What to Know Before Applying

What Do I Need to Know Before Submitting My Application?

The India-United States Fellows Exchange is a collaboration between the Global Studies Program and the Fellows Program at New America. It aims to identify technologists from industry, government, and civil society; analysts of technology from academia and the media; and government regulators from state, local, and national levels to participate in a unique and timely fellowship exchange. This program will bring Fellows from India to the United States, and Fellows from the United States to India, in order to devise novel technology-based solutions to policy challenges. The aim of this program is to enable both countries to better harness technology to improve the lives of their citizens, and to improve and strengthen the bilateral relationship between India and the United States.

The Fellows Exchange Program will select individuals from India and the United States, respectively, and will run for a period of eight weeks between late January and late March, 2019. However, we do recognize that this time frame may not work for all applicants. We encourage you to still apply, and please indicate an alternate set of dates that would work better for you.

The first convening week will take place in New Delhi, India. All Fellows will participate in a week's worth of meetings, cultural events, other exchange opportunities, and a welcome celebration. The next six weeks are the formal research exchange period, where the Fellows from India will move to the United States, and the Fellows from the United States will move to India. The final week of the fellowship will take place in Washington, D.C., United States. Again, all Fellows will convene to participate in a symposium to share their research, take part in meetings, cultural events, and a farewell dinner. Applicants who are unable to meet this time frame are still encouraged to apply. If a strong case is made, applicants may be chosen to participate during a different time frame.

The ideal candidate will be a mid-career professional, someone ambitious who aims to make a mark in the technology policy sector. For example, the candidate should have a Master's degree or higher with three years' experience, or a Bachelor's degree with five years' experience. The candidate will have a demonstrated education and employment background relating to industry, government, civil society, technology analysis, and/or government regulations at the state, local, and/or national levels. Individuals applying should be able to articulate the interdisciplinary nature of this kind of work, from technical expertise to policy implications to the user experience. Fundamentally, a candidate should be able to address the intersections of policy, management, and technology. Please see our FAQ page for more information.

Projects focused on biometrics, privacy, agriculture, water/resource scarcity, technology policy, future of work, property rights, media literacy, and blockchain are strongly desired.

While this fellowship has specific public interest technology target areas for research – biometrics, privacy, agriculture, water/resource scarcity, technology policy, future of work, property rights, media literacy, blockchain – the projects will be designed by individual candidates. You will design an independent project around a research area that is of personal or professional interest to you that you feel can be completed in your exchange country location during the six-week research period.

Fellows will produce research papers of up to 5,000 words during their term of residence. This enables the Fellow to build a network of contacts in policymaking circles, while disseminating the lessons they learn for a broader audience both in India and in the United States. A joint culminating symposium in the United States will occur for both India and United States Fellows.

What Kind of Support Does the Fellows Exchange Offer?

New America will provide a stipend of $7,500 USD per Fellow, and will also find and pay for reasonable rental housing. Each Fellow will also have economy class airfare up to $2,000 USD, and visa fees will be covered by New America. Over the course of the fellowship, a series of in-person events will take place, such as meetings with policymakers and subject matter experts.

An initial convening week in New Delhi allows for the Fellows to establish relationships with their peers prior to departure for their respective projects. The convening week establishes a foundation for Fellows to collaborate and support one another throughout the fellowship, and allows them to call upon one another during the research period. The final week of the fellowship in Washington, D.C. allows the Fellows to come together once more to share their research methodology, findings and conclusions.

We do not require that Fellows drop other professional obligations, but this fellowship is an international exchange; individuals who participate will be physically away from their jobs for eight weeks. Many of our other New America Fellows continue on with full-time positions outside of New America during their fellowship. Some also keep these positions part-time or take project leave at various points during the year.

Please note that you will need to make the necessary arrangements with your employer to take leave for this Fellowship. We are happy to provide the necessary paperwork for this request.