About the theme
The Jamsetjee Nusserwanjee Tata Endowment for The Higher Education Of Indians (Established in 1892)
More than 5,800 Indian students have been awarded the J N Tata Endowment’s (JNTE) loan scholarship since 1892, when it was established by J N Tata, the promoter of the Tata group. The Endowment supports only overseas studies – Masters, Ph.D. and Postdoctoral fellowships, in any educational stream. Based only on merit, it seeks to reward “the best and most gifted so as to make them of the greatest service to the country”. The loan, a maximum of ₹20 lakh, is repayable within seven years and is collected in five equal instalments from the end of the third year.
Many of the JN Tata scholars are not only carrying out path-breaking research and teaching at reputed institutions, but are also leading national and international banking, commercial and financial institutions, multinational corporations; providing quality health care and legal services; and entering sunrise industries such as IT, biotechnology, and computing, including areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, robotics and so on. KR Narayanan, former President of India, the renowned astrophysicist Jayant Narlikar, and Xerxes Desai, the founder of Titan, were all JN Tata scholars.
For more information, please visit www.jntataendowment.org
Notable J N Tata Scholars
J N Tata Endowment has an enviable pedigree. The first awardee was a woman – Dr Freany K Cama, who went to Edinburgh and Dublin to study gynaecology and midwifery. Among the more outstanding individuals who have emerged from the ranks of JN Tata scholars have been Dr Raghvendra Rao, distinguished physician; Sir Ardeshir Dalal, ICS, Member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council, Sir Nowrosji Wadia, Judge of the Bombay High Court; Dr MD Gilder, Health Minister of Bombay State; Dr Jivraj Mehta who became Chief Minister of Gujarat; Mr B Narsinga Rau ICS, of the International Court at the Hague; Dr VKRV Rao, former Union Minister of Education; Mr VT Dehejia, former Chairman, State Bank of India; Mr S Bhoothalingam, ICS, Secretary, Ministry of Steel; Mr V Vishwanathan, ICS, Governor of Kerala; and Mr KR Narayanan, President of India.
The next generation included Dr Raja Ramanna, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre; Dr Jayant V Narlikar, the astrophysicist of Hoyle-Narlikar fame; Dr A Sambasiva Rao, who led the Government of India’s development work in electronics; Dr Minoo N Dastur, the metallurgist and India’s leading consultant for the steel industry; Dr Dinanath Rangnekar, Editor, The Economic Times; Dr Bal D Tilak, Director, National Chemical Laboratory; Dr Jamshed J Irani, former Director, Tata Sons Limited; Dr Dinshaw Jehangir Patel of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York; Mr Srikant Madhav Datar, Senior Associate Dean and Director of Research of the Harvard Business School; Mr TR Doongaji, former Managing Director, Tata Services Limited; Dr Farok Contractor, Head, International School of Business, Rutgers University; renowned architect Mr Rahul Mehrotra; Dr GG Kalthod, former Principal of VJTI, Mumbai; Mr Yezdi H Malegam who headed S B Billimoria & Co; Lord Karan Bilimoria, Member of the British House of Lords; Dr Vikram Deshpande, professor, Faculty of Engineering at the University of Cambridge; Mr Rajeev Dubey, President, Member of the Group Management Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and Mr Jairam Ramesh, former Minister for Rural Development, Government of India, among others.
Medical and Healthcare Scholarship
Submission for this scholarship is no longer accepted. The applicants who have already applied will receive emails with further information.
Means grant
The Means Grant Programme provides partial financial assistance, based on students' needs, to Indian residents pursuing their education anywhere in India. The scheme is open to school-going students from Standard VIII onwards and college students up to graduation, provided they are enrolled in an institution recognised by the relevant competent authority. Assistance is available for the relevant academic year on a reimbursement basis, subject to the scheme's eligibility criteria and submission of the required documentation. Applications are currently being accepted online by email for the 2026-27 academic year. To learn more about the eligibility criteria, required documents and application process, please click here.
Lady Meherbai D Tata Education Trust Scholarship
This is a merit-based, overseas Masters scholarship programme for women graduates engaged in social work, social welfare including child welfare, education, and education for children with special needs, to mention a few. Established in 1933, the scholarship has been following a rigorous selection procedure, with the trustees taking keen interest in the selection process. Each year, up to 10 women benefit from this scholarship.
This scholarship programme stands closed for the year 2026-2027.
Civil Aviation
This is a grant for candidates who are keen on pursuing the Commercial Pilot’s License course, or for those who would like to pursue type rating after obtaining their license to fly a certain type of aircraft. This grant is offered to students pursuing the course in India or overseas, and is subject to their performance during the interview.
Professional Enhancement Grant
This is a grant for working medical professionals who wish to enhance their professional skills through training, workshops (except presentations and conferences), and observership programmes abroad.
Interested candidates may forward their request to igpedu@tatatrusts.org, along with their resumes and the Invitation Letter from the organiser/s.
Lady Tata Memorial Trust
Established in 1932 by Sir Dorabji Tata in memory of his wife, Lady Meherbai, this Trust spends four-fifths of its income on facilitating research in blood disorders and leukemic diseases, and the balance one-fifth on research into the alleviation of human suffering from diseases in India and internationally.
The Trust also funds institutional scientific research, awards fellowships to PhD candidates, recognises young researchers with awards and supports teacher preparation programmes at several colleges.
Fellowships – Research in the Field of Alleviation of Human Suffering
The fellowships are given for a period of up to five years and support students pursuing their Ph.D., undertaking scientific investigations having a bearing, directly or indirectly, on the alleviation of human suffering. Of the total 82 project proposals received, 12 scholars were offered Junior Research Fellowships for the academic year 2024-25 for research projects.
Research Grants
Grants for research and scientific investigations in leukemia and the biology and treatment of cancer were the main areas of focus for the academic year 2024-25. Applications were invited from scientists, clinicians and clinical researchers engaged in scientific research on cancer in public and private academic institutions, universities and R&D centres. Grants were sanctioned to nine of the 63 applicants.
Young Researcher Award 2024-25
The award recognises and rewards young Indian scientists below the age of 40 years, who have an outstanding track record in biological sciences, a deep commitment to finding innovative solutions to major problems related to human diseases and the potential for high-quality research in the areas of life sciences and biotechnology. Applications were invited pan-India and Dr. Ajit Chande of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, was selected out of 13 applicants for the Young Researcher Award – 2024. The award sanctioned was ₹54 lakhs over five years for his project titled, ‘Understanding the epitranscriptome of HIV RNA and the contribution to pathogenesis’.
Two online programmes were supported during the year 2024-25, with a view to imparting training on research techniques so that the same could cascade to the students.
