US President Joe Biden announces ‘Quad fellowship’ for careers in STEM

The Quad member countries, along with the US are India, Japan and Australia. Students from these countries will now have greater opportunities to pursue their dream occupations in the United States under STEM.

In what arrives as a greatly anticipated announcement for students from the Quad member countries, US President Joe Biden on Friday revealed a new “fellowship” that would let them continue higher studies and advanced degrees in STEM programmes in the United States. The statement was made on Friday during the lauded first in-person meeting of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

“Today, we are also launching a new Quad fellowship for students from each of our Quad countries to pursue advanced degrees in leading stem programs here in the United States, representing an investment in the leaders, innovators, and pioneers of tomorrow,” Biden said in his statements at the Quad Leaders’ Summit in Washington.

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The Quad member countries, along with the US, are India, Japan, and Australia. Students from these countries will now have greater opportunities to pursue their dream occupations in the United States under science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Sponsored by private donors, 25 students from the four countries respectively will be chosen to pursue masters and post-doctoral degrees in STEM fields at top US universities every year.

“When we met six months ago, we made concrete commitments to shared and positive agenda for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” the US president was quoted as saying news agency ANI. “Today, I am proud to say that we are making excellent progress,” Biden said. He added that the four world premiers share a common worldview and an outlook for the future – coming together to “take on key challenges of our age”.

Joe Biden interacted with the leaders of the four countries, including PM Narendra Modi, at the White House. Along with Modi, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and Japan’s Yoshihide Suga also witnessed the meeting. PM Modi held his first bilateral meeting with Biden earlier in the day since the Democrat leader seized office and addressed pressing issues, including trade, COVID-19, climate hurdles, and endurance in the Indo-Pacific.