The document provides advice on how to avoid certain things to get research funding, including being overconfident or diffident, having poor work ethic or being greedy, and not understanding what funding agencies want. It discusses various funding sources and provides practical tips like forming industry consortiums and holding proposal competitions.
The document provides advice on how to avoid certain things to get research funding, including being overconfident or diffident, having poor work ethic or being greedy, and not understanding what funding agencies want. It discusses various funding sources and provides practical tips like forming industry consortiums and holding proposal competitions.
Original Description:
Funding opportunities for Professors in India and some do's and dont's of writing proposals.
The document provides advice on how to avoid certain things to get research funding, including being overconfident or diffident, having poor work ethic or being greedy, and not understanding what funding agencies want. It discusses various funding sources and provides practical tips like forming industry consortiums and holding proposal competitions.
The document provides advice on how to avoid certain things to get research funding, including being overconfident or diffident, having poor work ethic or being greedy, and not understanding what funding agencies want. It discusses various funding sources and provides practical tips like forming industry consortiums and holding proposal competitions.
▪ Customer focus, research focus, management focus etc. ❑ There are some complete NO-NOs, I can tell you that in this lecture
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 2
Abhishek Jain
❑ The Psychology ▪ Can I work on a team? ▪ Who am I? ❑ Writing Proposal
▪ To whom am I writing and do I appeal to him?
❑ Funding agencies
▪ Marketing ❑ My examples may seem funny or unbelievable, they are true!
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 3
Abhishek Jain
What about yourself
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 4
Abhishek Jain
❑ DRDO and OFB
▪ CARS ▪ IMPRINT, ER&IPR ▪ TDF and iDEX with industry ❑ DST, SERB, SERC, DBT, CSIR, ISRO RESPOND, etc.
❑ Inter-government programs
❑ Private Industry
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 5
Abhishek Jain
Overconfident Diffident Who are they to review? They know nothing! They will rip me apart in review?
My one paper is equal to 10 of yours! Am I really good, will they laugh at me?
My name is enough to get funding I will write 100 pages
I don’t need anyone, I will do it alone I think PI can be someone else, I will tag along!
I have done what I could, take it. I should try more and not talk to reviewers
Who are you to ask me accounts? Accounts is dangerous, what if there is inquiry
They both do not get project
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 6
Abhishek Jain
❑ Work ethic ▪ I cannot work in a team, Others are very slow, they hinder my progress ▪ HOD doesn’t understand a thing and just throws rules at me ❑ Greed
▪ Usually XYZ agency gives 25 Lakhs, lets ask 25. Will do creative accounting to earn money for myself ❑ Fear
▪ What if the project fails. Will earn very bad name
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 7
Abhishek Jain
❑ Assess your level of competence
▪ Read a lot about the subject you wish to research ❑ Find Co-PI whom you can trust
❑ Take guidance and tips from Profs who have already taken projects
❑ Be nice and helping to people, whatever your capacity
❑ Know your colleagues in the industry and academia
▪ What are they working on?
❑ Attend training programs and conferences
▪ Keep part of your salary for self development
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 8 Abhishek Jain
What they want?
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 9
Abhishek Jain
❑ Team composition – institute backing?
▪ HOD took so many days to sign consent ❑ Does he have previous experience in running a project?
▪ First proposal or has worked in past
❑ Is his research area relevant or he just pushed a proposal
▪ Relevant to today’s world, relevant to your area
❑ Does he publish?
▪ No publication that can be found or in very shady journals
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 10
Abhishek Jain
❑ A good proposal is written three times minimum
❑ It has professional words and is well structured
▪ Common mistake is using lot of passive voice
❑ The document is neatly formatted
❑ Aim of the project is clear and is written in 3-4 lines
▪ Elevator pitch of the proposal
❑ Remember – the funding agency reviewer is not a Mr. Know All
▪ Help him by writing a decent and readable proposal
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 11
Abhishek Jain
❑ Deliverables should be written neatly
▪ Write what is not to be done too ❑ Timelines
▪ Write proper timelines of delivery and break project in milestones
❑ Payment terms
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 12
Abhishek Jain
❑ Know the vision of that scheme, research board
❑ Is it open ended research program or applied research program
❑ Involve your finance people and seniors
▪ Find out how to keep accounting; what expenses are allowed
❑ What is the time commitment they are asking
❑ IP – read carefully
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Abhishek Jain
Where to get funding
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Abhishek Jain
❑ Less procedure in below 10L and below 25L projects
❑ Funds for manpower, equipment, consumables and travel
❑ Targeted research
❑ CARS is followed by DRDO
❑ Specific form to fill up
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 15
Abhishek Jain
❑ Open ended research possible
❑ Money given to set up labs/testing facilities
❑ Young scientists given extra encouragement
▪ Always good to submit smaller proposal first with a mix of senior and junior faculty
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 16
Abhishek Jain
Few words of what I think is practical wisdom
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 17
Abhishek Jain
❑ Form consortium with industry
▪ Schemes like TDF and iDEX giving funding to industry and academic partners are allowed ❑ Jointly propose projects
❑ Join internship programs of students
❑ Create case study templates
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 18
Abhishek Jain
❑ If college does not have history of research projects
▪ Make rules easier, motivate and incentivize ❑ Monitor your HOD/Principal
▪ If all research papers of that department have his name
▪ If all research grants have his name and he takes all the recognition ▪ If proposal review takes more than 3-4 days ▪ If faculty is afraid to go to his room and he does not need any opinion ▪ If a 10 word sentence should have (sir, honourable, revered, great) three times while speaking to him ▪ FIRE HIM
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 19
Abhishek Jain
❑ Things look positive
▪ Govt is more research friendly ▪ Technology has given lot of support ▪ Change in perception in private industry about research; some good work coming out of private R&D ❑ The right time to invest in your skills and make a name
23-06-2023 Research and Funding 20
Abhishek Jain
❑ Hold an inter-department competition to write and review proposal
▪ First prize – proposal submitted formally by institute to Govt ❑ Proposal does not look good or formatted, do not read, just throw it
❑ Give each faculty 3-4 minutes to speak on the proposal with PPT
▪ If he/she exceeds time, disqualify
❑ TAKE SOME ACTION OR YOUR WILL REMAIN WHERE YOU ARE, PROGRESS
▪ DO NOT WAIT FOR COLLEGE TO TAKE ACTION; IMPROVE YOURSELF
❑ Why is internship only for students and not for Profs!
