| · A one point source to know all about Indian government websites at all levels an http://www.goidirectory.nic.in/exe.htm |
| · Council for Scientific and Industrial Research http://www.csir.nic.in |
| · Defence Research Development Organisation http://www.drdo.nic.in |
| · Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India http://www.dbtindia.nic.in |
| · Department of Ocean Development http://www.dod.nic.in |
| · Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India http://www.dst.gov.in |
| · Format of summary sheet for new project proposals involving foreign collaboration http://www.icmr.nic.in/guide/summary.doc |
| · Funding schemes of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India http://www.envfor.nic.in/funding/funding.html |
| · Indian Council for Medical Research-Guidance for International collaboration for http://www.icmr.nic.in/guide.htm |
| · Indian Council for Social Science Research http://www.icssr.org |
| · Indian Council of Agricultural Research http://www.icar.org.in |
| · Indian Space Research Organisation, Department of Space, Govt. of India.-Researc http://www.isro.org/respond/index.htm |
| · Nanotechweb.org feature articles. http://www.nanotechweb.org/rss/features.xml |
| · The future of Nanotechnology. http://www.nanotechweb.org/articles/feature/3/8/1/1?rss=2- 0 |
International Research Funding Agencies
| · Agency for Health Research and Quality-funding opportunity http://www.ahrq.gov/fund |
| · American Indian Research and Development, Inc – Research Opportunities http://www.aigc.com/other- funding- opportunities/research- opportunities.html |
| · Columbia University Medical Center Research funding http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/research/funding.html |
| · Defence Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA) http://www.aipa.mil |
| · Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)-UK Govt�s leading fun http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/default.htm |
| · European Science Foundation. Funding for all subjects http://www.esf.org |
| · External funding agencies-funding databases, Social Sciences and Humanities fun http://www.research.mala.bc.ca/grants/index.asp?document=external- sources< /FONT> |
| · Fellowship programs http://www.indiastudies.org/fellow.htm |
| · Ford Foundation http://www.fordfound.org/news/more/11272000itp/index.cfm |
| · Grants net – one stop resource to find funds for training in Sciences and under- http://www.grantsnet.org |
| · Grants Online database http://www.gold.ahrq.gov |
| · Institute of International Education-Fulbright http://www.iie.org/TemplateFulbright.cfm?section=Fulbright1 |
| · International Index of Grants and Fellowships http://www.nextwave.sciencemag.org/europe |
| · National Center for Environmental Research-Grant proposal site http://www.es.epa.gov/ncer |
| · Opportunity for research funding in Operations Research/Management Studies http://www.informs.org/Funds/funding.html |
| · Papers on Proposal funding http://www.1millionpapers.com |
| · Research funding organizations http://www.dmoz.org/Science/Institutions/Research_Funding_Organizations |
| · Research funding – articles, definitions and directories http://www.nonprofithub.com/research- funding.htm |
| · Research funding agencies – List with URLs http://www.msstate.edu/dept/spa/gov_bus_opps.doc |
| · Research Organisations http://www.fundsnetservices.com/research.htm |
| · Research sponsors for all fields of Science and Technology – Govt. agencies, fou http://www.cs.virginia.edu/research/sponsors/html |
| · Science and Engineering Research Council http://www.serc- dst.org |
| · Single access point for over 900 grant programs offered by the 26 federal grant- http://www.grants.gov |
| · South Asian Research Network for Social Sciences and Humanities http://www.sarn.ssrc.org/centers/western.shtml |
| · Texas Research Administrators Group (TRAM) – Funding agency home pages http://www.tram.east.asu.edu/fund/agency.html |
| · The most comprehensive source of funding information available on the Web, with http://www.fundingopps.cos.com |
| · U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services – Grants and funding http://www.os.dhhs/gov/grants/index.shtml |
| · U.S. Research Funding Agencies http://www.ncura.edu/resources/agencies.htm |
| · U.S.Environmental Protection Agency-Grants and fellowship information http://www.epa.gov/epahome/grants.htm |
| · University Grants Commission http://www.ugc.ac.in
•SciDev.net links to Grants and Funding sourcesSciDev Net maintains a list of funding sources for research: Funding agencies/foundations and a list of currently offered grants:
Grants•The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) TWAS gives Research Grants in scientific areas which are not covered by the IFS Granting Programme (such as basic sciences). The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS) •Forestry funding database FAO and other organisations have combined resources to produce a database of funding sources within forestry: Forestry funding database
Funding agencies for projects in the field of science:International OrganizationsEuropean Commission (EC) ICEF (India – Canadian Environment Facility) United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) UNESCO
|
FEW QUERIES
http://www.indiabioscience.org/Grants/FAQs
Contributors to the information in the FAQs: Richa Ricky, Kundan Sengupta, Aurnab Ghosh and Manjunath GP from IISER, Pune, Shubha Tole (TIFR) and Savita Ayyar (Research and Development Office, NCBS). The questions below have been collated for anyone planning to apply for a grant from India. We have attempted to be candid in the answers, suggesting ways of writing successful grant applications. Everything is evolving, and hopefully these answers will, too!
International sources of funding are HFSP, NIH, Wellcome Trust-India Alliance. In India, DBT and DST are the major funding sources for research in life science. The other national funding sources are ICMR and CSIR. You can have multiple grants from a single organization as long as the science does not overlap. Researchers in ecology, evolution, conservation biology can apply to international funding agencies like the CEPF, Rufford, Ford Foundation, etc. In addition to the national agencies mentioned above, there is also the MoEF – Ministry of Environment and Forestry which will fund proposals that have a conservation goal. Some agricultural/plant related work is funded by the ICAR – Indian Council for Agricultural Research. Extramural grants (all grants are termed “Projects”): For more information see granting agency websites.
A comprehensive list of all grants available to Indian PIs can be found on the Research Development Office, NCBS website (http://www.ncbs.res.in/rdo) and Indiabioscience (http://www.indiabioscience.org/Grants_in_India).
Announcements for grants is generally made through newspapers as well on the DBT and DST websites. The accepted format for the DBT grant is available on epromis website (http://dbtepromis.nic.in/Login.aspx) for DBT. The DBT grant should be submitted through the website and it requires the PI to create a user login. The same applies for the DST as well and it works through their granting department/committee called SERC (http://www.serc-dst.org/)
While working through the epromis website, it is advisable to fill in a mock application beforehand so that you can get an idea of the format of the application. Also, modify your own proposal to suit that format. It will take a few days to work through the form especially if it is your first time. So it will be advisable to have sufficient time before the deadline.
Yes. It generally varies for different schemes. This is more applicable for fellowships and YI grants rather than for research grants
A letter of intent (LOI) allows the granting agency to quickly assess if the project under consideration falls within the ambit of its mandate. In some agencies, the Task force, PAC or equivalent assesses these and in others these are sent out for external referee comments.
Typically, the following information needs to be provided.
Your Biosketch or CV
Title of proposed research
Working hypothesis: typically 1 para
Research Objectives: typically 3-5 specific objectives
Duration of the proposed project
Brief methodology for each objective (experimental design and methods)
Sample size with justification (if necessary)
Total anticipated budget (the heads will vary depending upon the granting agency)
Contact details and biosketches of all co-PIs
You can write a grant for a specific (big) equipment and funding in the range of US$ 100,000 for a well-justified purchase is not unusual. Equipment more expensive than this can also be obtained- more quickly through the department or institution as part of a facility. Most agencies will permit an equipment grant to be submitted as a multi-investigator grant-eg flow cytometry, mass spec, high-end imaging etc, which is to be used as a core facility. Often the Institute will get a group of investigators together to write such a grant and to justify it with many lines of research. There are also “Center of Excellence” grants that can be obtained for specific advanced technologies. These tend to be a combination of mid-level and senior researchers rather than entry-level, but there are many exceptions, and it is Institution specific. If you require a particular/uncommon and expensive facility, you should discuss this at the time of your application. Often, that will mean bringing in a new type of expertise which can be an advantage.
The mechanism for getting equipment is a bit different than in the US, but broadly speaking, equipment money is NOT the limiting factor in setting up a successful lab in India. [What are the limiting factors? Foreign travel funds and getting your consumables orders in at the frequency you need]
Identifying a suitable mentor could be a difference between a successful or unsuccessful grant application. A good mentor brings not only valuable expertise to your project, but also helps you identify potential collaborators. At the same time it is important to ensure that the senior scientist in question has the time and inclination to actually spend time with you on developing the proposal.
This depends on the purpose of the call/visit. If you have questions related to submissions, status of your grant etc, the administrative office of the granting agency may be able to help you. However, if you have very specific questions related to the grant application then it does not help. Moreover, a phone call serves well to find answers for your queries as apposed to a visit. However, it does help to contact and discuss with individuals who have received the grant previously, especially within your Institute or Department.
Expertise and tools used by each is interrelated to the expertise of the person. A biophysicist is likely to use tools within his field of expertise to answer research questions; similarly, a biochemist will probably employ biochemical methods. In an interdisciplinary grant, people with different expertise come together to answer very pertinent scientific questions from different angles using different tools for example a geneticist and biochemist can work together to answer both the genetic as well as biochemical aspect of a particular gene/pathway.
None of the granting agencies make their proposals available online. Most proposals have unpublished data and research ideas that are the copyright of the individual proposing the project. Therefore, one would be hard-pressed to find a grant proposal online.
It is best to contact individuals who have received grants that you are interested in applying for. They might be willing share their proposal with you for reference as well as discuss the strategies to write a grant.
One exception is the DBT Neurosciences Task force (http://dbt-neuro.ncbs.res.in/). Their webpage has a sample grant, courtesy Dr S. Tole (TIFR, Mumbai).
Including preliminary data ranges from a MUST to desirable on most grant applications. Even in instances where the granting agency states that having preliminary data is not a must, one must always remember that grant applications are essentially a number of people competing for a limited pot of resources. Anything that sets you apart from the crowd, improves your chances of a successful grant application and nothing does this better than previous publications and preliminary data.
A central question – stated succinctly.
2. Hypothesis – One central hypothesis. Many unrelated questions are a sure-shot way of routing your grant application to the recycle-bin!!
3. Background and literature survey detailing the current status of the field and a motivating hypothesis that relates this to the major focus of the grant.
4. Preliminary data explained in detail with figures from ongoing experiments (not only for substantiating the motivating hypothesis but also to demonstrate technical abilities)
· Expected results
· Limitations of the experiments
· Backup plan if the proposed experiments fail.
· How would the proposed grant application impact or change the course of the field.
· List of collaborators and their contribution.
· Prepare a detailed list of ALL equipment and consumables and work extensively on
(i) budget
(ii) justification for the same.
In principle the answer is Yes, this is possible. Most granting agencies state that they are open to investigators venturing into new areas. The following strategies help getting such grants:
a. A logically sound AND novel field which can be presented as a reasonable extension of previous experience/research.
b. Having a collaborator with published expertise in the area
c. Limiting budget to 40/50 lakhs
d. Preliminary data is a MUST in such cases
There are some agencies that do have specific schemes for “pilot projects” which can be used for this purposes.
However, one must remember that the bar is set much higher for proposals where the lead investigator does not have a published track record in the relevant area. It is, therefore a prudent choice in such cases to wait until one has at least one peer reviewed publication before applying for a grant
Are there specific administrative requirements for these grants if awarded?
Yes
Writing grants is not stressful! (other things ARE stressful- getting your consumables ordered being the biggest one). Administrative staff are useful to get quotations for equipment and also for figuring out about overhead payments. They may not put the grant together in the Indian scenario, however they are certainly important for putting the budget together. Colleagues who are usually happy to serve as a sounding board for grantsmanship and talking through the scientific part-but not formal mentors as they often are in US institutions. Regarding the admin side-Many institutes have a specific office for providing information about granting agencies and institutional guidelines/compliance with various requirements such as Biosafety, Animal ethics, human subjects etc (in CSIR labs this is called the PME-Project Monitoring and Evaluation-Cell).
In some Institutions, once the grant has been received, all expenditure and staff attendance, etc are online and can be tracked by the PI. Others are moving to such a system. Again, this is something to ask about.
As long as the specific Aims of the proposals do not overlap yes, it is possible to apply for multiple grants. However, you cannot propose the same project for multiple grants.
BIRAC a ‘not for profit company’ has been setup by DBT to function as an interface for emerging biotech industries. Biotech Ignition Grant scheme (BIG) funds mature ideas to a stage where start up companies can be envisions, SBIRI and BIPP combines industrial grants with academic partners, this and other schemes are listed on their website – http://www.birapdbt.nic.in/programmes.php
DST through its nano mission also funds Institution-Industry partnership grants, for more details check http://nanomission.gov.in/
This process is being improved upon, currently the timeline between writing and obtaining funding can be a year. Some grants such as RGYI are supposed to be fast and you may get the money in 8-9 months from writing.
You should write for a grant at least a year before you need to utilize the money.
Amongst Indian schemes, there are country specific tie-ups (Indo-French; Indo-US; etc.) that will allow this. There are also schemes, beyond projects, that allow scientific personnel to visit foreign labs for a short period.
Clinical researchers can apply for all the four fellowships offered by the WT-DBT
Clinical Studies are also funded by various agencies
i. ICMR
ii.USAID (http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/opportunities-funding)
There are a few fellowships/internships available for students to do fellowship. DAAD (www.daad.org/), Khorana Fellowship at Wisconsin (https://www.biochem.wisc.edu/faculty/ansari/khorana%5Fprogram/), these and other opportunities are listed on the IBS grants page.
Journal of Cell Science Fellowship for collaborative project visits to other labs, EMBO fellowship, DAAD, CSIR, Company of Biologists travel grant for research scholars to travel abroad, Meetings have competitive grants which will subsidise registration costs for students as well as support travel. More details on the RDO and IBS grants page.
International sources of funding are HFSP, NIH, Wellcome Trust-India Alliance. In India, DBT and DST are the major funding sources for research in life science. The other national funding sources are ICMR and CSIR.
You can have multiple grants from a single organization as long as the science does not overlap. Researchers in ecology, evolution, conservation biology can apply to international funding agencies like the CEPF, Rufford, Ford Foundation, etc.
In addition to the national agencies mentioned above, there is also the MoEF – Ministry of Environment and Forestry which will fund proposals that have a conservation goal. Some agricultural/plant related work is funded by the ICAR – Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
Extramural grants (all grants are termed “Projects”): For more information see granting agency websites
A comprehensive list of all grants available to Indian PIs can be found on the Research Development Office, NCBS website (http://www.ncbs.res.in/rdo) and Indiabioscience (http://www.indiabioscience.org/Grants_in_India).
Announcements for grants is generally made through newspapers as well on the DBT and DST websites. The accepted format for the DBT grant is available on epromis website (http://dbtepromis.nic.in/Login.aspx) for DBT. The DBT grant should be submitted through the website and it requires the PI to create a user login. The same applies for the DST as well and it works through their granting department/committee called SERC (http://www.serc-dst.org/)
While working through the epromis website, it is advisable to fill in a mock application beforehand so that you can get an idea of the format of the application. Also, modify your own proposal to suit that format. It will take a few days to work through the form especially if it is your first time. So it will be advisable to have sufficient time before the deadline.
You can write a grant for a specific (big) equipment and funding in the range of US$ 100,000 for a well-justified purchase is not unusual. Equipment more expensive than this can also be obtained- more quickly through the department or institution as part of a facility. Most agencies will permit an equipment grant to be submitted as a multi-investigator grant-eg flow cytometry, mass spec, high-end imaging etc, which is to be used as a core facility. Often the Institute will get a group of investigators together to write such a grant and to justify it with many lines of research. There are also “Center of Excellence” grants that can be obtained for specific advanced technologies. These tend to be a combination of mid-level and senior researchers rather than entry-level, but there are many exceptions, and it is Institution specific. If you require a particular/uncommon and expensive facility, you should discuss this at the time of your application. Often, that will mean bringing in a new type of expertise which can be an advantage.
The mechanism for getting equipment is a bit different than in the US, but broadly speaking, equipment money is NOT the limiting factor in setting up a successful lab in India. [What are the limiting factors? Foreign travel funds and getting your consumables orders in at the frequency you need]
None of the granting agencies make their proposals available online. Most proposals have unpublished data and research ideas that are the copyright of the individual proposing the project. Therefore, one would be hard-pressed to find a grant proposal online.
It is best to contact individuals who have received grants that you are interested in applying for. They might be willing share their proposal with you for reference as well as discuss the strategies to write a grant.
One exception is the DBT Neurosciences Task force (http://dbt-neuro.ncbs.res.in/). Their webpage has a sample grant, courtesy Dr S. Tole (TIFR, Mumbai).
- A central question – stated succinctly.
2. Hypothesis – One central hypothesis. Many unrelated questions are a sure-shot way of routing your grant application to the recycle-bin!!
3. Background and literature survey detailing the current status of the field and a motivating hypothesis that relates this to the major focus of the grant.
4. Preliminary data explained in detail with figures from ongoing experiments (not only for substantiating the motivating hypothesis but also to demonstrate technical abilities)
· Expected results
· Limitations of the experiments
· Backup plan if the proposed experiments fail.
· How would the proposed grant application impact or change the course of the field.
· List of collaborators and their contribution.
· Prepare a detailed list of ALL equipment and consumables and work extensively on
(i) budget
(ii) justification for the same.
BIRAC a ‘not for profit company’ has been setup by DBT to function as an interface for emerging biotech industries. Biotech Ignition Grant scheme (BIG) funds mature ideas to a stage where start up companies can be envisions, SBIRI and BIPP combines industrial grants with academic partners, this and other schemes are listed on their website – http://www.birapdbt.nic.in/programmes.php
DST through its nano mission also funds Institution-Industry partnership grants, for more details check http://nanomission.gov.in/
Clinical researchers can apply for all the four fellowships offered by the WT-DBT
Clinical Studies are also funded by various agencies
i. ICMR
ii.USAID (http://www.usaid.gov/business/business_opportunities/opportunities-funding)
@copied from
Head, Research Development Office
National Centre For Biological Sciences
GKVK,Bellary Road
Bangalore-‐560 065 India
rdo at ncbs.res.in
cirm at instem.res.in