Call for Proposals: India-Italy Joint Research Projects

Priority Areas

• Exchange of Researchers
  • Infectious diseases
  • Physics of matter and new materials
  • Quantum technologies
  • Renewable Energies and Green Hydrogen
  • Technologies applied to preserve cultural and heritage sites
  • Sustainable Blue Economy: Ecological and environmental modeling of terrestrial and marine ecosystems
• Joint Research Projects
  • Information and Communication Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
  • Biotechnology & Sustainable Agrifood
  • Astrophysics and Space Science
  • Chemical Sciences
  • Climate Change and Geohazards
  • Advanced Manufacturing

Funding Schemes

• Each PI must submit only one proposal and can apply to only one funding scheme, either
  • Exchange of Researchers
    • This funding scheme aims at supporting the exchange of researchers between collaborating laboratories in both countries. Only the expenses for travel and subsistence are funded by both Parties. Preference will be given to projects involving early career scientists.
  • Joint Research Projects
    • Joint research projects where research activities are co-funded by both Parties.

Funding Information

• Exchange of Researchers
  • The Italian Party will pay international travel expenses to scientists of the Italian team visiting India, will provide scientists of the Indian team visiting Italy with medical insurance and will cover their subsistence costs with the following contribution:
    • Short stays 99 €/day, from day 1 to day 10
    • Long stays 99 €/day, from day 1 to day 10;  38 €/day, from day 11 to day 30
  • The Indian Party will pay the international travel expenses including visa fee to the Indian scientists visiting their Italian partner under the jointly funded proposals. Indian party will also provide local hospitality and medical insurance for the visiting Italian scientists (fully furnished accommodation and per diem @ Rs. 4000 per day for 1st 14 days i.e day 1 to day 14; Rs. 3000 per day for subsequent days i.e day 15 to day 30) under the jointly selected proposals.
• Joint Research Projects
  • Indian Party
    • Participating Indian institutions are responsible for expenses regarding equipment.
    • A maximum of 40 % of the Indian side’s budget may be allowed for consumables.
    • Participation of Research students would be encouraged. On the Indian side Fellowship to one student (JRF/SRF/RA) can be supported.
  • Italian Party
    • Funding for projects selected and listed in the EP will be provided on a yearly basis. In particular, according to Italian law Nr. 401/90, and in accordance with the specific call issued by Office IX of the Directorate General for Cultural and Economic Promotion and Innovation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the PIs of the projects listed in the Executive Programme will be invited to submit a request for funding at the beginning of each year of project activity.
    • The coordinating Institution is expected to anticipate all project expenses and will be reimbursed on a yearly basis, upon submission of the financial documents and positive evaluation of the corresponding scientific report.
    • The contribution granted by MAECI to “Joint Research Projects” is intended as co-funding support for the project, and therefore co-funding by the coordinating Italian Institution of approximately 50% of the total costs of the project is mandatory. Co-funding can include salaries of the involved personnel and indirect costs. Any other financial contribution from public or private Italian or Indian Institutions will be positively evaluated.
    • The funding contribution by MAECI to each project is approximately 30 K€/year, excluding 50% co-funding by the coordinating institution.

Eligibility Criteria

• Project proposals
  • must be written in English;
  • the project plan and title must be identical in the applications to both Parties;
  • must refer to activities to be completed within the period of validity of the Executive Programme (E.P.), i.e. 3 years (2025-2027);
  • must be submitted to both Parties. Proposals submitted in only one Country will not be considered for evaluation.
• Each Principal Investigator (PI)
  • must submit only one proposal and apply to only one of the two funding schemes, under penalty of exclusion for multiple submissions.
• Indian Party
  • The PIs should be scientists/faculty members working in a regular capacity in universities, academic institutes and national research and development laboratories/institutes. The Indian Principal Investigator (PI) should not be retiring or leaving the parent institute during the proposed duration of the project.
  • The Indian applicants who are in any way involved in the implementation of two or more projects that were previously supported by the DST (International Group) and that are not expected to be completed by 31st December 2024 are not eligible to be a member of the research team.
• Italian Party
  • The call is open to public or private (no-profit) research institutions;
  • The PI must have Italian or any other EU nationality, legal residence in Italy, and must be an affiliated staff member of a public or private (no-profit) Italian research institution, with a permanent position, or with a temporary position covering at least the first year of activity of the proposed project (the termination date of the contract must be declared in the CV).

For more information, visit Council of Scientific & Industrial Research.