Industry-Academia Research & Development Programme

Aim 

• To promote linkages between Industry (SME/MSME/Big industry) and Academia of France and India by enhance the competitiveness of the Industrial partner and leveraging the research skills of Academia.

Objective 

• To promote the development of new processes or products or the improvement of existing processes or products, through industry centric proposal focusing its need for society benefit. It’s expected that the proposed ideas should have deliverables like demonstration of proof concept & prototype building up to Technology Readiness Level (TRL 4-5).

Thrust Areas

• Thrust areas as below with preference to Health and Marine Sciences:
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Supercomputing, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Digital Health)
  • Renewable & Clean Energy (Hydrogen, Renewable Energy Technologies Solar & Wind Power, Decarbonization)
  • Smart Mobility (Energy Efficient Transport and Logistics)
  • Agricultural Science and Technology (Food Safety Climate Change, Agro-Ecological Farming)
  • Sustainable Nutrition
  • Health Care (Cancer Studies, Neurosciences, Biotechnology, Biomedical Engineering, Public Health, Medical Waste Treatment Technology, One Health)
  • Technology for the SDGs (Sustainable Buildings, Plastic Pollution, Marine Science and Ecological Science)
  • Waste Management & Circular Economy

Funding Information

• The duration of the solution-driven proposals should be maximum for 3 years
• The total funding for project for all partners will be maximum Euro 220.000 (Equivalent amount in Indian INR) for entire duration of the project
• It is mandatory for the PIs to submit IP Management Plan/Consortium Agreement within (maximum) six months of approval.

Eligibility Criteria

• The project proposals submitted in the framework of this programme should preferably involve at least one industrial partner and one research institute each from India & France preferably (2+2 Model).
• However, project proposals not fulfilling this 2+2 model are also eligible (at least one industrial partner either in France or in India and a research institute from the other country) but the proposal documents shall clearly justify the situation for not fulfilling this 2+2 model. Further, the scope of work and responsibilities of each participating partner in the project proposal must be highlighted.
  • Essential Features
    • The proposals must be innovative and industry-driven towards the development or substantial improvement of new products, processes, etc.
    • The proposal must describe the proof of concept (already accomplished) in the proposal itself and also outline the possible road map on how to commercialize the outcome of the collaborative efforts being funded by CEFIPRA under the IARDP programme.
    • Project shall have at least one Industry/Company and one Public Research Organization from India and France each as Joint Applicants (2+2 model) and can have Co-Applicants and Collaborators from Academia, Research Institution, National Laboratory, Clinical Establishment, For Profit Company, Not-for-Profit Organization, Society, LLP, Trust or Foundation.
    • The applicants shall define a Coordinator or Principal Investigator on Indian side and
    • French side and both are lead investigators and main contributor to as they have ownership of the project if the application is successful. Correspondences about the application/Project will be with the Principal Applicant from India/France respectively.
    • A Collaborator is an individual who will supply technical advice, reagents, samples or data for the project, but who would also normally be involved in the day-to-day execution of the project (unlike joint applicants and co-applicants). Collaborator involvement should be governed by appropriate legal agreements.
    • All the Co-Applicants shall be entities established under the relevant Law of the Land. Applicants and the Co-applicants shall enter into a Joint Research Agreement before disbursement of funds, it should include a clear determination of Intellectual Property management Plan such as sharing of the rights, interests, protection and maintenance cost and royalties as well as other liabilities among themselves.
  • Eligibility for academic collaborator
    • Principal Collaborators and Joint Collaborators have to hold a permanent position as scientists/Faculty members in universities/deemed universities, academic institutes and national research and development laboratories/institutes.
  • Eligibility for Industry collaborator
    • Except for those who are registered as MSME, the Industry/industries should be committed to invest at least 10% of the project proposal cost in cash as their contribution. The industrial partners who would like to take exemption from this mandatory requirement (of contributing at least 10% of the project proposal cost in cash and not in kind) for example, MSMEs, they must provide the government registration certificate of being the MSME.
    • An Indian Company definition of SME/MSME/and Big Industryis defined as one which is registered under the Indian Companies Act 1956 and in which more than 51% of the ownership is held by Indian Citizens (not OCI or PIO).
    • French Company is defined as one which is registered with the Register of Commerce and Companies, France.

For more information, visit CEFIPRA.