Network for Advanced Study of Technology (NAST)

The application window for the NAST 2025-2026 cohort is now closed.

Programme Overview

The Network for Advanced Study of Technology Geopolitics (NAST) aims to build high-quality scholarship in India at the intersection of technology and geopolitics. Discussions around emerging and critical technologies often lack a prudent understanding of how emerging technologies, geoeconomics, and geopolitics interact and can play a pivotal role in shaping India’s national power. The aim is to create a cross-disciplinary community of scholars and a body of knowledge that will inform policy, strategy, economics, technology and society.

This is the second year of the NAST Fellowship. Click here to learn about the inaugural 2024 - 2025 Cohort of the NAST Fellowship.

Focus Areas

NAST fellows will undertake research in one or more of the following areas: Open Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Space, Technology, Geopolitics and National Power, Cybersecurity, Supply Chain Resilience and Security, Semiconductors, Lethal Autonomous Weapons and Drones, Biotechnology, Quantum Technologies, Nuclear and Geospatial Technologies.

Fellows will have the opportunity to work with mentors who are among the leading experts in critical and emerging technologies, with expertise in the intersection of geopolitics, geoeconomics, and innovation. Through this mentorship opportunity, NAST Fellows will gain invaluable skills in research, critical thinking, analysis, communication, etc.

We at NAST believe that specific aspects of technology geopolitics are severely understudied, and papers exploring these questions will likely have higher chances of making an impact. Therefore, the research proposals must be from one of the technology domains identified by the NAST team. Please note that priority will be given to proposals that align closely with the identified themes and questions in each technology domain.

More details about the specific technology domains and scope of research can be found here: NAST Research Questions

Eligibility and Qualifications

NAST invites applications from researchers from any background, including from universities, research institutes, media, government services and industry, who are enthusiastic about undertaking fresh research on the geopolitics of critical and emerging technologies and their impact on India or globally.

Prospective fellows must either be working or studying in India, have at least an undergraduate degree and be proficient in English.

Location and Time Commitment

NAST is a 12-month-long fellowship that is completely online and includes a two-day in-person conference/workshop in Bengaluru. Furthermore, this is not a full-time opportunity, and fellows may continue their ongoing professional activities without disruption.

Deliverables and Awards

The NAST Fellowship offers opportunities for analysts and scholars to work under the co-guidance of foremost experts in international relations, emerging technologies, and governance and work towards a publication in the leading journals and reviews in these fields.

A cash prize of ₹ 1 lakh each will be awarded to the three best papers determined by the jury

Timeline

The timeline for the NAST Fellowship Pioneer Cohort is as follows:

March 31, 2025 - Call for Proposals

May 5, 2024 – Research Proposal Submission Deadline

June 1, 2025 – Start of NAST fellowship

August 15, 2025 - First Draft Submission Deadline

November 15, 2025 - Second Draft Submission Deadline

February 15, 2026 - Final Draft Submission to NAST Team

Contact Us

Please reach out to us for any questions about the fellowship through email at nast@takshashila.org.in