ALIN Fellowship
About
A truly interdisciplinary fellowship that will focus on innovative solutions to Nepal’s (or global) complex problems. Over a 5 month-period, a team of bright individuals from different academic interests/ backgrounds will come up with an innovative solution to a critical issue of national (Nepal) or global concern. Selected fellows (12) will be initially provided training on various topics including purpose leadership and global leadership sessions, SDGs, political advocacy, design thinking and creative problem solving, mental health. The problems to work on for the duration of the fellowship will be decided by the teams, with the guidance of individual and team mentors. Fellows will be paired with individual mentors, as well as team mentors. The team project can be primarily focused on, for example, health equity, climate change, economic empowerment, gender issues, etcetera. However, the solutions will have to be tangible, interdisciplinary, and socioculturally compatible. We believe this will be a great exercise in a solution-centric leadership approach. The team project can be primarily focused on, for example, health equity, climate change, economic empowerment, gender issues, etcetera. However, the solutions will have to be tangible, interdisciplinary, and socioculturally compatible. We believe this will be a great exercise in a solution-centric leadership approach.
Eligibility:
- Nepali/ Non-nepali citizen studying in Nepal
- Currently working full-time and/or enrolled in an academic degree (Master’s OR Bachelor’s) in any Nepali academic institution (Individuals with non-academic/ unconventional professional routes will also be considered for the fellowship)
- Individuals from ANY majors/field of study may apply
- Fluent in verbal and written English OR Nepali (preferably both)
- Inclusive, open-minded attitude, and passionate to solving critical issues
- Preference for individuals from geographically marginalized regions and/or minority backgrounds
- Individuals with low academic scores/GPA will not be discriminated against
Minimum commitment:
- 5- 10 hours per week on average, except training days
- Most of the in-person trainings/field visits will occur on weekends (Saturdays and Sundays), every 3 weeks
- Weekly virtual meetings of 2 hours (usually on an evening of a weekday)
- Fellows must attend at least 85% of all in-person and virtual meetings for the completion of the program
Key Deliverables:
- Final report/contingency plan for the continuity of interdisciplinary solution the teams come up with
- Final presentation of the team’s work at the completion of program
- Academic and media articles about the work
- Other assignments throughout the duration of fellowship
Fellowship Details:
Total fellows: 12 Total Teams: 3 teams with 4 individuals in each team Time period of fellowship: 5 months Fellowship grant: NRs. 25000 per team A modest stipend will also be provided to the fellows.
Benefits of Getting Into The Fellowship:
- Valuable exposure and experience on solving critical global issues
- Guidance and mentorship from globally renowned professionals of Nepali diaspora
- Recognizing your personal/ professional strengths and weaknesses
- A modest travel and communication stipend
Application Close
ALIN Solutions Fellowship – Application Form – Batch II
We do not discriminate based on age, or experience. Unconventional professional or personal backgrounds should not deter anyone from applying.
Anyone working full-time and/or studying full time who is committed to being a team player, and meeting other application criteria is eligible to apply.
We expect the fellows to scale up the project after the fellowship period. Strictly, there are not any such commitments once the key deliverables are received; however, we hope the fellows will be supportive of the dissemination process of the deliverables, even after the fellowship period ends.
Yes, we encourage everyone to apply for the fellowship. We had someone with disabilities in our previous rounds. However, we understand the resources required to accommodate some of the disabilities are higher than others. We encourage you to please inquire with the fellowship team ([email protected]) about specific accommodation requests before you fill out the application form.
Yes. There are no restrictions for any working individual from applying, as long as you commit 5-10 hours per week for the fellowship. We had several similar fellows last year who were working and studying full-time.
Weekly 2-hr virtual sessions are scheduled during weeknights, and in-person all day sessions occur every 3 weeks, on weekends.
P.S. Orientation will be done over 2 days either on May 12-13, or on May 13-14, so there is a chance you might need to take 1-day off.
We believe anyone should be able to apply. We will consider applications from bright 11th and 12th graders; the rest of the fellowship criteria applies to them equally as well.
Yes, the form can be filled in English or in Nepali language.
Not necessarily. However, if we suspect any discrepancy in any of your application responses, we reserve the right to make inquiries about your application components.
Fellows are not expected to pay any amount for the fellowship. Additionally, a modest travel and communication stipend will be provided, in addition to the Team Project Seed Funding.
No, the fellowship does not require full time commitment, neither is it a job. The selected fellows should however be prepared to spend at least allocate 5-10 hours a week for various aspects of the fellowship period.
The fellowship is primarily an exercise in solution-centric leadership approach. We let the fellows and the teams make creative decisions over the topics they want to work on for the fellowship. With a team of expert mentors and advisors, the fellows work toward finding the solutions on the identified topics. For example, the three topics fellows worked on in the previous batch of fellowship were as follows: 1. Documentation of Indigenous (Majhi) History and Knowledge. 2. Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception on Sexual Consent among Undergraduate Students of Kathmandu. 3. Feminist Approach to Climate Justice through Women Lens
The selected fellows will be provided with a modest travel and communication stipend for the overall fellowship period, but that is enough only for internal travel within the Kathmandu Valley.
Due to resource constraints, we will not be able to provide additional facilities to accommodate applicants from out of Kathmandu valley.
Selection will be based on anonymous assessments of submitted responses by a team of evaluators. If there is conflict of interest among evaluators (if an evaluator personally knows an applicant before hand), they are excused from reviewing such applicants. Select applicants move on to the next round, the interviews.
Warning: we check the validity of the essay responses to detect any signs of plagiarism and/or usage of any AI tools (including ChatGPT). If found guilty, such applications and applicants will be banned from this and any future opportunities at ALIN.
Final selection of twelve (12) will be based on the performance of the applicants in both the rounds, their compatibility with the Fellowship, and diversity of experiences they bring to the table.
Interdisciplinary, sustainable solutions.
They can be business oriented, rights based, policy or research based, the decision is a collective decision of the team you are placed in.
