Indian student wins US scholarship, to receive $10,000 for college tuition

Jammu: An Indian student, Japteg Singh Bamrah, has secured the prestigious USA's 'HonorsGrandU 2025 Scholarship,' winning the “Build a Better Future” award along with a $10,000 grant and an additional $5000 grant for his groundbreaking Solar Mech Engine project, an official release said on Sunday.

Mentored by a senior scientist at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) Jammu, Nasir Ul Rasheed, under the Jigyasa Hackathon initiative, the innovation of Bamrah, a class 12 student of Dalhousie Public School, stood out among thousands of global applicants, earning him one of the five coveted scholarships awarded worldwide this year, according to the statement.

The HonorsGradU Scholarship, organized by Honors Graduation—a non-profit initiative supporting students in sustainability and innovation—selects only five exceptional projects globally, each receiving $10,000 for college tuition in the United States.

The top technology among these winners is granted an additional $ 5000 to refine and scale the innovation.

Bamrah's Solar Mech Engine, a sustainable energy solution, not only won the scholarship but also claimed the highest honour, making it a landmark achievement for India in global student innovation, the statement said, adding since 2012, he has been the only student from India to top the list among thousands of applications every year.

This innovation was earlier declared winner of CSIR Jigyasa Heckthon 2024.

It features a low resistance generator that uses electromagnetic induction for direct mechanical to electrical energy conversion, the statement said, adding the USP of demonstrated technology is its functionality as a reversible heat pump.

Bamrah developed his prototype at CSIR-IIIM’s state-of-the-art facilities, gaining access to cutting-edge research tools, industry connections, and technical expertise, it said, adding the institute’s open innovation ecosystem played a pivotal role in transforming his idea into a globally competitive technology.

"CSIR-IIIM provided me with the perfect environment to innovate—access to labs, expert guidance, and encouragement to think big," he said.