Eligibility

 

Who can apply?

INTERNATIONAL PROJECT ASSOCIATES

International Applicants for the 2022-2023 Program must fall into one of the following categories:

  • Class of 2021 or 2022 graduates of any master’s program (including PhDs, JDs, MBAs, and MDs) 

  • PIO/OCI card-holder

INDIAN PROJECT ASSOCIATES

The IIC welcomes all young professionals who are interested in the development sector. The applicant should have completed their undergraduate degree at least three years ago. An applicant with a master’s degree, plus one-year work experience will be considered.

Successful candidates would have a deep and critical understanding of the social impact sector and development issues. Fluency in one or more regional languages is desired. Applicants must be under 30 years of age as of April 1, 2023. 

Am I eligible?

You must be below 30 years of age, as of April 1, 2023. The applicant should have completed their undergraduate degree at least three years ago. Applicants from all academic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. An applicant with a master’s degree, plus one-year work experience will be considered.

 

Does the IIC seek candidates with specific academic backgrounds or majors?

The IIC does not prefer any one major over another, but rather seeks students from a variety of disciplines, experiences, and problem-solving methods. The IIC values creative problem solving, hard work and initiative, and team work. The IIC looks for candidates who have embodied these characteristics in principle and practice.

We welcome applications from all areas of study and experience, including generalists. Additionally, skills in the following specialized areas are desired but not required:

  • Law

  • Policy development

  • Sanitation

  • IT/Programming

  • Education

  • Healthcare management

  • Project management

  • Engineering

  • Marketing

  • Finance

  • Strategy

  • Urban development/Architecture

  • Energy & the environment

  • Quantitative Data Analysis

  • Project Management

  • Economics

If you are interested in having an impact on the greatest challenges facing governments, creating a network of experts and highly regarded professionals around the world, and building lifelong friendships within the IIC Project Associate community, then the IIC is the place for you. Apply Today


Is previous foreign experience required for Project Associates?

The IIC does not require foreign experience, and encourages candidates to apply regardless of whether they have previous foreign experience. Nonetheless, for applicants that do have foreign experience, including study, travel, and work, we'd love to hear about it in your application.


Is there a grade cut-off for IIC applicants?

There is no minimum GPA/CPGA/Percentage for IIC applicants. However, the application process is competitive and high GPAs will be a part of a strong application. 


What are the qualities of an ideal candidate?

Ideal candidates are creative problem-solvers who are highly motivated, persistent when faced with challenges, collaborative, flexible, comfortable with ambiguity and driven by a desire to make the world a better place. IIC Project Associates will be selected on the basis of attributes including academic excellence, creativity, integrity, critical thinking, in-demand skills, work experience, and the ability to work on a team.


Can I apply if I am a student in the US, but not at UChicago?

Yes, the IIC invites applicants from other US universities as well as all Indian and International universities.

 
 

Application

 

What kind of interviews?

There are three rounds of interviews, namely, behavioural, case-based, and technical interviews.

What are the locations for the interviews?

Interviews will be held virtually and at the UChicago Center in Delhi.

Do I need to submit any documents?

In order to complete your IIC application, you will need to share a resume, cover letter and innovation proposal with us. (more details are on the applications page of this website)

Resume: It must illustrate your professional experience and education, along with other important elements like key achievements, publications (if any), extracurricular activities, language proficiency, leadership roles held by you and technical skills.

Motivational Question: Your answer must highlight, in no specific order:

-Skills that make you a successful IIC Project Associate, explain why are they relevant to a social impact program like the IIC Fellowship.
- Share experiences that gave you an opportunity to hone these skills
- Explain what draws you to IIC and how will this Fellowship help you meet your academic and/or professional goals
- If you have any specific domain expertise and interests that we should know about, please indicate the same in your cover letter.

The motivational question’s answer should be no more than 250 words.

Innovation Proposal:

IIC Project Associates address critical development challenges in complex multi-stakeholder environments, with the ultimate goal of creating innovative, scalable and sustainable solutions. The Innovation Proposal is a chance for you to put yourself in their shoes and demonstrate your problem-solving skills.

We encourage applicants to be innovative, creative and solution-oriented in sharing ideas that make India’s most pressing development challenges soluble.
The set of prompts for the innovation proposal for the September 2022 cohort is on the applications page.

In your proposal, please address the following:

- Identify the problem: Briefly summarize the problem, including an explanation of its scope and relevance.
- Identify a solution: Present a thoughtful, implementable solution that would address the problem as you see it. - Explain why you chose this solution, and pay particular attention to how you would implement and scale it.
- Define outcomes: What are the intended outcomes and how do you measure them?
- Anticipate: What are the potential impediments to reaching these outcomes?

The proposal should be no longer than 2-3 pages and must be drafted in the font size 12. The 2 pages also include references and citations. Should you choose to create a PowerPoint presentation or an infographic, please ensure that your submission meets all the requirements listed above. PowerPoint presentations should contain no more than 6 slides. Feel free to use any available resources/information in creating your innovation proposal. Ensure that you cite all the information to its appropriate source.

What are you looking for in the Innovation Proposal?

We encourage you to think creatively and originally. You must propose a solution. However, we recognize that you are likely not a longtime expert in the topic you choose to write your proposal about. We are more interested in seeing that you demonstrate a thoughtful defense of your solution, how to implement it, and its limitation, than we are in seeing a proposal that focuses on originality to the exclusion of feasibility and critical thought. 

Does the IIC offer deferrals for accepted applicants?

We do not offer a deferral option; however, if you apply in a subsequent year, the previous year’s application would be considered favorably in your application. And likely another year of experience will make your application even stronger!

 
 

Support and Training

 

What kind of support can I expect from the IIC?

The IIC will hold the required training and orientation in mid-September 2022. During this training, IIC Project Associates and IIC management will review in detail the management support and expectations for each Project Associate. The IIC will provide support in the following areas: visa acquisition, payment for one roundtrip ticket to India, housing during the training session, health and safety protocols, project management oversight, and professional development opportunities. The IIC also provides a stipend to cover living costs for the duration of the Fellowship.


Training starts in September 2022, but I will not have finished my coursework or thesis by then. Can I still apply?

All Project Associates are required to have completed their coursework and thesis for their degree before beginning training, with the exception of graduate students who are taking a gap year away from their program. If you are interested in applying to the IIC, please ensure that you can meet this requirement.

 
 

Fellowship

 

When does the Fellowship start and end?

The duration of the 2022-2023 Fellowship will be mid-September 2022 through August 2023.


How are IIC teams structured?

The IIC teams are led by experienced Project Leads, who are supported by the core management team of sector-specific Engagement Managers, Program Managers, and Directors based in Delhi and Chicago. The IIC teams regularly receive management and performance oversight, strategic project and stakeholder management support, intensive training and structured feedback.


Is the IIC a one-year only engagement?

No. Project Associates who excel and enjoy the work throughout the first year may be invited to participate in a second year of the Fellowship either staying involved with the same project or moving to a new project. Additionally, after two years of the Fellowship, additional professional development opportunities within the IIC may be available. 


Where do IIC teams live in India?

This varies each year and by project. The 2022-2023 IIC teams are based in New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Bangalore and Mumbai. Teams will travel throughout India as required by their projects.

 

Would any part of the program be based at the University of Chicago or anywhere else in the USA? Or, would the entire program be based in India?

The entire program is based in India.

 

Do Project Associates receive vacation time?

Project Associates are allotted 14 vacation days and 12 sick days. Project Associates will also have the three Indian national public holidays off (Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, and Republic Day) and any other days when your host organization is closed. We encourage Project Associates to wait until December 2022 to take vacation days, as the first three months are critical to the success of their teams and projects.


What do Project Associates do after they have completed the Fellowship?

The IIC provides the Project Associates support in finding opportunities upon completion of the Fellowship. Some Project Associates go on to graduate or professional degree programs. Others may continue working with their host organization or with the IIC. Others still find jobs across various sectors, including business, consulting, development, and non-profits. 

 

I would like additional information on the placement opportunities. What is the process? Where have previous PAs been placed? 

There are a wide range of opportunities our Project Associates have gone on to do. What is important to know is that we are very happy to help with your career development efforts. We are happy to connect you with anyone in our network who you are interested in working with in the future. Some of the specific post-Fellowship positions include:

  • World Bank

  • Nonprofit and social impact consulting

  • White House Internship

  • Started own business

  • Grad school (Berkeley, Fletcher, Stanford, Harvard, Columbia to name a few)

  • Design thinking firm

  • Foundation program manager

  • Law firm

 
 

Projects

 

How are Project Associates matched to projects and how are the teams assigned?

After accepting the offer to join the IIC, Project Associates are assigned to teams. Project Associates are matched to project teams based on individual skills, academic coursework, related work and volunteer experience, interviews, and skills and qualifications requested by the host institution. Furthermore, when assigning project teams, the IIC aims to build strength in teams through a diverse set of skills, experiences, and personalities working together.

 

If I receive an offer, will a team assignment come with it?

No. We carefully consider many factors when assigning teams, such as gender, age, experience, interests, expertise, language skills and nationality. We wait until all offers have been accepted before making team assignments. Additionally, during the team assignment process, we issue a survey to get more details on your areas of interest and level of experience with certain skills.

 

What kind of work do Project Associates do during their Fellowship year?

Think of every IIC team as a startup, and you’ll begin to have a picture of what your year as an IIC Project Associate might look like. We can’t tell you exactly what kind of work you’ll do, because in large part, IIC team members, mentors and host institutions work together to determine what the work looks like. While every project team’s work-week will vary depending on the nature of the project and the culture of the team, everyone’s work will be demanding and focused on social impact.

For example, if your project is about getting potable water to a rural region without access to many paved roads, your ‘work’ might be identifying or designing a product that could transport water without constant breakdown and contamination; it could involve rerouting existing transportation routes with government officials and engineers in order to provide transportation to that village; it could involve gathering and analyzing data to evaluate impact; or it could involve giving a presentation to a state government official to convince her to scale your solution statewide. Each project comes with its own ‘work’ possibilities and each IIC Project Associate will do a little bit of everything, as one would in a startup environment. Your work will require both horsepower and brainpower.


Where do Project Associates work?

Project Associates are based in the offices of the government, foundation, or NGO partner or, in the cases of projects with multiple stakeholders, a partner of the government. 

 

What does a day in the life of a Project Associate look like?

Fortunately or unfortunately, there is no typical day in the life of an IIC Project Associate. Some days are in the field and some days are in the office, depending on where you are within your project and the focus of the project. Here are examples some of the tasks PAs do fairly commonly: 

  • Design interventions or plans for implementing interventions

  • Research other organizations and/or geographic locations facing similar issues

  • Plan events

  • Draft agreements and follow up with partners until signed

  • Attend meetings (with government partners and within the IIC team)

  • Field visits

  • Data analysis

  • Marketing, communications and related activities

  • Create templates for partners to use

  • Process improvement analysis and process improvement recommendations

  • Design and/or implement training programs

 

Can I finish my thesis during training? Can I do other work while I am a Project Associate?

We suggest your thesis or other job-related work be completed prior to training because it is very difficult to take care of other obligations during training. The days are very full and there are few hours in the day that you'll have free. The program will start around the second week of September 2022.  All course work or job commitments should be complete or on hold by the beginning of training.  After training, as you start your projects, you can see what your schedule is like and, if feasible, you may consider working on outside projects. Please note that your IIC project would always be the first priority and will most likely be demanding on your time.

 
 

About the IIC

 

Does the IIC only do projects in India?

Currently, the IIC works on year round projects in India and the United States, specifically Chicago. We have had a successful pilot of a summer program in Brazil, and we hope to expand this over the coming years. If you would like to partner with the IIC as a host for a project in another country, please email iic@uchicago.edu.


Does the IIC accept volunteers?

We do accept volunteers on an as-needed basis. For more information about volunteering with the IIC, please email iic@uchicago.edu.

 
 

DID WE MISS YOUR QUESTION?

 

Bring your questions to one of our informational sessions. We host events at the University of Chicago on the Hyde Park campus, at the University of Chicago Delhi Center in India, or virtually on a webinar from anywhere in the world. You can also follow our social channels for all updates - Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.