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The Paul Foundation was set up in 2001 by the Apeejay Surrendra Group as a window of opportunity for young scholars eager to pursue intellectual excellence through academic pursuit of higher studies. We advertise every year for applications. The minimum requirement is a first class at the undergraduate level. Our scholarships are open to students who have completed their undergraduate studies and have already applied for admission for post graduate/doctoral studies.

Given the expense of studying overseas or even at the premier institutions in India, which could be unaffordable for some of the best and the brightest, we offer a scholarship (that is, a grant) up to a maximum of Rs 15 lakhs per year per student.

Our objective is to contribute and participate at one remove to creating the resources of a knowledge society. The evaluation by the Screening Committee is the first and crucial step in the three-stage process of selecting the finalists. We, therefore, feel that it must be done by faculty from universities, research institutes and centers of excellence, who have the insight and the experience to assess the academic potential of an applicant. Every application is sent separately to independent evaluators, two or more. We tally the assessment and then short list the candidate.

The academic potential is assessed on the 2000 word essay which is a statement of purpose based on the applicant’s understanding of his/her subject and 300 word personal profile submitted by the applicant, along with the academic records.

A short-list of candidates are then interviewed by a Selection Committee of eminent academics and distinguished persons who help to choose the finalists. The final decision is by the Board of Governors, based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee.

We are looking for people who have the potential to be knowledge leaders in the future. We believe that our scholars will remain engaged in the pursuit of intellectual excellence in ways that reflect The Paul Foundation’s values of being a socially responsible initiative of the Apeejay Surrendra Group.


The Paul Foundation and the Disabled

In 2001, The Paul Foundation entered into an alliance with the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People, a Delhi-based Non Governmental Organisation that works with the disabled. The Paul Foundation funded 5 scholarships for a period of three years under the NCPEDP Professional/Postgraduate Scholarship Scheme. The cost of sponsoring the 5 scholars was Rs 2.28 lakhs.

The aims of the scholarships were to not only help disabled students financially but to also boost their self-esteem. It acted like an incentive for them to perform better in their studies. Moreover, it added to their credentials and they stand a better chance in the job market.

As NCPEDP observed, “The Paul Foundation is one of the very few corporates that is sensitive to the cause of education and empowerment of persons with disability. We deeply appreciate and value the support that we always receive from you.”

Separately and independently, The Paul Foundation has contributed towards supporting Mr Abhishek Dasgupta, a student with near total hearing disability. He is an undergraduate student at Galludet University, U.S.A. Abhishek approached The Paul Foundation for a scholarship to help him go overseas for his undergraduate studies. The Paul Foundation does not accept applications from students at the undergraduate level. However, in view of Abhishek’s exceptional qualities of dedication, determination, initiative and his tireless striving after excellence, the Board of Governors of The Paul Foundation felt that we could make an exception and offer Abhishek a travel grant to cover the cost of his airfare to U.S.A.

The Paul Foundation –S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences Award.

The Paul Foundation in association with the S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences has instituted an annual award of Rs 50,000 for a student from the integrated M.Sc-Ph.D programme which will allow her or him to buy books, travel within the country, and buy some equipment. The award is to recognize the work done by the student on experimental areas of front-line research, with technological applications. This is the first year this award is being introduced.

Nine post graduate students of SNBNCBS who had worked on special projects during the last semester of the post graduate segment of the integrated Ph.D programme were in the running for the award. The projects were explorations of topics that these students would be taking up for their Ph.D. Five were experimental projects and four were theoretical presentations.

Following the presentations by the candidates and an interview by a Committee comprising faculty from SNBNCBS and The Paul Foundation the unanimous choice was Mr Mrinal Kanti Bera who is experimenting with surface tensions which has applications in microelectronics and Ms Swati Bhattacharya who is doing theoretical work on Fluid Dynamics. Both the scholars tied for the award. Mr Bera was outstanding in his project work, whereas Ms Bhattacharya was outstanding in her theoretical and conceptual clarity.