Call for Proposals: India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F)

Deadline: 24 November 2018

The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), Government of Israel have jointly announced a 2nd Call for Proposals for India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Fund (I4F) 2018 to promote, facilitate and support joint Industrial R&D projects.

The objective of this programme is to respond to the global issues concerning science & technology while developing technologies that can be commercialized and localized within 2 years through joint cooperation between India and Israel.

Focus Sectors

Agriculture
Energy
Healthcare
Information & Communication Technologies (ICT)
Water

Eligibility Criteria

Each proposal must include an eligible Project Lead Applicant who would be responsible for application submission and leading the project in the two countries respectively. Although it is not mandatory, projects that engage a technology developer and a technology end-user /first customer are strongly encouraged.
Before submitting the proposal, the heads of the principal entities (Project Leads) of both countries shall have completed negotiations on details including payment of contributions, roles and mutual responsibilities.
Indian Applicants
- Eligible Indian applicants must be researchers or managers of companies that operate and are headquartered in India. Academic institutions, research hospitals, other R&D institutes (including not-for-profit research institutes recognized by DST/GITA) that are headquartered and operate in India are strongly encouraged to participate in the projects as co-investigators.
- Specific criteria for eligible applicants are as follows:
  - The Indian Project Lead (INPL) (i.e. lead company) must be a commercial company under the Indian Company Act 1956, which operates in and is headquartered in India.
  - At least 51% stake of the INPL Company must be owned by Indian citizens.
  - The INPL should have the required expertise and team capacity to manage the proposed project.
  - Sole proprietors and partnership firms are not eligible for support under this programme
  - Companies headquartered and owned outside India and their subsidiaries in India, or vice versa, are not eligible to receive funding from DST/GITA under this programme.
Preferences will be given to:
- Indian companies having partnership with government-funded Indian academic and R&D institutions.
- Indian companies having in-house R&D Centre which is recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India.
- Companies that fall under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) category, as defined by the Government of India.
Israeli Applicants
- An Israeli for profit R&D performing company, which is registered, operate in Israel as Project Lead (ISPL), responsible for the Israel application submission, leading the Israeli side of the project and communicating with the Indian Project Lead.
- The Israeli Project Lead (ISPL) ((i.e. lead company) and any other Israeli company that is signed on the Cooperation and Project and Funding Agreement are subjected to the Israeli Research and Development Law (1984) and to the Israel Innovation Authority Board Guideline number