The Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF)
ANRF has been established through an Act of Parliament (ANRF Act, 2023), to
promote Research and Development (R&D) and foster a robust culture of research
and innovation throughout India’s Universities, Colleges, and National Research
Laboratories, and other recognized research institutions. ANRF acts as an apex
body to provide high-level strategic direction to scientific research in the country
in alignment with the recommendations of the National Education Policy. ANRF
supports collaborations among academia, government departments, research
institutions, and the industry to propel the nation towards excellence in science
and technology.
(A) Introduction to the ARG Program:
Advanced Research Grant (ARG) is a
competitive program providing financial assistance to researchers and scientists
in academic institutions, National Research Laboratories, and other DSIR-SIRO
recognised research organisations eligible to receive grants-in-aid from
Government of India (GoI) to carry out high-impact fundamental or basic research
(Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 1-3) and applied research (TRL 1 – 6) in
frontier areas of science and technology. This program encourages participation
from emerging, mid-career, as well as established researchers, offering funding
opportunities for individual and collaborative projects The proposals are expected
to develop innovative approaches to advance knowledge in their respective fields
with potential for transformative impact In addition to supporting individual,
fundamental, and applied research initiatives that explore bold, contemporary
ideas, the ARG Program particularly encourages the following types of research
inspired by potential for transformative impact:
(B) Objectives and Scope of the Program:
The ARG Program supports research and
development in frontier areas of natural sciences including mathematical sciences;
engineering & technology; environmental sciences; earth & atmospheric sciences; and
scientific & technological interfaces of humanities & social sciences. It aims to harness
the collective potential of the Indian R&D ecosystem and ensure the nation’s future
preparedness, in line with the Viksit Bharat initiative of the Government of India and
has the following objectives:
[The Advanced Research Grant (ARG) subsumes the Core Research Grant (CRG) of the erstwhile SERB].
[Refer ANRF OM ANRF/OM/N-01/2024 for details on overheads, travel and contingency.
Proposals submitted must be original in ideation and content. ANRF follows zero tolerance for plagiarism in any form. All submissions may undergo a third-party plagiarism check and any proposal found to contain plagiarised content will be rejected. Any form of text included verbatim from another source must be identified using quotation marks, with an appropriate citation (including use of AI tools). Applicants are strongly encouraged to precheck their proposals for plagiarism prior to submission in order to avoid rejections.
For online submission of the research proposal, the following points may be noted:
Full Proposal Submission: Leading details of the full proposal such as Title; Summary; Keywords; Objectives; Expected Outputs and Outcome; and Proposed Budget have to be provided in the online web based template. Please read the ANRF OM No. ANRF/OM/N-01/2024 dated 01.10.2024 before filling in the details. The scientific part of the full proposal is to be uploaded as a single PDF file with a limit of up to 15 pages (in 11 pt font), excluding references. A standard template and guidelines for preparation of the full proposals is available for download from www.anrfonline.in.
Q1: I wish to apply for an extramural research grant under the ARG Program. What is the maximum amount of the grant that will be funded?
A1: The PI is expected to propose a realistic budget for the proposal as needed for its successful implementation. The upper limit for project funding under the ARG Program is ₹ 5 Crores for maximum period of 5 years. Proposals larger than ₹ 1 crore will undergo another round of evaluation, and will undergo deeper impact, technical and team scrutiny.
Q2: In how many project proposals can a researcher get involved as a PI, Co-PI, or as an Honorary Investigator under the ARG Program?
A2: For the current ARG call, a researcher can be concurrently involved in at most one project proposal as a PI and at most one project as a Co-PI. There is no limit on number of proposals where they are an Honorary Investigator (subject to the time they need to devote to their primary PI or Co-PI commitments). This condition on PIs and Co-PIs is imposed for this particular call in anticipation of a large number of proposal submissions, and will be relaxed in future calls.
Q3: Can the PI and Co-PIs belong to different institutions?
A3: ANRF encourages multi-institutional participation and therefore the PIs and Co-PIs can be from different institutions. The host institution of the PI should make contingency arrangements for changeover of PI in case of unforeseen event of discontinuance of PI.
Q4: Can a budget be provided separately to PI and Co-PIs in case of different institutions?
A4: Certainly. A separate budget can be provided to the institutions of the Co-PIs (with a limit of up to two other institutions) if the work proposed requires complementary expertise for its implementation.
Q5: Are there any priority research areas for support under the ARG Program?
A5: ARG is a broad-based funding program, where applicants are encouraged to submit high quality proposals based upon their best ideas, rather than ANRF directing them to priority research topics. The world’s major scientific advances have often come from PIs proposing amazing ideas that change the world. Applicants are welcome to submit proposals in related or emerging topics that align with the objectives of the ARG Program.
Q6: Can a Co-PI be included after the Project has been launched?
A6: It may be possible, under compelling reasons, to add a Co-PI after the project has already been launched. This will be on the condition that no separate budget allocation will be provided to the Co-PI being included. An Honorary Investigator (eg: industry collaborator) may also be similarly added.
Q7: Can investigators from private institutions or NGOs submit proposals under this Program?
A7: Yes. As per Section C (7), Private Academic institutions with valid UGC / AICTE / PCI approval, private R&D Institutions with valid DSIR-SIRO recognition, and voluntary and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) registered under NITI-AAYOG Darpan portal are eligible to host a project, i.e. investigators (PIs or CoPIs) can submit proposals from these institutions. They could also participate as Honorary Investigators without funding, provided all the eligibility criteria specified by ANRF are fulfilled.
Q8: In the case of a multi-institution project, what is the role of the PI?
A8: In the case of multiple institutions participating in a project, the PI and host
institution should take full technical and financial responsibility for completing
the project successfully in all respects including financial closure. The PI and
the administration of the host institution will be the point of contact with ANRF.
ANRF is in the process of Ease of Doing Research (EoDR) transformations to
reduce the administrative and financial burden on PIs and Co-PIs; and moving
this responsibility operationally to the administration of the host institution. This
will allow PIs and Co-PIs to focus on technical responsibility, impact, quality and
outcomes. Till this transition is complete, the responsibility is joint between the
PI and the administration.
Q9: Can a topic other than those mentioned by ANRF under this program be proposed?
A9: Yes, a PI can submit proposals in topics other than those mentioned by ANRF as per their field of expertise. The topics mentioned are suggestive and not exhaustive. The proposal must be mapped to the Vertical that is a best fit as the primary discipline.
Q10: Can a researcher, superannuating in three years, submit a project of 3 years duration?
A10: Yes. As per Section C 6 (b), such an individual can submit a proposal either as a PI along with a co-PI who satisfies Section C 6 (a), or as a Co-PI, along with a Co-PI who satisfies Section C 6 (a). The second individual meeting Section C 6 (a) must have sufficient years of official service remaining (at least 4 years for a 3-year proposal; and at least 6 years for a 5-year proposal). If the superannuating researcher is not appointed in a role with the privilege to be a PI, then the responsibility of the project transitions to the Co-PI (who becomes the PI).
Q11: I am 61 years old at the time of submitting a 3 year ARG proposal. Can the project be given extension without additional funds, when I attain the age of 65 years and superannuate?
A11: No. Since the ARG program normally invites proposals for up to a maximum of five years duration and up to 65 years of age (whichever is earlier). Hence the PI should plan to conclude the project within the sanctioned time limit. ANRF reserves the right of decision in any other exceptional situation.
Q12: Is there any minimum number of disciplines required for the proposal to be considered as interdisciplinary?
A12: No. There is no such requirement of a minimum number of disciplines in an interdisciplinary proposal. However, the proposal should address a research question which requires a multidisciplinary team of researchers. The proposal may be submitted to the Vertical that is the best fit as the primary discipline.
Q13: Can researchers belonging to Industry, Start-ups be included as technical collaborators without any financial obligation?
A13: Certainly. Accomplished researchers from the above list of organisations re welcome to be included as “Honorary Investigators” in the proposal, without any budget allocation.
Q14: Will international collaborators be encouraged to contribute without any financial obligations from either end?
A14: Certainly. If accomplished international researchers wish to collaborate with the PI/Co-PIs to contribute to the project, they are welcome, without any financial obligation from ANRF.
Q15: Is a prior clearance (Ethical, biosafety, animal, humans, etc) required at the time of submission of proposals?
A15: The clearances may be submitted after approval of the proposal for funding.
Q16: Can I apply for a project under the MATRICS grant while implementing another project in ANRF?
A16: The PI is allowed to hold at most four (4) ANRF-funded or erstwhile SERB-funded individual-centric projects at any given time. This condition does not
apply for the investigator’s participation in ANRF mission mode programs (eg: the investigator may be a PI or Co-PI in ANRF MAHA missions, ANRF
PAIR program etc. in addition to this limit).
For this call, a PI can submit one proposal as a PI and one proposal as a Co-PI during a call. However, if applying as a PI, they must choose between
MATRICS or regular ARG proposal. If the person is a PI in a MATRICS
proposal, they can participate as a Co-PI in another regular ARG proposal.
Scope:
Nature of Support:
Research grant of Rs. 5 lakh per annum plus overheads for a period of up to five years; out of which a maximum of Rs. 5 lakhs in total may be used for international travel.
Purpose for which grants can be used:
Eligibility:
Eligibility will be as per section C (1), (3), (4), (6) in public, private universities or National Research Laboratories and other recognised research organisations in India, with the following additional changes.
MATRICS: Mode of Application and Selection:
The call for applications will be notified through the website www.anrfonline.in and
the proposal should be submitted online only at www.anrfonline.in.
The selection will be based on the recommendations of an Expert Committee
(formed from the relevant Vertical and Technical Program Committee) and the
criteria of consideration would be (1) Credentials of PI (2) Publications record and
(3) Mathematical/Theoretical content of the proposal in their respective area.
Applicants should first register in the online website, www.anrfonline.in. After
log-in applicants are required to fill all the mandatory fields in Profile Details
Section under User Profile which includes Bio data (as per defined template),
Photo, Institute Address, etc.
Proposal submission should include Project Title (max 500 characters),
Mathematics review subject classification in case of MATRICS, Keywords (max
6), Project summary (max 3000 characters), etc.
Documents required (in PDF):