Anant Fellowship for Climate Action welcomes its 3rd cohort

Ahmedabad: The Anant Fellowship for Climate Action is pleased to welcome its new cohort for 2023, which includes 22 Fellows from 14 countries. This diverse group of climate change solutionaries was chosen after a thorough review of 4955 applications from 72 countries for 20 seats.

Since its inception in 2019, the Anant Fellowship for Climate Action has drawn interest from people from diverse backgrounds, including law, public affairs, finance, engineering, academia, policy, architecture, corporate sustainability, media, entrepreneurs, and environmental activism. The youngest Fellow in the cohorts so far was 16 years old, and the oldest was 63 years old. The Fellowship has also increasingly attracted the interest of senior scientists and academicians. The Fellowship is open to anyone who wants to drive the most significant solutions for mitigating climate change. There are no age, degree, or background criteria to apply for the Fellowship.

Offered by the Anant School for Climate Action at the Anant National University, the Fellowship offers a rigorous academic programme delivered online, mentorship from the most outstanding pioneers in climate action from developing economies, group and personal coaching, in-person meet ups, and is thus committed to strengthen the global climate action community. The curriculum covers three pedagogical pillars – technical knowledge, change-maker skills and personal development. It is divided into six terms – context setting, carbon, industry, policy, common goods and mentorship. This year, two in-person meet ups will be organised such that they are expected to be collaborative spaces for current fellows, alumni, mentors, faculty, and associated organisations of the Anant Fellowship for Climate Action. Building on immersive experiences and exchanges with a broad range of regional and global partners, Anant Fellows for Climate Action are better equipped to position themselves as informed stakeholders and develop cross-cultural partnerships on a common platform to engage in meaningful dialogue, learning and collaboration. Every candidate has the option to choose between the full-time or an advanced professional track. 

The group of illustrious mentors who help Fellows achieve their goals include- Amer Vohora (Partner, VALUEworks AG, Switzerland), Andy Parker (CEO, The Degrees Initiative), Anoop Ratnaker Rao (Founder, ReLife),  Arunabha Ghosh (CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water), Chetan Maini (Chairman, Sun Mobility), Bharath Visweswariah (Entrepreneur and Managing Consultant), Dhaval Monani (Director of Affordable Housing, Anant National University),  Dr. Diana Mangalagiu (Professor, University of Oxford, UK), Indra Guha (Partner, Sustainability and ESG, BDO), Lise Anna Bruynooghe (Founder, Profound Consulting AG, Switzerland), Varad Pande (Partner, Omidyar Network, India) and Vikram Chatterji (Co-Founder, Galileo, USA).

Dr Miniya Chatterji, CEO of Sustain Labs Paris and the Founding Director of Anant Fellowship for Climate Action, said, “This year’s selection process for the Fellowship was especially challenging, due to the large numbers, broad diversity, and increasing seniority of profiles amongst close to 5000 applicants from 72 countries. The Fellowship has evolved in curriculum and pedagogy over the past years to cater to the most recent developments in climate action around the world as well as to the increased seniority of Fellow profiles. I congratulate the selected Fellows of the cohort this year and look forward to working with each of them.” 

Fellows for the 2023 cohort includes Birendra Pun, consultant at the World Bank in India, Hasifullah Ibrahim, an M.Phil scholar at the University of Malaya in Malaysia, Abhay Kanwar, a visually challenged PhD candidate in Development Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Sukamal Deb, Dy CEO, NEZ, Khadi & Village Industries Commission, GoI, Rika Shalima Xaxa, a Chevening Scholarship recipient and  graduate from London School of Economics, Omonigho Benedict Otanocha, CEO,  FUPRE Energy Solutions, Nigeria.

Under the Anant School for Climate Action, Anant National University in 2022 announced India’s first Bachelor of Technology specialising in Climate Change programme. Anant School for Climate Action is also the first undergraduate to PhD degree programme educational institution focusing on climate change, to be established in India. Anant School for Climate Action was also the only Indian university to be a part of the COP27 meeting in Egypt in November 2022. The university has been a pioneer in climate studies, climate action and technology since its very inception.

Link of the Website – https://anu.edu.in/programme/anant-fellowship-for-climate-action/