BENGALURU: To expand its global presence, Texas-based Rice University will offer up to $2 million annually in scholarships as part of its Rice Global India initiative. This will fully fund PhD programmes and subsidise master’s degree programmes.
The initiative aims to deepen collaborations with premier Indian institutions like the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and IIT Kanpur. These partnerships will focus on cutting-edge research in areas such as artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, advanced materials and healthcare innovation. The university also plans to establish a state-of-the-art accelerator in Bengaluru to drive research, entrepreneurship and post-graduate education, officials from Rice said at a press conference on Monday.
The $2 million funding will primarily support scholarships for Indian students pursuing master’s and PhD programmes at Rice. PhD students will receive fully funded positions, including stipends of approximately $35,000 annually, along with tuition waivers. The initiative also aims to facilitate student and faculty member exchanges, enabling participants to gain valuable experience across campuses in Houston and Bengaluru.
Rice is also exploring partnerships with industries and global capability centres (GCCs) in Karnataka. University leaders mentioned that they recently met with Karnataka IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge to discuss collaborative opportunities. These include joint research projects with GCCs and initiatives to address challenges in areas like energy, climate change and urban infrastructure.