Tokyo [Japan], May 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday encouraged Indian students to apply for the Quad Fellowship programme and join the next generation of STEM leaders and innovators building a better future for humanity.

The leaders of Australia, India, Japan, and the US today launched the Quad Fellowship in Tokyo, wherein 100 students from member countries will be sponsored to study in the US for graduate degrees in science, tech, engineering and math (STEM).

It is a first-of-its-kind scholarship program that will bring together the top minds of Australia, India, Japan, and the United States in STEM.

"The Quad Fellowship programme is a wonderful and unique initiative. This prestigious fellowship will offer our students great opportunities to pursue graduate and doctorate programmes," PM Modi said in a message on the Quad Fellowship.

The Prime Minister said it will encourage academic excellence and promote people-to-people linkages between the Quad countries.

"I encourage our students to apply for the Quad Fellowship programme and join the next generation of STEM leaders and innovators building a better future for humanity," he added.

Kishida, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and US President Joe Biden and Australian PM Anthony Albanese open an application for Quad Fellowship.

"Quad leaders are proud to open applications for the Quad Fellowship, which will sponsor 100 American, Australian, Indian, and Japanese students to study in the United States each year for graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field," the White House said in a statement.

"The Quad Fellowship empowers exceptional STEM graduate students to advance research and innovation throughout their careers with a lens of positive social impact. It does so by providing scholarships, immersive and inspiring events at the nexus of STEM and society, mentorship and career-advancing programming, and cross-cultural exchange opportunities," the statement added.

The Quad Fellowship application is live and will remain open until June 30. The first class of Quad Fellows will arrive on campus in autumn 2023.

This program, which was first announced in September last year, will develop a network of science and technology experts committed to advancing innovation and collaboration in the private, public, and academic sectors, in their own nations and among Quad countries.

The leaders of the Quad nations--Australia, India, Japan, and the United States--met today in Tokyo for the fourth time and the second time in person. (ANI)