MAHE joins US-India TRUST Fellowship as Indian host institution

Kris Gopalakrishnan (Pratiksha Trust); Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (Mazumdar Shaw Philanthropy); Consul General Mariana L Neisuler, US Consulate General, Chennai; Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India; Govindan Rangarajan, Director, IISc Bengaluru; Sharath K Rao, Vice Chancellor, MAHE; and Preeti Aghalayam, Dean of Global Engagement, IIT Madras, at the US-India TRUST Fellowship 2026-27 in Bengaluru.

Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has been selected as one of three Indian host institutions for the US-India TRUST Fellowship 2026-27, an initiative designed to strengthen scientific and technological collaboration between India and the US.Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, are the other two institutions.The US-India TRUST Fellowship is a structured 12-month programme that will bring postdoctoral researchers and early-career faculty members from the US to the three Indian institutions. The fellowship will focus on strategically important areas aligned with the broader US-India technology partnership, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, semiconductors, biotechnology, energy, defence and space technologies.A media statement by MAHE said that Sergio Gor, US Ambassador to India, launched the fellowship in Bengaluru recently. Leaders from MAHE, IIT Madras, and IISc Bengaluru, the three host institutions, joined the fellowship’s benefactors on stage to present certificates recognising their role in hosting the programme.The programme is facilitated through a public-private partnership involving the US Consulate General in Chennai, MAHE, IIT Madras and IISc, with philanthropic support from the founding sponsors, Pratiksha Trust and Mazumdar Shaw Philanthropy.Quoting Sharath K Rao, Vice Chancellor of MAHE, the statement said: “MAHE is proud to serve as a host institution in India for the US-India TRUST Fellowship. This fellowship offers a valuable opportunity for researchers from both countries to collaborate. The programme provides a valuable platform for researchers from India and the US to collaborate in emerging and strategic areas of science and technology. By fostering knowledge exchange and long-term institutional partnerships, the fellowship will contribute meaningfully to advancing research and innovation between the two countries.”MAHE’s participation in the TRUST Fellowship enhances its internationalisation by providing a structured framework for inbound researcher mobility, collaborative research, and sustained institutional engagement with universities and research organisations in the US, the statement said, adding, the initiative will facilitate knowledge exchange, interdisciplinary research, and the development of new academic and scientific networks in critical and emerging technologies.Published on September 8, 2026