Advanced Research Grant(ARG)

(A) Introduction to the ARG Program:
Advanced Research Grant (ARG) is a competitive program designed to support investigator-driven research, while embedding collaboration within the national R&D ecosystem to enable high-impact, interdisciplinary research for complex scientific and societal challenges, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat. The ARG Program supports projects that are anchored in a well-defined research problem or hypothesis, with potential for step-change advances in frontier areas of natural sciences including mathematical sciences, engineering & technology, environmental sciences, earth & atmospheric sciences, and scientific & technological interfaces of humanities & social sciences.

The program places primary emphasis on ‘Outcomes’ and ‘Impact’ and will support proposals that are transformative in scope and ambition. Priority will be given to proposals that advance the frontiers of knowledge in the given field or deliver significant advances in technological and applied capabilities.

Proposals that are incremental in nature, or represent conventional low-risk extensions of existing work, or do not demonstrate clear and meaningful impact will not be considered for support.

The program solicits proposals in the following broad categories.

(i) Fundamental Frontier Research:

Focuses on projects that address fundamental scientific or technological questions, with the objective of generating new knowledge, robust scientific data, and resolving existing knowledge gaps. These efforts aim to advance current understanding, thereby laying a strong foundation for addressing complex scientific and technological challenges over the long term.


(ii) Use-Inspired Basic Research:

Refers to research that seeks to advance fundamental understanding while being motivated by potential practical applications. Such projects aim to address real-world challenges by improving existing technologies, simplifying complex processes, or developing cost-effective solutions over the longer term. While immediate applications may not be evident, these efforts are expected to create pathways for future translational outcomes.


(iii) Applied / Translational Research:

Encompasses studies that generate scientific and technological insights with clear plans for application, including the development of prototypes, processes, or systems in the short term. Primarily focuses on evidence-based research and demonstrating technology for real-world applications. Projects are expected to deliver measurable scientific, societal, or economic impact, including contributions to technological self-reliance. This includes industry-relevant and need-based research, with partial collaboration and contribution from industry partners.


(B) Objectives and Scope of the Program:

  • To support high impact research that strengthens India’s R&D ecosystem and contributes to elevating the country’s global standing and leadership in science, technology, and innovation.
  • Enable investigator-driven (individual and small team) research across foundational, applied, and translational domains
  • Strengthen core scientific domains by supporting fundamental frontier research with potential for transformative long-term impact.
  • Catalyse interdisciplinary research and cross-sectoral collaboration, fostering convergence across disciplines to address complex scientific questions.
  • Promote early-stage academia–industry–research ecosystem collaboration to accelerate translation, technology development, and societal impact.


(C) Eligibility Criteria

  1. Applicants [Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator(s) (Co-PI(s))] should be Indian citizens. Foreign nationals (including OCI and NRI) are also eligible to apply provided they fulfil the eligibility criteria notified.

  2. The applicant(s) must hold a Ph.D. degree in Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. Applicants with Master’s Degree in medicine, surgery, or dental sciences (M.D. / M.S. / M.D.S. / M.V.Sc.) can apply two years after obtaining degree. Under Quantitative Social Sciences area, PI and Co-Investigator(s) should hold Ph.D. degree in Science, Mathematics, Engineering, M.D. / M.S. / M.D.S. / M.V.Sc. degree or Ph.D degree in any Social Sciences area.

  3. The applicant(s) (PIs and Co-PIs) must hold a regular position in a recognized academic institution or National Research Laboratory or in any other recognized research organization in India. A research professor or Professor of Practice may be a Co-PI. Private Academic institutions with valid UGC / AICTE / PCI approval, Private R&D Institutions with valid DSIR-SIRO recognition and Voluntary and Non-Governmental Organizations registered under NITI-AAYOG Darpan portal are eligible to host a project. NGOs must have a valid DARPAN portal registration, and DSIR SIRO recognition to receive direct grant-in-aid under the program.

  4. The term "Regular" in the context of ARG refers to applicants who are appointed against a sanctioned post or on a tenure-track post of an Institute/University, and are likely to be renewed after the end of the tenure. Research Associates, Post-doctoral fellows, Ad-hoc faculties, Guest Faculties, Visiting Scientists, Consultants, Project Fellows, Faculty members/researchers whose contract is renewed every year are not eligible to apply.

  5. INSPIRE Faculty Fellowship, Ramanujan Fellowship, and Ramalingaswamy Fellowship holders are also eligible to apply as PI or Co-PI subject to fulfilling the service criteria as indicated below.

  6. Service Duration:
    • In general, PI should have at least “the duration of the proposed project plus one year” of official service remaining at the time of submission of proposals (for purposes of computation, the last date for submission of proposals will be taken).
    • PI who will be superannuating during the duration of the project or already superannuated are also eligible to apply. In such cases, a Faculty/Scientist from the host institute who has at least the duration of the proposed project plus one year of official service remaining should be associated as a Co-PI.

  7. Under no condition will ANRF projects be allowed to continue with a PI or Co-PI aged 70. Such individual’s host institution should ensure the transfer of PI responsibilities to Co-PI.

  8. Investigators can hold a maximum of two ANRF (or erstwhile SERB) projects at any point of time. In one project, they may be a PI and in another Co-PI; or, they could be Co-PIs in two projects. If an individual has hit or crossed this limit, they may not apply in this cycle of ARG. This limitation, however, does not apply to PIs involved in IRG/EMEQ schemes or PIs / Co-PIs in mission-mode programs (ANRF MAHA, ATRI, PAIR programs or other similar Mission programs of ANRF).

  9. Investigators become eligible to apply for another project within six months from the date of completion of the ongoing project. Application for another project more than six months prior to the completion will not be considered.

  10. In respect of cases that are not mentioned above, ANRF reserves the right to determine eligibility.
(D) Evaluation Criteria by Proposal Category

(i) Fundamental Frontier Research

  • Scientific Merit and Novelty: Breakthrough, paradigm shifting ideas with high originality
  • Advancement of State-of-the-Art: Significant deepening of foundational knowledge; non-incremental advances
  • Clarity of Deliverables and Outcomes: Clearly defined knowledge outputs (validated hypotheses / theories, datasets etc.)
  • Feasibility and Research Methodology: Rigorous and innovative approaches suited to address the fundamental questions
  • Potential for Impact: Advancement of knowledge with long-term scientific/technological impact

(ii) Use-Inspired Basic Research

  • Problem Relevance and Scientific Merit: Strong originality anchored in clearly defined use inspired contexts
  • Advancement of Knowledge and Utility: Progress in fundamental understanding alongside improvements in technological baselines (eg. efficiency, cost, performance etc.)
  • Deliverables and Outcomes: Clearly defined outcomes with credible pathways toward application; measurable milestones
  • Approach and Integration: Robust, interdisciplinary, and application aware research methodology
  • Impact Potential: Potential for future technological, societal, or economic benefits arising from such research.

(iii) Applied / Translational Research

  • Limitations of existing technologies, originality of the proposed idea, and market competition.
  • Technical viability and economic feasibility of the outcome / deliverable.
  • Availability of scientific preliminary evidence or tested proof-of-concept supporting the project.
  • For interdisciplinary proposals, the extent of integration across disciplines, with clear justification, coherence, and complementary expertise within the team.
  • A well-defined translation roadmap, including backup plans and risk mitigation strategies.
  • Consideration of environmental and/or health risks associated with the proposed approach or product.
  • Bold high risk / high reward ideas are encouraged, with an articulation of the asymmetric upside on a positive outcome.

(iv)General Criteria

  • Interdisciplinary proposals should clearly bring out the integration of subject disciplines with a compelling rationale, as well as cohesiveness and complementary expertise in the team.
  • The content of the submitted proposal (and presentations in the review process) will be the primary source of evaluation. As an additional, or secondary source, evidence of relevant expertise in the proposed area, and performance in past projects, by the team of investigators may be considered in the evaluation.
  • Overlaps in the proposals submitted to different funding organizations or programs within Government of India (GoI) will be discouraged and not considered for support.
  • ANRF’s decisions are final and binding, and no requests for review or reconsideration will be entertained. However, PIs can consider revising the proposal based on the referee comments and resubmit the proposal in the subsequent call, subject to fulfilment of eligibility criteria.
(E) Guidelines
  1. Principal investigator (PI) will lead the project and be responsible for successful implementation of the project. A proposal may include Co-PIs, either from the same host institute or other institutions.

  2. A proposal can be submitted by a team comprising of PI and up to 5 Co-PIs. ANRF encourages inclusion of PI or Co-PIs from emerging academic research institutions (as defined in Section F).

  3. The role and technical contribution, and accountability of PI / Co-PI(s) must be clearly articulated in the proposal. Co-PIs cannot be added in name only, without adequate budget allocation for their contribution, or with a weak contribution or accountability.

  4. For projects costing Rs. 1 Cr and above it is mandatory to have a Co-PI from the PI institution, for successful completion of the project (with the approval of ANRF) in the absence of or discontinuance of the PI.

  5. Financial support for an ARG project will be provided to at most three institutions: the institution of the PI, and up to two additional institutions.

  6. ANRF encourages participation of researchers from the industry/private research labs, deeptech startups/MSMEs, superannuated/retired technical experts (from academia or industry), or researchers / technical experts from international industry labs, deeptech companies or academia from highly rated institutions as Honorary Investigators, without funding support to them. Honorary Investigator should be a technical expert and must have a clear role justified in the proposal.

  7. ANRF is moving towards a principle of administrative responsibility to be held by the host institution, and technical responsibility by the PI. Till this is not fully implemented, the PI and host institution will hold joint responsibility. PIs are advised to inform their host institutions’ administration and ensure an administrative nodal point of contact is also provided to ANRF for the administrative responsibility.
(F) Nature & Duration of Support
  • The ARG Program offers funding for projects for a maximum period of five years. For a project beyond three-year duration, support beyond the initial three-year period will be provided in a phased manner (i.e. 3+1 for 4 years and 3+1+1 for five years), contingent upon demonstrated research progress, impact and outcomes, in addition to publications and patents. ANRF will introduce an impact assessment scorecard with a real time dashboard per project and expect regular project updates post award. All data generated from project must be shared in appropriate repositories and managed. All publication pre-prints funded by the project must be shared in the public domain.

  • Budget: The upper limit for project funding under the ARG Program is ₹ 5 Crores.

    The research grant will be provided under two budget heads:

    • Recurring [Research personnel, Consumables, Travel, Field Work Costs, Contingencies, other costs (to cover Cloud Compute Credits, Software Licenses, Publication Costs, Analytical / Facility Access charges) and Overheads]
    • Non-Recurring (Equipment, Software Purchased, Long-term purchase of cloud or remote facility access).
    • No reallocation of funds will be permissible from Non-recurring to Recurring heads or vice-versa.
    • Operational flexibility is provided to utilize funds under Recurring head (i.e. all sub-heads of Recurring) subject to the following conditions:
      • Research Personnel: Operational flexibility is provided for engaging research personnel in the project. The norms for emoluments, and general terms and conditions of research personnel engaged in the project will be as per ANRF norms.
      • All personnel, including Research Personnel engaged under the project, for the full/part duration of the project, are to be treated as temporary employees and governed by administrative rules/service conditions of the host institute.
      • Travel: Budget of up to Rs. 5 Lakhs will be provided for a project to undertake travel related to the project. International travel for project-related work is also permitted.
      • Contingency: Contingency funds of up to Rs. 5 Lakhs will be provided for a project. They can also be utilized for registration charges for international conferences.
      • The PI shall ensure that the total funds sanctioned under the recurring head is not exceeded.
      • Publication and patent filing charges: Expenditure towards open access publications in top journals is permitted. Funds under the recurring head can also be utilized for patent filing.
      • Equipment: Change of approved or sanctioned equipment is generally not permitted and may only be considered on a case-by-case basis with prior approval from ANRF.
    • Industry or International Collaborations: PIs are encouraged to bring Industry or International partners in proposals which are industry relevant or in collaboration with top-rated research institutions. Industry or institutional co-funding is encouraged but not mandatory.

  • Proposals Costing Rs. 1 Cr and above:
    • Inclusion of Co-PI(s) is mandatory
    • If the Co-PI is from a different institution, an appropriate budget should be proposed and justified
    • Inclusion of Co-PI (or PI) from emerging academic research institutions is preferred. Emerging institutions are defined as State University OR lower NIRF ranked institutions.

Note: National Research Laboratories, R&D Organizations and Deemed Universities under any Ministries/Departments except Department of Higher Education are not considered as emerging academic research institutions.
(G) Application, Evaluation, and Selection
  • For this particular Call for Proposals, due to the anticipation of a very high number of submissions, a researcher is eligible to apply for at most one proposal as a PI and at most one proposal as a Co-PI. PIs already having ongoing projects as PI or Co-PI will be allowed to submit applications in accordance to the C (9 & 10).

  • The CFP for the ARG Program will be notified through the website "www.anrfonline.in". The research proposal should be submitted only through the website "www.anrfonline.in". Proposals submitted through any other mode will not be considered.

  • A pre-proposal must be submitted in the prescribed format by the deadline. Applicants whose pre-proposals are shortlisted will be invited to submit a full proposal. These full proposals will undergo a rigorous review by subject matter experts. PIs may also be called for a presentation, whenever required.

  • Larger value proposals (exceeding ₹1 Cr) will undergo another round of evaluation at level III by the Empowered Technical Committee, with specific emphasis on impact, and depth of collaboration.
(H) Transfer or Termination
  1. During the execution of the project, requests from a PI to transfer the project from one institution to another, on account of career growth will be favorably considered by ANRF, provided the intimation is obtained well in advance, prior to moving from one institution to another.

  2. If the PI leaves the host institution due to personal reasons, moves to another institution on lien, or superannuates and is not officially appointed for an extended period and allowed to be a PI by the host institution, the project may be transferred to a Co-PI from the same host institution, provided that all other terms and conditions of the grant are met.

  3. The host institution shall not incur any expenditure from the date of resignation of the PI. The host institution shall arrange for the submission of all relevant documents.

  4. ANRF reserves the right to terminate the project at any stage if it is convinced that: (i) inadequate progress is being made in the project, or (ii) the grant has not been appropriately utilized, or (iii) false information has been furnished to ANRF.

  5. In respect of cases that are not mentioned above, ANRF reserves the right to allow or deny the transfer of the project.

(I) (I) Plagiarism, AI Generated Content, Retractions
  • 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.

  • The PI and Co-PIs must sign an undertaking that the proposal (or significant portions of the proposal) is not AI generated.

  • ANRF may use a combination of tools to detect use of AI, and/or publication retractions in past five years, and alert the Technical Program Committee for decisions.

  • PIs and Co-PIs must declare details (and reasons) of publication retractions, if any, in the past five years.

  • ANRF reserves the right to take action on proposals involving plagiarism or undeclared AI generated content, and publications retractions by PIs, Co-PIs and Honorary Investigators.
(J) Online Application

For online submission of the research proposal, the following points may be noted:

  • Applicant should first register on the online website www.anrfonline.in click here to register. Applicants who are registered with the ANRF online portal (www.anrfonline.in) may log in to anrfonline.in using the same credentials.
  • After the log-in, the applicant is required to fill-in all the mandatory fields in Profile Detail section under User Profile which includes Bio-data, Photo, Institution address, etc.
  • In respect of proposals having Co-PIs, it must be ensured that all the Co-PIs are also registered in the ANRF system following steps 1 and 2 above.
  • A compact pre-proposal (as per a prescribed format) needs to be submitted by the deadline. The investigators of the successfully screened in at the Pre-proposal level will be invited for submission of the full proposal. The full proposals will be subjected to a rigorous assessment with the help of subject matter experts at level II. Applicant(s) of the full proposals that clear the review process may be invited for a discussion/presentation.
  • 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. The scientific part of the full proposal is to be uploaded as a single PDF file with a limit of up to 20 pages (12 font size) excluding references. A standard template and guidelines for preparation of the full proposals is available for download from www.anrfonline.in.
(K) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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 multiple levels 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: Investigators can hold a maximum of two ANRF (or erstwhile SERB) projects at any point of time. In one project, they may be a PI and in another Co-PI, or, they could be Co-PIs in two projects. This limitation, however, does not apply to PIs involved in IRG/EMEQ schemes or PIs / Co-PIs in mission-mode programs. 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).

Q3: I have an ongoing CRG project as a PI. Can I apply for the current ARG call?
A3: Yes, you may apply. For more details, please refer to Q2 above.

Q4: Can the PI and Co-PIs belong to different institutions?
A4: ANRF encourages multi-institutional participation and therefore the PIs and Co-PIs can be from different institutions.

Q5: Can a budget be provided separately to PI and Co-PIs in case of different institutions?
A5: Yes. 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.

Q6: Are there any priority research areas for support under the ARG Program?
A6: 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. Applicants are welcome to submit proposals in related or emerging topics that align with the objectives of the ARG Program.

Q7: Can a Co-PI be included after the Project has been launched?
A7: 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.

Q8: Can investigators from private institutions or NGOs submit proposals under this Program?
A8: Yes. Private Academic institutions with valid UGC / AICTE / PCI approval, Private R&D Institutions with valid DSIR-SIRO recognition and Voluntary and Non-Governmental Organizations registered under NITI-AAYOG Darpan portal are eligible to host a project. NGOs must have a valid DARPAN portal registration, and DSIR SIRO recognition to receive direct grant-in-aid under the program.

Q9: In the case of a multi-institution project, what is the role of the PI?
A9: 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.

Q10: Can a researcher, superannuating in three years, submit a project of 3 years duration?
A10: Yes. PI who will be superannuating during the duration of the project or already superannuated are also eligible to apply. In such cases, a Faculty/Scientist from the host institute who has at least the duration of the proposed project plus one year of official service remaining should be associated as a Co-PI. Under no condition will ANRF projects be allowed to continue with a PI or Co-PI aged 70.

Q11: Is there any minimum number of disciplines required for the proposal to be considered as interdisciplinary?
A11: 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.

Q12: Can researchers belonging to Industry, Start-ups be included as technical collaborators without any financial obligations?
A12: Yes. ANRF encourages participation of researchers from the industry/private research labs as Honorary Investigators, without funding support to them. Honorary Investigator should be a technical expert, and must have a clear role justified in the proposal.

Q13: Will international collaborators be encouraged to contribute without any financial obligations from either end?
A13: Yes. 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, subject to acceptance of IP policy of ANRF.

Q14: Is a prior clearance (Ethical, biosafety, animal, humans, etc) required at the time of submission of proposals?
A14: The clearances may be submitted after approval of the proposal for funding.

Q15: Can I apply for a project under the MATRICS grant while implementing another project in ANRF?
A15: 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.
(L)Documents Required
ARG MATRICS
MATRICS is a part of Advanced Research Grant (ARG). It aims to provide fixed grant support to active researchers with strong credentials in Mathematical Sciences, Theoretical Sciences, and Quantitative Social Sciences.

Scope:

  • Mathematical Sciences (MS): Mathematical and allied areas.
  • Theoretical Sciences (TS): All areas of Science and Engineering (other than mathematical and allied areas).
  • Quantitative Social Sciences (QSS): Quantitative Social Sciences which involves quantitative analysis using mathematical, statistical or computational techniques in the areas of Social Sciences.

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:

  • Purchase of text books and monographs.
  • Purchase of minor equipment such as workstation, laptop, etc.
  • Purchase of software for research purposes.
  • Travel support and payment of registration fee for invited talks or presenting a paper in national and international conferences.
  • Travel support for collaborative visits in India and abroad.
  • Travel support and other logistics for inviting students and young researchers for research activities.

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.

  • The applicant should be an active researcher in the field of (i) Mathematical Sciences and allied areas; (ii) Science and Engineering (excluding mathematical sciences) or (iii) Social Sciences involving quantitative analysis using mathematical, statistical and computational techniques. Applications for MATRICS may be made to the relevant Verticals.
  • An applicant is eligible to submit only one proposal during a call.
  • Co-PIs are not allowed in the MATRICS program. For MATRICS, Section C (1) is relaxed to allow OCI / PIO holders satisfying other conditions above to apply without need for a Co-PI.
  • There is no provision for extension of project duration.

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):