The Charles Wallace India Trust Fellowship

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for three months
• Living cost grant of £1,400 per month, and a contribution of £700 towards the cost of fares
• Dedicated office space at IASH, University e-mail and library access
• close work with colleagues in the Centre for South Asian Studies
• Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
• Collegial work-in-progress seminar series for testing new ideas
• Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College

The Centre for South Asian Studies is the hub for scholarship in and on South Asia at the University of Edinburgh. Our research and teaching span a wide range of issues such as health, animals, climate, caste, gender, care, borders and migration, multispecies justice, ethnicity, religion, infrastructures, conflict and violence, politics, democracy and governance, culture, art and literature, legal systems, environment and energy. 

The Centre was founded in 1988, and over the years, has become home to scholars from varied disciplines and units within the University, including Anthropology, Art, Engineering, Social Work, Geosciences, History, Languages and Cultures, Law, Politics and International Relations, Religious Studies, Sociology, Veterinary Studies, and Medicine.

Centre for South Asian Studies Website

The Charles Wallace India Trust gives grants to Indians in the early or middle stages of their careers who are living in India and working or studying in the arts, heritage conservation or the humanities.

The grants enable successful applicants to achieve their artistic, academic or professional ambitions through spending time in the United Kingdom. The categories of grants available include: fully-funded awards; visiting fellowships in agreed subjects at specific institutions; grants for research and professional visits; grants for doctoral study; and grants to attend the Scottish Universities Summer School.

Charles Wallace India Trust Website

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

Home to the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh has a rich cultural heritage of scholarship and creativity that continues to the present day. In this haven of libraries and archives, galleries and music venues – all set amid iconic architecture – IASH takes the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of different sectors.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,500 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows.

From upwards of 65 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

Applicants must have a background in the arts and humanities, as social science topics fall outside of the Fellowship's remit. Applicants must be Indian citizens, resident and pursuing their academic careers in India. They must have a doctorate and be under 45 at the time of application. Anyone who has received a CWIT grant in the past five years would not be eligible.

Applicants must secure the support of a suitable mentor at the University of Edinburgh in advance of application, who must then be named on the application form. Please see our FAQ page for more information on how to identify and contact potential mentors.

Begin your application for a CWIT Fellowship at IASH

Applications for the 2025-26 round will close on 28 February 2025.

• A minimum of two and a maximum of three confidential references are required. 
• At least one referee should come from outside the institution of the applicant.
• Referees should comment on the nature and quality of the research proposal, as well as on the qualifications of the applicant.

Applicants for the next round should ask their referees to send references by email to the Institute Director at iash@ed.ac.uk by 28 February 2025.

• Consideration will be given to the academic record and the publications of all applicants and their capacity to disseminate their views among a community of like-minded people.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their Fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of IASH and SSPS. The Institute may be able to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh.
• No regular teaching is required, but Fellows are expected to become involved in the School and contribute through the provision of a workshop, seminar or online learning resources such as a series of blog posts. Fellows will give at least one seminar at IASH on their current research work.
• The Institute is close to the University Library and within easy reach of the National Library of Scotland, the Central City Library, the National Galleries and Museums, the Library of the Society of Antiquaries in Scotland, the library of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the National Archives of Scotland. Access to both the extensive archival and online resources of all of these collections can be arranged for Fellows as appropriate.
• Only fully completed applications will be considered. It is the responsibility of each applicant to ensure that all documentation is complete, and that referees submit their reports to the Institute by the closing date.