A.General Guidelines

A.1 YI eligibility

The host institute must confirm in writing to IndiaBioscience (letter to be included in the application package) that the YI holds a salaried position at a government, educational, or not-for-profit research institution AND is less than 8 years into the independent position.

A.2 Funds and Duration

First-Time Grants: A maximum of INR 1 lakh is granted to the awardee over a period of one year.

Extension Grants: A maximum of INR 1.5 lakhs is granted to the awardee over a period of one year.

B. Payment of Funds

B.1 Installments

For the First-Time and Extension Grants, 70% of the money will be disbursed at the time of the award of the grant to the institutional bank account provided. 

The remaining 30% will be released on a reimbursable basis (against expenditures already made) at the end of the grant period subject to the satisfactory completion of project milestones as detailed in the project report. Note: The remaining 30% will only be submitted on a reimbursable basis.

B.2 Beneficiary of Funds

It is mandatory that grant funds will be administered through the host institution and that the funds be managed by the awardee. The funds cannot be sent directly to the YI or the collaborators. 

B.3 Records of Expenditure

Exact amounts (not rounded figures) must be used when completing the financial reports (UC).

Statements of expenses, receipts, and vouchers must be kept on file by the awardee or the host institution for at least two years after the award is completed, as they may be requested by IndiaBioscience for internal or financial audit purposes.

B.4 No-cost extension for First-Time and Extension Grants 

A no-cost extension of up to 3 months can be requested (by the YI) at the end of the grant period to use any remaining funds. Awardees must contact the IndiaBioscience office at least 1 month before the end of the grant period. The request for the no-cost extension should carry a strong justification for the same, and should be submitted in the format provided by IBS. Note: No-cost extensions will be granted on a case-by-case basis, subject to satisfactory completion of project goals and/​or submission of progress reports and financial reports. 

B.5 IOG Program Continuation and/​or Renewal

Subject to the performance and impact of the IOG initiative, renewal or continuation of the IOG is the sole discretion of IndiaBioscience.

C. Reports

C.1 Progress Reports

A mid-term report must be submitted within 2 weeks upon completion of 6 months from the award date (in the submission format provided by IndiaBioscience). The second (reimbursable component) of the grant payment will be released only after the mid-term report is approved by the IndiaBioscience Board.

At the end of the grant period, a final report on the project and the financial report (in the submission formats provided by IBS) must be submitted within one month of the end of the grant or at the end of no-cost extension period.

C.2 Financial Reports

Two utilization certificates are expected to be submitted during the duration of the grant (in the submission format provided by IBS), duly signed by the financial/​administrative authority of the institute. The first UC is expected on completion of utilization of the first installment (but no later than 1 year after the start of the grant). If the reimbursable 30% component of the grant has been spent by the host institute, that can be included in the first UC. If the reimbursable component of the grant has been spent by the YI, awardees should send receipts and/​or invoices indicating expenditure incurred. 

Upon receipt and approval of the first UC, and verification of expenditure incurred via the reimbursable component of the grant, IBS will release the second and final installment of the grant to the institutional account. Upon reimbursement/​reappropriation of the reimbursable component of grant payment, awardees will submit a final UC, indicating the total expenditure of the grant money. The financial report due at the end of the award period should state all expenses paid with the IBS grant. This information is critical for us to ensure the appropriate use of the funds, and is subject to audit.

The reports must be signed by the awardee and the finance/​administrative official at the host institution responsible for the financial administration of the award. Estimated costs cannot be included in the financial report; the exact expenditure paid must be indicated. The original, final report must be submitted to IndiaBioscience within one month of the end of the grant period.

Expenditures related to the grants are only allowed during the period of tenure of the grant and the no-cost extension (if applicable). Unused funds will be considered as unspent and must be reimbursed to IndiaBioscience.

Note: IndiaBioscience may suspend payments or ask for the reimbursement of all, or part of the grant payments, if the project goals are not satisfactorily met, any of the progress reports are missing or untimely submitted, or if ineligible expenses or false accounting statements are submitted.

D. Outreach Meetings and Events

All meetings and events hosted under the aegis of the IndiaBioscience Outreach Grants must be inclusive and impartial. The organiser must ensure that all interactions are professional and respectful. Organizers, attendees, speakers, etc. must abide by our Code of Conduct.

E. Timelines and Formats for submission of reports

IndiaBioscience formats and submission guidelines for Progress Reports, Financial Reports and Requests for no-cost extensions can be found here.

The reports must be submitted within a week and two weeks of the midpoint and completion of the project respectively, failing which the 2^nd instalment (30%) disbursement will not be done and can lead to termination of the grant.