The British Council Pakistan announced on Friday the third cohort of Scholarships for Women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).

In a press release, it said that over 100 scholarships are available to women STEM scholars from Asia and the Americas to pursue a masters’ degree in the UK, out of which 48 scholarships are reserved for women STEM scholars from Pakistan and other South Asian countries, awarded on a merit basis with no country-specific cap.

The scholarships will help enhance careers in STEM for the selected women scholars and enable them to promote research and innovation in their home country through their exposure to the expertise in the UK’s renowned STEM fields.

“Partnering with 21 universities across the UK, the scholarship scheme will provide scholars a fully-funded master’s degree or an Early Academic Fellowship at a UK university, including covering tuition fees, stipend, travel costs, visa, health coverage fees, special support for mothers and English language support,” it said.

“The scholarships will also provide the scholars a long-lasting platform to connect with the UK through active engagement in the alumni network and inspire the next generation of women in STEM.”

In the last cohort 115 scholars were selected globally which included 15 women scholars from Pakistan, it said.

British Council Pakistan Country Director Amir Ramzan said “UK has a world-renowned higher education sector that is truly international. These scholarships will enable talented women to take up a life-changing opportunity to develop their careers in their chosen STEM fields, and then to harness the experience to make a greater impact for good when they return home.”

According to him, last year’s scholars from Pakistan studied in exciting and diverse areas including digital health systems, data and decision analytics, virtual and augmented reality and environmental sustainability.

“I would highly encourage talented women from across Pakistan to apply for this scholarship at the earliest.”

The scholarship is also open to women with dependants to apply, with extra support. The deadline for application differs according to university – but are between March and May 2023. British Council encouraged students to check individual university deadlines.