Bilateral Workshops/Symposia/Training Programs - Iusstf
Aim
To catalyse enduring Indo-U.S. scientific partnerships by supporting bilateral workshops, symposia and training programs that bring researchers from both countries together from the earliest stage of collaboration.
Objectives
- Enable substantive exchange of knowledge and ideas between Indian and American scientists and researchers from academia, laboratories and industry.
- Build awareness of emerging developments in thematic areas of mutual interest to India and the United States as outlined below.
- Incubate sustained, mutually beneficial linkages and follow-up collaborations between the two research communities.
- Strengthen scientific knowledge and skills through Training Programs / Advanced Schools: structured courses with practical classes, taught and attended by faculty and trainees from both countries.
Key Dates and Deadlines
The application portal remains open throughout the year, and IUSSTF solicits proposals twice a year, giving researchers and institutions in India and the United States regular opportunities to submit collaborative initiatives. This cycle lets applicants plan engagements, identify bilateral partners, and prepare proposals aligned with the program’s objectives and thematic priorities.
| Cycle | Submission Deadline | Award Announcement | Event Execution Window |
|---|---|---|---|
| March Cycle | 31 March | 01 June | August of the same year to January of the following year |
| September Cycle | 30 September | 01 December | February to July of the following year |
Note: Dates remain subject to change in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
Eligibility
- Eligible researchers in science, technology, and engineering from Indian or American academic or research institutions may submit proposals focused on one of the designated thematic areas.
- Proposals must be of high scientific quality, designed around one of the thematic areas below, and show high potential for follow-up activities.
- A minimum of one Indian and one American institutional partner (1+1 partnership mode).
Thematic Areas
Proposals must be built around one of the following seven themes of mutual interest.
Type and Extent of Funding
IUSSTF provides partial funding, typically up to INR 10–15 lakhs, towards:
- International and domestic airfare (economy class, shortest route, within prescribed limits)
- Accommodation and other event-related costs
Applicants are welcome to approach other funding agencies for additional support.
Proposal Evaluation
Proposals are screened for eligibility and then peer reviewed in both India and the United States. Reviewers rate each proposal on five criteria:
- Impact: Scientific merit and significance to the field.
- Novelty: New concepts or methodologies, and whether existing standards are challenged.
- Feasibility: A well-considered plan that can be executed in its environment.
- Investigators: Fit of expertise to the activity's needs.
- Global Implications & Indo-U.S. Collaborative Outcomes: Potential to strengthen bilateral scientific cooperation through knowledge exchange, capacity-building, and complementary expertise, with clearly defined outcomes such as follow-on research, joint publications, technology development, or sustained partnerships.
The final shortlist also considers new groups and topics, the background of Indian and U.S. coordinators and proposed speakers, perceived advantages for both sides, and potential for mutually beneficial collaboration. The process is highly competitive, and partial support is offered to only a small number of workshops.
Application Steps
- Register. One lead partner (Indian or U.S.) registers on the application portal and shares the login with the counterpart partner(s). Verify the account using the link sent to the registered email address.
- Submit. Complete all sections of the form (Summary, Contact Information, Detailed Information, Budget Details, Reviewer(s) Details and Attachments), upload documents in PDF format only, and click "Submit for Approval".
- Approve. Both lead partners approve the application before the deadline. It is then considered submitted, and the lead partners receive an email acknowledgement with the Application ID.
Documents to Upload (PDF only)
- Letter from the Lead Indian Principal Investigator(s)
- Brief CVs (2–3 pages) of the Indian and U.S. Principal Investigators and Co-Principal Investigators, highlighting publications and professional achievements relevant to the event
- Technical program with session-wise details, names of Session Chairs/Co-chairs, and the proposed speakers and topics of their talks
- Announcement brochure (if available)
Information to Prepare for the Online Form
- Title of the event, broad area (one of the seven thematic areas), sub-area, keywords, proposed venue and proposed dates
- Details of any previous IUSSTF funding (year, title of proposal and amount)
- Name, affiliation and contact details of the Indian and U.S. Lead Principal Investigators and any Co-Principal Investigators
- Aims and objectives, executive summary (500 words) and detailed plan (500 words)
- Brief profile of the partner institutions, expected benefits for India and for the U.S., and expected outcomes in terms of bilateral cooperation and follow-up
- Names, affiliations and email addresses of suggested Indian and U.S. reviewers, with no conflict of interest
- Expected number of Indian and U.S. participants (senior researchers, young researchers under 35 years, students/post-docs), and of any participants from other countries
- Keynote speakers and resource persons invited from the U.S. and India, with participation status (confirmed/awaited)
- Budget: estimated total expenditure, financial assistance requested from IUSSTF, and expected income (registration, advertisement, sponsorship, institutional contribution and support from other funding agencies)
Important Notes
- Applications are received through the application portal. Hard copies of the submitted application are not required. Applicants should keep the original supporting documents (for example, the endorsement letter and PI certificate) and a copy of the submitted application for future reference.
- Personal details should be entered correctly, as they are used for all subsequent communication.
- Applications found to contain incorrect or misleading information will be cancelled.
For more information, please refer to the Application Guidelines.
- 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 one of the 7 themes of common interest (as specified) 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 & Indo-U.S Collaborative Outcomes (Does the proposed activity build scientific and technological capacity in both India and the United States through knowledge exchange and complementary expertise? What clearly defined outcomes are expected, such as follow-on research, joint publications, technology development, or sustained institutional partnerships?
- Additionally, the Binational Reviewers provide subjective comments indicating any concerns and/or suggestions they may have regarding the proposal, and identify any issues that require further clarifications.
- Taking into consideration the binational reviewer comments and the overall scores from both India and the United States, IUSSTF prepares a list of proposals that would eventually be considered for support based on the available budget for the activity in the said financial year.
- Where the binational peer reviewers consider the proposed budget to be excessive, inadequately justified, or disproportionate to the scope of the proposed activities, appropriate budgetary revisions may be suggested to ensure cost-effectiveness and alignment with the proposed objectives and deliverables.
- 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.
- 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 small number of workshops. 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.
- Incase while reviewing the binational reviewers consider the proposed budget to be excessive, inadequately justified, or disproportionate to the scope of the proposed activities, appropriate budgetary revisions may be suggested to ensure cost-effectiveness and alignment with the proposed objectives and deliverables.
- 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 counter-signed 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
Please note that IUSSTF reserves the right to adapt its policies and priorities over time, depending on circumstances. Revisions to these FAQs may be posted at a later date.
- What are the Broad Thematic Areas of Bilateral Workshops which the proposal should focus on during this cycle?
Any of the following 7 topics would be preferred for the thematic areas for this cycle:
-
Accelerating Strategic Artificial Intelligence Implementation
-
Quantum Technologies for Secure and Resilient Futures
-
Advanced Biotechnology and Bioeconomy
-
Critical Minerals, Supply Chains, and Advanced Materials
-
Cybersecurity and Trusted Technology for Critical Infrastructure
-
Geospatial technologies, Space Technologies and Commercial Space Collaboration
-
Energy Security and Emerging Energy Technologies
-
- What are the application deadlines and event execution windows for each call?
While the application portal remains open throughout the year, proposals are reviewed across two annual deadline cycles:
- March Cycle: Submit by 31 March for events taking place between August of the same year and January of the following year.
- September Cycle: Submit by 30 September for events taking place between February and July of the following year.
(Note: All dates are subject to change in the event of unforeseen circumstances.)
- What is the timeline from proposal submission to event execution?
The operational timeline for both submission cycles is outlined below:
-
March Cycle: Submit by 31 March → Award Announcement on 01 June → Events scheduled on or before 28 February.
-
September Cycle: Submit by 30 September → Award Announcement on 01 November → Events scheduled on or before 31 August.
Dates are subject to change in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
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