Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) research scholar Mr. Nitesh Dogne has been awarded the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship for 2025-26. Nitesh Dogne is working on his PhD thesis focused on the Indigenous Knowledge System of Tribal Circularity within the Departments of Planning and Architecture at JMI. The scholarship will enable him to spend one year of research at the University of Bath (UK). His proposal also received consideration from other prestigious UK institutions, including University College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, and Newcastle University under the scholarship scheme.
Research Focus on Indigenous Circularity & Sustainability
Professor Hina Zia mentioned that Nitesh Dogne’s research will be based on how the Bhil tribe utilizes water, energy, and biomass in a circular and non-zero-waste manner. The ecological insight embedded in Bhil customs provides essential foundations for achieving sustainable development goals, including access to clean water and sanitation, affordable clean energy, and effective climate action through circular and sustainable resource management.
About the Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship 2025 Award
The Commonwealth Split-Site Scholarship is managed by the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC), United Kingdom. According to an official statement, the program supports PhD scholars registered at universities in Commonwealth countries to conduct part of their doctoral research at a UK institution.
This scholarship is fully funded and awarded to a small number of scholars each year. CSC data shows that in 2024, only 57 scholars from 40 countries were selected across all subjects. The scholarship includes airfare, tuition, living expenses, and resources for research during the scholar’s stay in the UK.
Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship benefits
Some of the benefits that are included in the Commonwealth Split-site scholarship are:
Approved tuition fees at the UK host institution
A monthly stipend for living expenses during the UK research period
Airfare to and from the UK
Additional research or travel grants, as approved by the CSC
Support for study-related costs and access requirements
Eligibility and Selection For Commonwealth Split-site Scholarship
As per Commonwealth Scholarship Commission guidelines, the Split-site Scholarship is only for PhD students who have started their doctoral research at their home institutions. Applicant must show the relevance of their research to development goals and illustrate how collaborative supervision between the UK and their home university will benefit their study. The selection criteria for scholarship emphasize academic merit, research excellence, and the expected contribution of the work to development outcomes in the scholar’s home country.
