Grant Application and Approval

1. The applicant must be a citizen of India. However, a collaborative project with foreign nationals can be applied where Principal Investigator (PI) would be an Indian citizen.
2. The applicant and co-applicant should hold the PhD/M.D./M.S. degree at the time of applying for the grant.
3. The applicant(s) must hold a regular academic/research position in a recognized academic institution or national laboratory or any other R&D institution of India recognised by DSIR.
4. Under the Start-up grant, innovative ideas of young (age< 40 years) researchers who are in the early phase of their career, would be funded.
5. The tenure of the project would be from 6 months to 3 years.
6. If the Principal Investigator proposes to extend the duration of the project period beyond 3 years, a written request to that extent with proper justification of need shall be submitted to the office of Chellaram Diabetes Research Centre (CDRC) for approval at least 30 days before the closure date of the project.
7. For very innovative ideas, there is a provision to increase the budget limit and duration of the study.

1. Principal Investigator (PI) may only apply through his/her Institution. An undertaking from PI and endorsement from institution is mandatory to apply CDRC for funding.
2. The PI and the host institution shall be responsible for completing the work detailed in the full application and for the successful implementation of the project.
3. The host institution shall own the responsibility of managing the resources provided by the grant, including staff, and ensure that the grant is utilized solely and appropriately for the duration of the project.
4. To implement any changes to the project, including but not limited to, the project design and delivery, personnel, timetable, budget, proposed outcomes, prior notification to and approval from the office of CDRC are mandatory. Failure to comply may lead to termination of the grant.
5. A progress report has to be submitted as per the timelines provided in the project proposal. Also, final report is to be submitted including publication or patent application.
6. Principal Investigator must present the part or full outcome of research project work in an annual conference “IDS” organized by Chellaram Diabetes Institute, Pune.
7. Principal Investigator must acknowledge CDRC for the grant support in their publication of data/methods/results of the project, in any form (conference paper, journal article, book chapters etc.).

1. PI would submit a concept proposal in the prescribed format which will be reviewed by the Screening and Monitoring Committee. Only shortlisted proposals shall be recommended for full-length proposal submission.
2. PI would submit the full project proposal in the application format under the specified category duly forwarded by the head of institution.
3. The PI and the host institution must ensure that all necessary (human or animal) ethical committee approvals, requirements of regulatory authorities and other local governance frameworks are in place before the initiation of the project and are maintained for the duration of the grant.
4. The PI must notify the CDRC in advance, prior to seeking any financial support and/or any approval granted for the project from other sources.
5. The PI must ensure that potential conflicts of interest and Intellectual Property Rights are declared (Please refer IPR section).

1. A comprehensive review mechanism would be implemented to review the shortlisted proposal. All the project proposals would undergo a two-step review process. In the first step, the concept note of the research project would be reviewed by Project Screening and Monitoring Committee and based on their recommendations, only shortlisted proposals would be called for full project proposal submission.
2. All submitted full-length proposals will be reviewed by an expert from Scientific Committee and by an internal Grant Review Committee. Approval shall be granted based on weighted scoring and recommendations given by the committees.
3. If the committee seeks any clarification or presentation by the applicant, the PI/Fellow may have to give presentations of their project in front of the Grant Review Committee either through online or offline mode as per request.
4. Six monthly progress report has to be submitted by the PI through Head of the Institution to CDRC for review and release of next instalment of grant approved.

1. A formal declaration of the status of all submitted proposals after the screening will be posted on the CDRC website.
2. An email will be sent to all shortlisted concept proposals for the submission of full proposals.
3. Once the project is recommended for grant approval by the committee, PI and the Host Institution will be notified about the decision through electronic mode.
4. In response, the head of the Institution and PI shall be sending a formal acceptance of the grant approved.

1. The approved annual grant will be released in two instalments to ensure that the sanctioned project met the achievable targets in specified timelines. The first instalment will be released within 15 working days CDRC receives formal acceptance from the PI and the Host Institution. The second instalment will be released on the recommendation of the Review and Monitoring Committee after the completion of six months and review of the first progress report submitted by the PI.
2. The annual budget proposed must not exceed the maximum limit provided in the project category. Appropriate and detailed justification must be provided for each of the budget heads which include manpower, consumables, contingencies, travel, overhead (up to 10% applicable only on manpower, consumable and contingency).
3. If the PI is unable to pursue the work funded by the CDRC, or if the host institution terminates the employment of the PI for any reason, the host institution shall propose the name of the alternate PI to the CDRC within 30 days’ period. If CDRC finds the alternative arrangement appropriate, then and only then, shall the funding be continued. CDRC reserves the right to withhold the funding or terminate it with immediate effect if alternate arrangements are deemed inappropriate by the grant management committee. In such cases, all data collected, any IP generated shall be taken up by the CDRC and the host institution is responsible to provide the desired information. Any unclaimed/unspent amount shall be returned to the CDRC within 30 days of termination with a full report.
4. PI has to submit a utilization certificate annually duly forwarded by the Head of the Institution for the approved duration of the project.

1. PI must adhere to the approved manpower budget in different categories. Revision of emoluments shall not be accepted in any circumstances during the project tenure.
2. In case research personnel resigns from the post, a new appointment through walk-in or alternative mode of selection should be made within 30 calendar days for uninterrupted functioning of project work.
3. PI may apply his/her institution guidelines for making appointment of research personnel for the project.
4. Approved Remunerations of manpower:

All new intellectual property viz. patents, copyright, design, etc. generated as part of the research would be shared between CDRC and the host institution in 2:3 ratios with CDRC assuming 40% and 60 % going to the host Institution. An interim declaration regarding the percentage of share could be made by the applicant in the declaration form through the proper channel at the time of application.