Principal Investigator (PI) Eligibility

Proposals may be submitted by permanent faculty members having regular employment in higher educational institutions falling into either of the following two categories:

Category 1: Centrally Funded Institutions (CFIs)

MoE-funded higher educational and technical institutions:

  • Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore
  • Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs)
  • Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs)
  • National Institutes of Technology (NITs)
  • Centrally Funded Central Universities

Note: Faculty from MoE-funded autonomous research institutions without degree-awarding teaching mandates are not eligible as lead PIs.

Category 2: Non-Centrally Funded Institutions (NCFIs)

Non-MoE funded institutions (State Universities, Private Universities, and Affiliated Colleges) meeting either of the following benchmarks:

  • NIRF Ranking within top 100 (overall category), OR
  • NAAC Accreditation Score of 3.26 and above (A+ or higher).

Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) Eligibility

Permanent faculty members from any Indian institution can be a Co-PI in principle.

Fund Transfer Condition: For a Co-PI's institution to receive sub-allocated grant funds, it must independently meet the Category 1 (CFI) or Category 2 (NAAC 3.26+ / NIRF top 100) criteria. Collaborators from other institutions can participate scientifically without receiving grant funding.