DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY (DST)

and

RESEARCH COUNCIL OF NORWAY (RCN)

CALL FOR PROPOSALS (2017)

Last date for submission of proposals: 24 May 2017

Under the Agreement between the Government of India and the Government of Norway on
Cooperation in the fields of science and technology, the Department of Science and Technology (DST)
from Indian side and the Research Council of Norway (RCN) from Norwegian side coordinate the
programme for joint funding of collaborative research projects in mutually agreed fields to achieve
world-class scientific results.

Both sides now intend to support innovation projects within the field of renewable energy. Norwegian
funding is part of the two RCN programmes INDNOR and ENERGIX. Up to 8 million NOK (6,3 cr rupee)
is available from these programmes for allocation to Norwegian companies in collaboration with
research institutions. The total budget from the Indian Department of Science and Technology will
cover activity matching funding and in-kind contributions for Indian project investigators in
collaboration with Indian companies for a mutually agreed number of projects, , subject to max of Rs.
40 Lac per project, for total duration of max 3 years.

DST and RCN invite Indian and Norwegian researchers/institutions and companies to submit
innovation project proposals within renewable energy. The proposed collaboration should strengthen
already on-going research and innovation activities in each research group and contribute significantly
to added value for the companies involved.

The purpose of the call is to strengthen both industrial collaboration to the benefit of companies in
both countries, and collaboration between R&D institutions.

Scientific part

The projects should strengthen collaboration in R&D between Indian and Norwegian companies and
research institutions. Research institutions in Norway and India must be included as partners on each
side, to secure the research content of the collaboration.

DST and RCN invite Indian and Norwegian companies to submit research proposals within fields of
renewable energy, encompassing research activities within technology and natural sciences and not.
The call will not be open for proposals within the field of social sciences.

After a matchmaking event organized for Indian and Norwegian stakeholders in the Norwegian
Embassy in New Delhi 8-9 February 2017, the following thematic areas are given as examples to be
covered by the call:
- Renewable Energy
o Hydropower
o Wind and Ocean Energy
o Solar Energy
o Bioenergy
- Energy System
o Grid Integration
o Off-grid energy systems
o Energy storage
 - Energy Use and planning
o Smart cities

Administrative part

Who can apply

Joint proposals must be developed in cooperation between Principal Investigators (PIs) representing
an industry company in Norway and an industrial partner in India. Each partner PI must submit
separate research proposal from their institution. There should not be more than one contract partner
from each country in each project. It is required to have one (or more) research institution(s) as
collaborating partner in each country. Commitment for own contribution from the company must be
shown in the application. It is not open for participants from other countries than India and Norway.

Available budget

A budget of up to NOK 8 million (equivalent to INR 6,3 Cr) in total will be available from the RCN.

The total budget from the Indian Department of Science and Technology will cover activity matching
funding and in-kind contributions subject to max of Rs. 40 Lac per project for a total duration of 3 years
for mutually agreed number of projects.

Funding may be sought for innovation type projects. The projects can have duration of up to 3 years,
including dissemination and network activities (workshops, conferences).
The proposed RCN projects should have funding from RCN in the following range:

NOK 1-2 million INR 7,88 millions 1,57 laks.

RCN will normally cover up to 50% of the total Norwegian cost, according to the State Aid Rules. The
rest will be covered by the company/companies applying for support, either as direct funding or as in-
kind contribution.

DST will cover the 50% of the cost of the project to the selected academic/ R&D Institution in India.
The Industry partners from India are welcome to take part in the project by voluntarily contribution
funding the 50% industry component of the project. DST will not provide any funding to Indian
Industry.

Application procedure

Each proposal should have one Norwegian and one Indian Principal Investigator (PI).

Norwegian PIs (company) must submit the proposal to the RCN electronically using the My RCN Web.

Indian PIs (research institution) must submit the proposal to the DST (Department of Science and
Technology).

The proposals should be identified with a common short name/acronym, and a joint (common) project
description should be enclosed. The proposals submitted to the respective funding agencies must be
identical.

In the joint project description, activities should be clearly described according to a timeline, and may
be organized into work packages when appropriate.

Milestones should be identified that can be used to easily follow the progress of the
project.
 Budget information should be detailed and clearly presented, and should, when
necessary, be specified in the project description.
Management structure and partner roles must be described.

Proposals for funding from the DST must be submitted according to the rules and regulations of the
DST.

Proposals for funding from the RCN must be submitted electronically according to the rules and
regulations of the RCN. following specific guidelines apply to RCN proposals submitted under this call:

The proposal and project description (a maximum of 8 pages, Times New Roman 12-
point font, footnotes and references included) must be well-structured and clearly
written in English.
A resource table showing the different sources of funding and in-kind contributions
should be part of the project description or a separate attachment. It is important to
clearly state the distribution of total funding as well as financial and in-kind
contributions from different partners and other sources for assessment purposes.
o There is no specific template for the project description, as this is a bilateral
collaboration. However, the template for Innovation projects can be used as far as it is
relevant. It is, anyhow, of crucial importance that all elements mentioned under
"Assessment and joint decision-making procedure" are clearly described. Information
about the collaboration is of special importance.

All international cooperation must be documented by letter of intent.

What types of activities are eligible for funding

Funding may be sought for innovation type projects The financial support from DST shall be available
for mobility (up to 2 visits per year from each side with sending side provides international travel-
related expenses while the receiving side provides the local hospitality as per their national norms) of
project participants; one manpower ie JRF/SRF, RA etc ; minor equipment (accessories) for up to Rs.
5.0 Lac; and chemicals / consumables/ contingency up to Rs. 5.0 Lac per year.

The provisions for local hospitality, as mentioned above are as follows:

Norwegian scientists visiting India shall be paid and amount of INR 2500/- ,- per day towards
food and out of pocket allowances, or as agreed in contract negotiations for each project plus
fully furnished guest house accommodation on actual cost at the host Institute. In case a
suitable guest house accommodation is not available at host institute, accommodation would
be arranged by the host institute in a suitable hotel/guest house subject to max charges of Rs.
4000/- per day.
Indian scientists visiting Norway on short term basis shall be provided an amount of NOK
460,- per day and 13 800,- per month on a long term visit towards food and out of pocket
allowances, or as agreed in contract negotiations for each project
For short term visits the maximum payment shall not exceed the total per diem for 20 days
Free furnished accommodation in a guest house or a hotel with reasonable amenities and
facilities shall be provided
Transport to and from the airport for visiting scientists shall be arranged. In case of senior
scientists (in the rank of director or above), transport shall be provided for all official
engagements.

Proposals incorporating own/additional funding and projects that can demonstrate sustainable
commitments from own institutions or other sources during and/or beyond the project period are
encouraged.
Assessment and joint decision-making procedure
The project proposals will be assessed separately according to the rules of procedure in each country.
In addition to the general scientific criteria, the level of integration of partners and distribution of
resources (financial and in-kind) as well as project organization will be subject to consideration.

The RCN will use international experts in its assessment procedure, either expert panels or referees,
followed by the ranking of recommendations by the programme board of the programme ENERGIX.
Assessment will be based on the standard assessment criteria for Researcher Projects.

The DST and the RCN will implement a joint decision-making procedure to determine the outcome of
the call. Projects must receive a high assessment score in both countries to be funded. The selected
projects will receive funding from the DST and the RCN.

Additional information

Contracts

The RCN will enter into a contract with the Norwegian applicant for the Norwegian portion of the
project.

Agreement on rights to and use of findings and partner obligations (collaboration agreement)

A consortium agreement detailing the obligations of each partner must be drawn up before the
contract with the RCN is signed. The collaboration agreement should include specification of the rights
to and use of findings (IPR). A copy of the consortium agreement between the project partners must
also be submitted to DST at the time of submission of the proposal.

Language

The call for proposal is in English language only which also is legally binding.

The funding from Indian side shall be released through a sanction order issued by DST indicating all
terms and conditions of the grant. Any formal clearance/ approval pertaining to any kind of regulation
by nodal departments/organizations concerning foreign collaboration must be completed before
sanction of the project by DST.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Indian and Norwegian applicants shall submit applications in English to DST and RCN.

For Indian applicants may use the Application given at Annexure. The application should include a
jointly formulated and identical copy of the project description, including acronym, submitted to the
RCN by the Norwegian partner. Only one original hard copy of the completed application (by post
through proper channels) at the following address. Soft copy in a single soft file (do not include any
scan page in the soft copy as signatures are not required in softcopy of the proposal) in ms-word or pdf
format as email attachment are required to be submitted. However, only the hard copy of the
applications received before the due date will be accepted. DST does not hold any responsibility of not
receiving the proposal due to postal delays etc. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Dr. Chadaram Sivaji, Scientist-F

International Bilateral Cooperation Division
Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India
Technology Bhawan, New Mehrauli Road
New Delhi 110 016 India
Telefax: +91-11-26520714; Phone: +91-11-26590457; Email: [email protected]

For Norwegian applicants, application as per the procedure indicated above be submitted to RCN via
the RCN electronic application system (www.rcn.no for guidelines).

Contact Persons in Norway:

Merethe Sandberg Moe ([email protected], +4722037159) and Trygve Utheim Riis ([email protected],
+4722037347).

Last date for submission of the proposals in India and Norway :

24 May 2017
 Annexure

DST APPLICATION (for Indian Participants only)

(DST India- RCN Norway joint cooperation PROGRAMME)

PART I
1. Title of the project:

2. Subject Area (as specified in the announcement)

3. Contact details / Address of the project leaders:

Indian project leader Norwegian Project leader

Name & Designation

Address
Telephone (Work)
Telephone (Residence)
Fax No.
Email ID

PART-II
1. Scientific objectives and individual components of the joint project: (max. page)
2. Current state of the research/ technology (max. 2 pages)
3. Preliminary activities by the Indian side (max. 1 page)
4. Preliminary activities by the Norwegian side (max. 1 page)
5. Detailed description of the Indo- Norwegian co-operation (max page)
(Justification/ Rationale for collaboration)
6. Compatibility of intensions of both sides with regard to individual components of the project,
working method of equipment (max. 1 page)
7. Promotion of the new Generation of academicians
(Participation of young research students) (max. page)
8. Where appropriate, the way in which the project results could be used by Industry and
others ( page)
9. List of the five most important publications of the project participants, which have a bearing
on the project (please do not send copies of the publications themselves or lists detailing all
publications of the group)
PART-III (For Indian partners only)

1. List of on-going research projects with the Indian project participants:

Title of the Brief description Duration with dates of Funding available and
project commencement and completion source of funds
of the project

2. Infrastructure available/required to implement the project:

Facilities List of items required for the project If not available presently, how it is
proposed to be procured/ recruited.
Please indicate the source of funding
Equipment
Manpower
Consumables and
Contingencies

3. Certified that the following Indian scientists including Ph.D. students, SRF/JRF, Post-Docs
are presently affiliated with the University/Institute and will be the official project participants
for the entire duration of the project:

S. No. Name of the project Position held From To

participant
1.
2.
3.

4. Does the project involve (i) Biological Material Transfer / Use of GMOs / Radioactive materials; (ii) Human /
animal trials? Please submit necessary clearance of nodal agency / department of GoI in this regard

3. Certified that the Institute/University/Lab is registered at Central Plan Scheme Monitoring

System (CPSMS) website of Comptroller & Audit General (CGA). The grants/funds may be
released as per the Bank detail given below-

S. No. Item details

1. Account No.
2. Name of the account
3. Account type Saving /Current
4. Name of the Bank
5. Address of the Bank
6. IFSC code
7. Details of the present authorised
signatory to the account

INSTITUTIONS ENDORSEMENT

Certified that
 i) The project participants involved in the project are affiliated to the Institute/ University.
ii) All information provided in the project proposal is correct; and
iii) the infrastructural facilities related to the project activity is available in this Institution
including equipment, manpower and other facilities and all necessary administrative
support will be extended for the project

Signatures Indian PI Signatures Norwegian PI

Signatures Head of Indian Institution: Signatures Head of Norwegian Institution:

With Seal with seal
 DETAILS OF PROPOSED SCHOLARSHIP
INDIAN PARTICIPANTS
(Please use a separate form for each year of the project)

FIRST YEAR

Name of Indian Qualifications Purpose of visit Dates of Travel cost from Indian Cost of Overseas
Scientists/ (Academic degree) proposed visit Home Institution to Insurance Cover
student visiting and present and duration of Norwegian Partner for Indian visitor
Norway Appointment/ stay in Institution including In Rs.
Position Norway surface/rail travel in India
and Austria
1n Rs. And in following
order:
Air Fare including taxes
(IATA excursion)
Surface travel in India
Surface travel in Norway
1

2.

TOTAL Rs. Rs

* Applicants who do not hold a doctor's degree are requested to specify their academic status (Graduate doctoral
candidate) and attach bio-data of each of the above Indian participants
 DETAILS OF PROPOSED SCHOLARSHIP
INDIAN PARTICIPANTS
(Please use a separate form for each year of the project)

SECOND YEAR

Name of Qualifications Purpose of visit Dates of proposed Travel cost from Indian Cost of Overseas
Indian (Academic degree) visit and duration of Home Institution to Insurance Cover
Scientists/stude and present stay in Norway Norwegian Partner for Indian visitor
nt visiting Appointment/ Institution including In Rs.
Norway Position surface/rail travel in
India and Austria
1n Rs. And in following
order:
Air Fare including taxes
(IATA excursion)
Surface travel in India
Surface travel in
Norway
1

2.

TOTAL Rs. Rs

* Applicants who do not hold a doctor's degree are requested to specify their academic status (Graduate, doctoral
candidate) and attach bio-data of each of the above Indian participants
 DETAILS OF PROPOSED SCHOLARSHIP
Norwegian PARTICIPANTS
(Please use a separate form for each year of the project)

FIRST YEAR

Name, First Qualifications Purpose of visit Dates of proposed visit Proposed rate/ Expenses on account
Name* of (Academic and duration of stay in Charges for of per-diem as
Norwegian degree) and Indian Institute Institutional / Guest admissible
Participant present House
visiting India Appointment/ accommodation in
Position India

2.

3.

TOTAL
(For Per diem
and lodging for Rs. Rs
Norwegian
participants)

* Applicants who do not hold a doctor's degree are requested to specify their academic status (Graduate, doctoral
candidate) and attach bio-data of each of the above Norwegian participants
 DETAILS OF PROPOSED SCHOLARSHIP
Norwegian PARTICIPANTS
(Please use a separate form for each year of the project)

SECOND YEAR

Name, First Qualifications Purpose of Dates of proposed visit Proposed Expenses on account of per-
Name* of (Academic degree visit and duration of stay in Charges for diem as admissible
Norwegian and present Indian Institute Institutional/
Participant appointment / Guest House
visiting India Position accommodati
on in India

2.

3.

TOTAL
(For Per diem
and lodging for Rs. Rs
Austrian
participants)

* Applicants who do not hold a doctor's degree are requested to specify their academic status (Graduate, doctoral
candidate) and attach bio-data of each of the above Norwegian participants.