GRANT SUBMISSION
The RDO currently undertakes due diligence, provision of budget support, facilitates grant submissions and archival of proposals for a wide range of grant types.
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The office works in conjunction with the management to ensure timely processing of the grant in alignment with campus expectations. Due-diligence on grant applications serves various functions such as ensuring a fit to overall campus directions, improving fundability, reputation management with the agencies and evaluation of time commitment for the individuals fronting the application. It also allows the institute to be aware of and be able to sign up to the broader implications of research being undertaken via funded projects.
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Routing grant submissions via the RDO helps ensure that:
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PIs receive institutional support in applying for funding
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Letters of support from the Director and/or Dean are written in alignment with agency and institute norms
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Institutional support is available for tracking the progress of submitted grants and resolving issues at the earliest
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Institutional support is available for release and acceptance of funds
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Finance divisions can make more accurate cash-flow predictions
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The following grant types MUST be routed via the RDO
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Incoming Faculty Fellowships
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Incoming Post-doctoral Fellowships
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Individual Research grants (NCBS/inStem applicants as PIs or Co-PIs)
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Collaborative grants with NCBS/inStem applicants as PIs or Co-PIs
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Student fieldwork related grants
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Infrastructure grants
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Institutional large program grants
Other substantial grants from International agencies
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The following types of grants are NOT being dealt with on a routine basis by the RDO:
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Individual Phd studentships (UGC, CSIR, DBT etc)
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Travel grants
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Organising Meetings grants
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All queries regarding grant submissions can be sent to rdo@ncbs.res.in.
Prep work:
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Prior to taking an application forward, the RDO staff reviews the scheme guidelines and checks for both institutional and individual (PI)eligibility to apply to the specific funding scheme. If the application is being routed to a new agency, an institutional registration step may be required. The RDO staff will work with the Director, Dean and Head (Admin & Finance) as required to complete the institutional registration processes as needed. However, it may take time for all the approvals to be in place. Hence, PIs applying to non-standard agencies are requested to check with the RDO well in advance about institutional eligibility. In some specific instances, the Office will circulate an email seeking expressions of interest for a particular funding scheme for which there is a specific deadline. PIs are requested to respond to such an email at the earliest.
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Proposal development and grant submission:
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Following initial contact, the RDO staff will guide progress of the application as appropriate for each scheme. PIs will be expected to make available draft versions of the proposal and budget along with other relevant documents to the RDO. The RDO staff will coordinate institutional letters of support and endorsements required as part of the application package. The proposal will be finalized via an iterative process and during this period the RDO staff will consult with the Dean and/or Director as required. The RDO staff will also provide advice on the budget (including institutional overheads/ personnel costs) to be requested as part of the proposal. For submission through online agency portals, the RDO staff can offer demo sessions to PIs and guide them with tips to ease the upload and submission. These sessions need to be scheduled in advance. PIs are requested not to submit application packages online to agencies unless the RDO has completed its due diligence and cleared the application for submission as this helps reduce avoidable errors.
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The hard copy of the completed proposal will then be dispatched to the Agency by RDO staff if required as per agency guidelines. If the final submission to the agency is made from a collaborating institute, it is the responsibility of the co-applicant at NCBS/inStem to forward a complete copy of the application to the RDO for office records.
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PI is expected to take responsibility for completing submission forms and for the final submission of the application to the agency.
It is the responsibility of the PIs (or supervisors of post-doctoral researchers) to ensure that all the regulatory approvals for the work proposed as part of a grant application are either in place or in the pipeline at the point of submission. This will be a mandatory requirement for activation of new grants. Please note that agencies require the final approval letters rather than application packages to internal institutional committees.
Other Matters
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Internal RDO timelines:
In order to make the interaction productive and timely, we request applicants to let us know at least 2 weeks in advance of a submission. More time should be allowed for complex proposals such as infrastructure facility grants, international grants etc.
Corporate funding:
PIs can secure and hold funding for their research from commercial sources. However, this funding must comply with NCBS/inStem norms for academic freedom and IP-related matters. These interactions are guided by the campus policy on identifying and managing conflicts of interest (accessible at https://www.ncbs.res.in/rdo/research_policies). PIs seeking corporate funding are requested to first discuss such engagements with the RDO. PIs in receipt of research funding from corporate sources should adhere to the terms of the institutional agreements and any deviations from the norm must first be discussed with the RDO.