Deadline: 31-Aug-2025
The Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research supports high quality research groups through collaborative research projects in advanced areas of basic and applied science to nurture scientific competency through Collaborative Scientific Research Programme.
The supported areas for collaboration for the deadline of August 31, 2025, are: Pure and Applied Mathematics, Computational sciences, Life and Health sciences, Pure and Applied Physics, Pure and Applied Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Science, Materials Science, Environmental Sciences, Biotechnology, and Water. CEFIPRA expects its collaborative research projects to achieve excellence in science through collaboration, training of young Doctoral, Post-Doctoral, and Master students, joint publications in high impact factor journals with due acknowledgment, potential output for knowledge forward chain, and long-term partnerships between collaborating groups.
Principal Collaborators and Joint Collaborators, from both India and France, must hold a permanent position in an Indian or French University or R&D Institution and meet national-level eligibility criteria regarding grants and retirement age. An ORCID or Researcher ID is mandatory for proposal submission. A joint proposal must be submitted to CEFIPRA, specifying the role of the collaborators. The collaborators must submit a joint concept proposal and a joint full proposal through the online submission system. The proposals should be original, collaborative, of high scientific quality, and complement the strengths and expertise of the research groups. The number of participants and their research contribution should be appropriate and reasonably balanced in terms of each country’s participation. At least two scientists, one each from India and France, are required as Principal Collaborators. There cannot be a second Principal Collaborator or Joint Principal Collaborator on either side. Joint Collaborators are welcome on both sides, and their contributions to the project must be clearly defined.
The evaluation procedure includes an initial screening at CEFIPRA, followed by pre-selection by the Joint Indo-French Scientific and Industrial Research Committee, and then a peer-review in both France and India. The total budget for a project can be up to a maximum of 220,000 euros for the entire duration, and projects with a budget exceeding this limit will not be considered.
Expectations from Collaborative Research Projects: CEFIPRA, the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research, holds specific expectations for the collaborative research projects it supports. These projects are expected to demonstrate excellence in science through collaboration and actively contribute to the training of young students at the doctoral, post-doctoral, and master’s levels. A key outcome is the creation of joint publications in high-impact factor journals, which must duly acknowledge CEFIPRA’s support. Furthermore, the research should produce a potential output for a knowledge forward chain and cultivate a long-term partnership between the collaborating groups that continues even after the project’s completion.
Proposals for CEFIPRA collaborative research projects must meet a strict set of criteria for initial screening and further consideration. The submission must be made within the prescribed deadline and include both a concept and a full proposal, along with a Joint Proposal Submission Agreement signed by both Principal Collaborators. The research must be in a field of Science & Technology identified by CEFIPRA, and the collaborators must be from academic or research institutions in India or France, holding a permanent position. Each collaborator is required to provide their ORCID number or Research ID, a brief CV not exceeding five pages, and a list of their top five publications with a summary explaining their relevance to the proposal.
For collaborators who have submitted or implemented a previous CEFIPRA project, a cooling-off period of five years after completion of the previous project is applicable. If a scientist is already working in an ongoing project under CSRP as a Principal or Joint Collaborator, they cannot submit another project under the same program in the same capacity. However, there is no bar to applying for projects under other CEFIPRA programs while implementing a project under CSRP. Scientists close to their superannuation should have a younger joint collaborator in the project proposal.
Finally, collaborators are ineligible if they are currently a Principal or Co-Principal Collaborator on an ongoing project under the CSRP, have received support in the last five years, or are a member of the Joint Indo-French Scientific & Industrial Research Committee of CEFIPRA.
For Indian partners, funding support is provided for manpower such as JRF, SRF, RA, and Master students, recurring expenses like consumables and domestic travel, international travel, and minor equipment. The equipment limit is a maximum of 10% of the total approved budget, up to 20,000 Euros, and is not provided to the French side. For French partners, funding support covers manpower for PhD, Post-Doc, and Master student positions, recurring expenses, and international travel. The budget for PhD manpower in French labs, as per CEFIPRA rules, is based on a net fellowship of €1,790 per month for a PhD starting on January 1, 2025, or €1,870 per month for a PhD starting on January 1, 2026. The funds for PhD and post-doctorate fellowships are paid through Campus France, and the selection of the candidate is done by the Embassy of France to India.
For more information, visit CEFIPRA.
