, with world-class educational resources and rich history.
The Bloomberg Innovation Index 2020 ranked Israel as the number one for research and development intensity for three years in a row, and that has also contributed to Israel being one of the top choices for Indian students.
Israel has, in recent years, seen some of the best-known professors and top-ranked universities in the world. The country is now aiming at expanding these resources for international students as well, and is promoting opportunities for interested candidates to utilise them and pursue higher studies in Israel. In one such bid, the country is offering scholarships to meritorious Indian students, according to a spokesperson of the education department.
Here are the top three scholarships offered by Israel’s education department for Indian students:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Scholarships
Offered by the government of Israel, these scholarships are available to Indian students applying for M.A., PhD. Post Doctorate or research studies. The scholarship is available for one academic year (October to June) for a maximum of eight months for applicants who hold a BA or BSc degree—or a higher one—and has a good record of academic achievements.
Excellence Fellowship Programme for International Postdoctoral Researchers
Offered by the Council for Higher Education in Israel and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, this scholarship programme is open for outstanding international postdoctoral researchers. The programme entails a maximum of 20 fellowships to incoming post-doctorates conducting research in one of Israel’s universities. The fellowships are allocated in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), the Humanities, and the Social Sciences. The fellowships are awarded for two years and students are offered 160,000 NIS (~$47,000) annually. It is open to international candidates who have received a PhD from a recognised higher education institution outside of Israel less than four years from the time of application, or who will receive a PhD from a recognised higher education institution outside of Israel before the commencement of this fellowship.
PhD. Sandwich Fellowship Programme
Funded by the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC), this one-year doctoral programme allows international PhD students of all fields to do research in one of Israel’s top universities as part of their doctoral studies while receiving a generous scholarship. Interested candidates must apply directly to the relevant Israeli university. The annual scholarship is 80,000 NIS for up to one year. International students enrolled in a doctoral degree programme at an accredited institution of higher education overseas, who have completed their first year of doctoral studies can apply for this programme.
In addition to these, several Israeli universities also offer their own scholarships to Indian students, separately for those enrolling in both summer as well as full-time programmes. Interested candidates can contact the university directly at the time of admission.
More information about scholarships and study programmes in Israel can be found on the official website — studyisrael.org.il.