Global Biofuels Alliance Selects 15 Fellows; Two Researchers from India Among Inaugural Cohort
NEW DELHI: The Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA), headquartered in India, has announced the selection of 15 early-career researchers from leading universities and research institutions worldwide for its inaugural Global Biofuel Champion Fellowship. The fellowship aims to advance research, knowledge exchange, and international collaboration in sustainable biofuels.
Each fellow will receive a research grant of $15,000 and work with the Alliance over the next two years. The programme brings together researchers focusing on biofuels, sustainable energy systems, transport decarbonisation, and the circular economy.
Two researchers from India have been selected: Ruchi Agrawal of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Abhisek Sahoo of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. The inaugural cohort was chosen through a three-stage evaluation process from applications received across 32 countries.
The selected fellows represent institutions including the University of Michigan (USA), the University of Manchester (UK), Monash University (Australia), Polytechnique Montréal (Canada), and research organisations across Africa, Brazil, and India.
The fellowship is designed to strengthen international cooperation by connecting academic research with policy and industry. It seeks to promote collaborative research, knowledge exchange, and the development of scalable bioenergy solutions.
In his keynote address, Petroleum Secretary Neeraj Mittal said India's bioenergy journey could serve as a blueprint for other countries, demonstrating how supportive policy frameworks can deliver economic and environmental benefits.
GBA Director Josh Wycliffe said the Alliance has put in place a long-term engagement roadmap to ensure the fellows continue contributing to global biofuel research and policy beyond the fellowship's launch.
The Global Biofuels Alliance is an international initiative comprising 34 member countries and 14 international organisations. It seeks to accelerate the adoption of sustainable biofuels through policy cooperation, technology exchange, capacity building, and international partnerships.
