Creating Nation Builders

Energizing best minds of India towards transforming ‘Bharat’

“Thinking is the capital, an enterprise is a way and hard work is the solution.”
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

The Kalam Memorial Advantage Bharat Fellowship derives its name from the last book of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam – Advantage India (2015, Harper Collins). It was established with the belief that the nation needs to develop a cadre of young leaders exposed to the diverse set of complexities and challenges that it faces. The program is designed to provide youth with the opportunity for personal transformation through self-discovery and thereby, contribute to the causes surrounding them. The young leaders devote their energies to bring about an array of ground-level changes through their tenure of the fellowship and effectively lead complex public systems in the future.
Fellowship began in 2009 when Dr. Kalam was suggested by his Officer on Special Duty (OSD), Srijan Pal Singh, to initiate a short term recruitment program for fellows to work on his vision for India. He readily agreed and used the royalties from his books to encourage the bright young minds of the nation to work towards the missions of India Vision 2020.

After Dr. Kalam passed away in 2015, the program took a new shape. Every year some of the best graduates from all over the nation and the world work towards action-oriented programs dedicated to Dr. Kalam. The first fellow of this fellowship was a Harvard graduate, Adwait Singh, who took up the challenge of transforming a village in the district of Raebareli as part of this project. In the second edition, six fellows from IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Indore participated in transforming the villages in Navsari, Gujarat. The Advantage Bharat Fellowship is a 2-3 month intervention. It is a platform for young people to gain new ideas and create opportunities for personal and professional growth.

The work of the fellows over the past has involved close coordination with government departments and policy work. They have worked with COVID19 relief work by Government of India, rural transformation with Government of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, PDP Bill of the Parliament of India and on policy analysis for post COVID19 rehabiliation research.

In 2022, the 10th cohort of the Fellows will be working on projects related to Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and on Fair Algorithm Policy documentation.

In 2022, upto 10 candidates from across the globe will be selected for the Advantage Bharat Fellowship.

Fellows of 2010 batch with Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in his home library

The orientation Fellows with Shri Ravi Arora, IAS, District Collector, Navsari

Pillars of Advantage Bharat Fellowship

Eligibility to apply

  • Applicant must be a citizen of India or an NRI or a PIO
  • Applicant be under the age of 35 years at the time of application
  • Hold at least a Bachelor’s degree at the time of application
  • Have scored at least 65% in graduation
  • Committed to work towards missions aligned to Dr. Kalam’s vision
  • Be a life-long part of the cohort of Advantage Bharat

Selection Process

Application Form

Tell us what inspires you to bring change, people who have made a difference in your life and causes that you want to passionately work for.

Phone Interview

After we have reviewed your application, we may have some questions for you. Subsequently, we will invite you for a phone interview.

Assessment Centre

As the last and final step, once your application is selected it will be forwarded to the Assessment Centre for final selection.