Deadline: 10-May-25
The Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation is inviting grant applications to support translational research, based on excellent science, in the agriculture sector to achieve last-mile accomplishment.
The research outcome shall support the generation of a better livelihood and enable the empowerment of the rural farming community in India with an emphasis on small and marginal farmers.
Wherever applicable, all grantees will also be provided, free of cost at a location in Andhra Pradesh, access to agricultural land with workshop facilities to validate their ideas and demonstrate the same to farmers.
Focus Areas
- The proposed projects for Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grants in Agriculture shall focus on the following major criteria:
- Science-based innovative solutions in any branch of Agricultural Sciences through translational research with the scope of immediate deployment.
- Curated towards the needs of small and marginal farmers.
Areas of Research
- Possible research areas, although not limited to, of the grant are listed below:
- Climate resilient cropping/agriculture systems, Post-harvest technologies, Agri wastes to wealth for farmers, Safety of workers during farm operations, Crop management, Agronomy, Plant protection, Crop improvement, Novel variety/hybrid field trial, Food compositional analysis, Food safety study, Soil management, Water management, Organic farming, Sustainable agriculture, Precision farming, Seed processing and storage, Agriculture biotechnology, Artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture, Big data analytics in Agriculture, Farm machinery, Agro forestry, etc.
Funding Information
- The research fund shall be up to a maximum of Rs 50 lakh for a maximum period of two years.
- Grant will be disbursed in two tranches with each tranche no more than Rs. 25 lakh per year.
Expected Outcomes
- The outcome of the research, while based on advanced scientific knowledge, shall be readily translatable into fully sustainable solutions featuring innovation, relevant to the farming community, cost-effective and easily accessible. The applicant shall emphasize on the immediate deployment of the technology or research solution to the benefit of farmers.
Eligibility Criteria
- Interested individuals and teams from recognized universities, R&D institutions and recognized non-profit research organizations in India are eligible to apply.
- The proposals can be from a single institution or multi-institutional. International collaborations are also eligible; however, the lead organization must be based in India and the funds are provided to only the Indian side of the expenditure.
- In case of international collaborations, a strong justification must be provided as to why this collaboration is essential for the execution of the project, what value the collaboration will add to the proposal and why this work cannot be carried out in India. Any regulatory approvals needed from the Indian Government for the collaboration as well as material transfer, etc need to be highlighted.
- Since grants cannot be used for the salary of the investigators, the applicants should already have a secured salaried job and space and support from the host Institution before applying.
- The Principal Investigator should be up to 50 years of age as on 30th April, 2025.
- The upper age limit for a woman PI can be up to 55 years as on 30th April, 2025.
For more information, visit Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation.