Bilateral Workshops/Symposia/Training Programs - Iusstf
Program CoverImage And Description
Bilateral Workshops/Symposia/Training Programs
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IUSSTF solicits proposals twice a year for Bilateral Workshops/ Symposia/ Training Programs with an aim to disseminate information and create awareness through substantive interactions between Indian and American scientists and researchers from academia, laboratories and industry with the explicit aim to develop sustained linkages. Training Program/ Advanced Schools aim to enhance scientific knowledge and awareness through a devised pedagogical course including conducted practical classes by assimilating a mix of faculties and trainees from both countries.
Eligibility and Program Guidelines
- Qualified researchers from all disciplines of Science, Technology and Engineering working at Indian and American Academic Institutions and Laboratories. The proposals should be of high scientific quality, designed around a theme of mutual interest that has a high potential for generating follow-up activities.
- Minimum of one Indian and one American institutional partner (1+1 Partnership Mode).
- The event date should be on or before 28th February for 1st March deadline and 30th September for 31st August deadline.
- Submission Deadlines: 1st March & 31st August. The call for proposals is open through the year, with submission deadline of 1st March and 31st August.
Proposal Evaluation
The proposals are peer reviewed both in India and the United States. The final shortlisting takes into consideration several factors in addition to peer review in India and U.S., such as encouraging new groups as well as topics, background of Indian and U.S. workshop coordinators as well as proposed speakers, perceived advantage(s) for both Indian and U.S. sides, potential for developing mutually advantageous collaboration(s), etc. The process is highly competitive and partial support is provided only to a very small number of workshops due to availability of limited funds.
Type and Extent of Funding
IUSSTF provides partial funding towards the following expenditure related to the event:
- International and Domestic Airfare (by economy class & shortest route not exceeding prescribed limits)
- Accommodation and other event-related costs
- What are the kinds of bilateral programs that are supported by Indo-U.S.
Science
and Technology Forum (IUSSTF)?
- Workshops/ Symposia/ Conferences: Indo-U.S. bilateral activities that aim at dissemination of information and creating awareness through substantive interactions between Indian and American scientists and researchers from academia, laboratories and industry with the explicit aim to develop sustained linkages. The proposals should be designed around a theme of common interest that has a high potential for generating follow-up activities.
- Training Program/ Advanced Schools: To enhance scientific knowledge and awareness through a devised pedagogical course including conducted practical classes by assimilating a mix of faculties and trainees from both countries. The proposal should be designed around a theme of common interest that has a high potential for generating follow-up activities.
- Please elaborate on the Review Process followed for selection.
- Proposals undergo a preliminary screening at IUSSTF for fulfilment of eligibility criteria
- Shortlisted Proposals are then sent out for peer-review in India
and the United States. Reviewers are provided with an Evaluation
Format wherein the evaluators are asked to rate the proposal on
the following specific indices:
- Impact (Scientific merit of the proposed activity. What is its significance to its field of study? What is the strength of its contribution toward the advancement of knowledge or future development in the field?)
- Novelty (Creativity of the proposed activity. Does it introduce novel concepts or methodologies? Does it challenge existing standards and/or protocols to suggest new ones?)
- Feasibility (Feasibility of the approach. Does the proposed project consist of a well thought-out plan that can be easily executed given its particular environment and resources?)
- Investigators (Appropriateness of the investigators for this project. Do their areas of expertise match the necessary requirements for the success of the proposed activity?)
- Global Implications (Is the proposed activity relevant and does it contribute to scientific and technological capacity-building in both US and India? Does it promote future collaboration between researchers in these two states?)
- Additionally, the Reviewers provide subjective comments indicating any concerns and/or suggestions they may have regarding the proposal, and identify any issues that require further clarifications.
- Each proposal is reviewed by at least 3 Expert Evaluators on each side.
- Taking into consideration the reviewer comments and the overall scores from both India and the United States, IUSSTF prepares a list of proposals that would be eventually be considered for support based on the available budget for the activity in the said financial year.
- How many partnering institutions are required for proposal submission? Can
there
be more than 2 partnering institutions from both countries?
Each proposal should have one Indian and one U.S. partnering institution. A proposal can however have more than two partners on each side. E.g. Lead Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI).
- Can the proposal include Industry partners as well?
Yes, however no support will be extended to Industry participants.
- Can there be partners from countries other than the United States of
America in the
proposal?
No, IUSSTF supports only bilateral (Indo-U.S.) activities, events, and initiatives that promote interactions between the scientific and research communities in India and the United States.
- Does IUSSTF support International Conferences?
IUSSTF is an autonomous bilateral organization jointly funded by the Indian and U.S. Governments with a mandate to promote bilateral activities for the promotion of Science & Technology through substantive interactions between Indian and American scientists and researchers with the explicit aim to develop sustained linkages between the two countries. IUSSTF presently does not have any programmatic activity to provide support to International Conferences. While we do accept proposals with a small number of third country participants (no more than 5); however, no funding support is provided to such participants.
- What is the nature of funding provided for selected proposals?
- International and Domestic Airfare (by economy excursion class & shortest route not exceeding prescribed limits)
- Accommodation
- Other event costs
- Is there any guidance on the maximum budget/extent of funding?
After a highly competitive evaluation process, IUSSTF offers partial support to a few workshops due to availability of limited funds. The extent of funding is around INR 10-15 lakhs (disbursement as per IUSSTF guidelines). Applicants are welcome to approach other funding agencies for additional funding.
- How would the domestic/international travel arrangements be done?
- Upon receipt of the final list of faculty/participants from the Lead Workshop Organizer, IUSSTF will disburse the international and domestic travel costs, as approved, in the form of advance travel grant-in-aid to the Lead Organizing Institution. An appropriate amount will be retained from the organizational support allocation for final settlement.
- The responsibility for travel facilitations/reimbursement to the faculty/participants will be of the workshop organizer/coordinator against receipt of copies of air tickets and boarding passes.
- Workshop coordinator will be requested to forward a separate collated Statement of Travel Reimbursements incorporating the details of the U.S. and Indian Participants' ticketing/reimbursements as applicable on the Host/Organizing Institution's letter head; duly certified by the lead Principal Investigator and countersigned by the Financial/Administrative Authority of the Host Institution.
- How will the grant-in-aid be disbursed?
The grant-in-aid will be released to the Lead Indian Partnering Institution at least 4-6 weeks before the workshop dates after receipt of the following:
- Final dates and Venue
- List of Participants from US and India
- Final Program/Agenda
- Brief Budget break-up of how Organizational Grant-in-aid will be utilized
- Funding received from other sources
- Banking details
- Would the funds cover indirect costs?
The heads of expenditures covered under the grant will be strictly as per the budget format. IUSSTF does not provide financial support for any items of expenditure (e.g. Overheads, indirect costs) which are not mentioned in the budget format.
- What is the mechanism to handle IP issues?
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are subject to Annex I- Intellectual Property (IPR Annex) of the Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of India (S & T Agreement, 2005) and the respective standard IPR provisions of the Parties to the extent it is not in contravention with the IPR annex.
- How should the proposal be submitted?
Proposal should be submitted online at https://ws.iusstf.org