Royal Society Expands Prestigious University Research Fellowships Programme Thanks to Generous Funding of £5.6M from Tata Companies

The Royal Society’s prestigious University Research Fellowships (URF) scheme, which supports exceptional young scientists, is to receive a £5.6 million boost thanks to generous funding from a group of Tata companies, including Tata Sons, Jaguar Land Rover and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The funding will establish nine new Tata University Research Fellows in the Physical Sciences and Engineering over the next ten years, with the first Royal Society Tata University Research Fellows due to be appointed in October 2016.

The Royal Society’s University Research Fellowship scheme provides outstanding early career scientists, who have the potential to become leaders in their chosen fields, with the opportunity to build independent research careers. The scheme, which is highly competitive, funds successful candidates for five years, with the option to apply for a further three years of funding. URFs are expected to be strong candidates for permanent posts in universities at the end of their fellowships, and many have gone on to enjoy significant national or international recognition for their work. The Tata funding will also establish an annual symposium, supporting networking opportunities for the Royal Society’s URF researchers and encouraging future collaborations that push back the boundaries of traditional research.

The Tata partnership with the Royal Society is part of a global university collaboration programme by Tata companies for strategic outreach to academia across the world. It is aimed at supporting university faculty and students through funded research programmes, sabbaticals, fellowships, and engagements with university leaderships.

Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said, “We are grateful to the Tata companies for their incredibly generous gift, which will allow us to extend the URF scheme so that more young scientists and engineers will have an opportunity to access the excellent support and career development this programme provides. We hope the Tata URF scheme will make a lasting impact on the physical sciences and engineering in the UK. We are especially thankful to Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, himself a Fellow of the Royal Society, for bringing Tata and the Royal Society together in this unique collaboration.”

Professor Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya, Chairman of WMG, said, “I am delighted that Tata and the Royal Society have joined hands to further the application of science and engineering to improve the quality of life of people. This is yet another expression of Tata’s pioneering spirit and continuing commitment to innovation, under Tata Sons Chairman Cyrus Mistry’s leadership.”

Mr. Cyrus P. Mistry, Chairman of Tata Sons, said, “The Tata group has a rich heritage of collaboration with world-renowned academic institutions, including in the United Kingdom. The partnership with the Royal Society is in keeping with that tradition. I am confident that the Royal Society Tata University Research Fellows will make an impactful difference by contributing solutions to some of the most pressing challenges the world faces.”

Notes to Editors

1. There have been over 1,150 Royal Society University Research Fellows since 1983, many of whom have since enjoyed significant national or international recognition for their work. These include one recipient of the Nobel Prize, one recipient of the Fields Medal, 37 who have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society, and many who have been elected to the fellowships of the UK’s other learned academies, or who have received high honours from Her Majesty The Queen for their services to science. https://royalsociety.org/grants-schemes-awards/grants/university-research/

2. The Royal Society is a self-governing Fellowship of many of the world’s most distinguished scientists drawn from all areas of science, engineering, and medicine. The Society’s fundamental purpose, as it has been since its foundation in 1660, is to recognise, promote, and support excellence in science and to encourage the development and use of science for the benefit of humanity.

The Society’s strategic priorities emphasise its commitment to the highest quality science, to curiosity-driven research, and to the development and use of science for the benefit of society. These priorities are:

1.       Promoting science and its benefits

2.       Recognising excellence in science

3.       Supporting outstanding science

4.       Providing scientific advice for policy

5.       Fostering international and global cooperation

6.       Education and public engagement

For further information please visit http://royalsociety.org. Follow the Royal Society on Twitter at http://twitter.com/royalsociety or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/theroyalsociety

3. Founded by Jamsetji Tata in 1868, the Tata group is a global enterprise, headquartered in India, comprising over 100 independent operating companies. The group operates in more than 100 countries across six continents, with a mission 'To improve the quality of life of the communities we serve globally, through long-term stakeholder value creation based on Leadership with Trust'. Tata Sons is the principal investment holding company and promoter of Tata companies. Sixty-six percent of the equity share capital of Tata Sons is held by philanthropic trusts, which support education, health, livelihood generation and art and culture. In 2014-15, the revenue of Tata companies, taken together, was $108.78 billion. These companies collectively employ over 600,000 people. Each Tata company or enterprise operates independently under the guidance and supervision of its own board of directors and shareholders. There are 29 publicly-listed Tata enterprises with a combined market capitalisation of about $116.41 billion (as on March 31, 2016). Tata companies with significant scale include Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Teleservices, Titan, Tata Communications and Indian Hotels.

For further information please visit www.tata.com. Follow the Tata group on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TataCompanies or on Linkedin at  https://www.linkedin.com/company/tata-companies