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Apply Now: Indo-French Joint Call for Research and Innovation

Deadline: 20-Apr-2026

The Department of Science and Technology (DST), India and the French National Research Agency (ANR), France are inviting joint research proposals to strengthen India–France collaboration in Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The call supports binational projects of up to three years in four priority areas, with up to €1.5 million allocated by each side to support joint research and innovation activities.

This opportunity is ideal for Indo-French research teams that can demonstrate scientific synergy, integrated collaboration, researcher mobility, and joint outputs in areas such as Mathematical Foundations of AI, AI optimization, Safe and Trustworthy AI, and AI applications in PDE modeling.

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the French National Research Agency (ANR) are inviting joint research proposals to deepen India–France scientific collaboration in Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence.

The call is designed to strengthen existing Indo-French research networks while also encouraging new collaborative partnerships through innovative binational projects. These projects should show strong scientific complementarity, clear cooperation between partners, and a shared commitment to producing joint research outcomes.

Key Grant Details at a Glance

Funding Snapshot

  • Funding Agencies: Department of Science and Technology (DST), India; French National Research Agency (ANR), France

  • Programme Type: India–France joint research call

  • Focus Area: Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence

  • Project Duration: Up to 3 years

  • Funding Structure: Each country funds its own participants under its own rules

  • Funding Amount: Up to €1.5 million allocated by each side

  • Project Model: Joint binational research and innovation projects

  • Submission Type: Joint proposal submission by eligible partners from both countries

Core Objective

The call aims to support:

  • Indo-French research collaboration

  • Joint innovation in Applied Mathematics and AI

  • Integrated research teams with complementary expertise

  • Researcher mobility and knowledge exchange

  • High-quality joint scientific outputs

Why This Call Matters

Artificial Intelligence and Applied Mathematics are deeply interconnected. Many of today’s most important AI challenges—such as optimization, reliability, safety, interpretability, and advanced modeling—depend on strong mathematical foundations.

This call matters because it:

  • Strengthens India–France bilateral scientific cooperation

  • Supports high-level international research partnerships

  • Encourages joint innovation in AI theory and applications

  • Promotes researcher mobility, workshops, and cross-border learning

  • Helps build long-term networks in trustworthy, reliable, and advanced AI systems

For researchers and institutions, this is not just a funding opportunity. It is a strategic platform for binational AI and mathematics research, with strong emphasis on scientific excellence, collaboration, and shared outputs.

Research Areas and Priority Themes

The call focuses on four main research areas in Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence.

1) Mathematical Foundations of AI

This area supports research on the mathematical principles that underpin artificial intelligence systems.

It may include work related to:

  • Mathematical modeling for AI

  • Core theoretical frameworks

  • Algorithmic foundations

  • Statistical and computational structures in AI

  • Formal methods for understanding AI behavior

This area is important because strong mathematical foundations improve the rigor, reliability, and long-term scalability of AI methods.

2) Theoretical Optimization and AI

This area focuses on optimization theory and methods that improve the design, training, and performance of AI systems.

It may include work related to:

  • Optimization algorithms

  • Theoretical convergence analysis

  • Efficient computational methods

  • Large-scale learning systems

  • Mathematical approaches to model performance and efficiency

This area is especially relevant for research that improves accuracy, efficiency, robustness, and computational scalability in AI.

3) Safe and Trustworthy AI

This area supports research on making AI systems safe, reliable, robust, and trustworthy.

It may include work related to:

  • AI reliability

  • Robustness and stability

  • Trustworthy AI frameworks

  • Risk-aware or safety-oriented methods

  • Methods to improve confidence in AI outputs

This is a highly important area as governments, researchers, and industries increasingly require AI systems that are responsible, dependable, and aligned with safety expectations.

4) AI Applications in PDE Modeling

This area focuses on the use of AI in Partial Differential Equation (PDE) modeling and related advanced computational methods.

It may include work related to:

  • AI-assisted PDE modeling

  • Computational mathematics

  • Scientific computing

  • Numerical simulation

  • Hybrid AI-mathematics approaches for complex systems

This area is especially relevant for advanced applications in engineering, physics, environmental modeling, and computational science.

Expanded Explanation of the Research Scope

Across the four themes, the call broadly supports research on:

  • Modeling

  • Optimization

  • Reliability

  • Advanced computational methods

In practical terms, this means the programme is looking for proposals that combine:

  • Strong mathematical rigor

  • Clear AI relevance

  • Scientific novelty

  • Cross-border team integration

  • Potential for impactful joint outputs

Projects should not be loosely linked parallel studies. Instead, they should function as genuinely integrated Indo-French collaborations, where both sides contribute meaningfully to the same scientific agenda.

Who Should Apply?

This call is best suited for:

  • Universities

  • Research institutions

  • Mathematics research groups

  • Artificial intelligence research labs

  • Applied mathematics departments

  • Interdisciplinary computational science teams

  • Existing Indo-French research networks

  • New India–France collaborative teams with complementary expertise

It is especially relevant for teams working in:

  • AI theory

  • Optimization

  • Mathematical modeling

  • Trustworthy AI

  • Scientific computing

  • PDE-based computational applications

Why Collaboration Quality Matters

The funding agencies are clearly emphasizing binational scientific synergy, not just co-signing between two institutions.

Projects are expected to:

  • Operate as integrated research units

  • Show complementary expertise between Indian and French partners

  • Produce joint outputs

  • Support knowledge exchange

  • Strengthen long-term Indo-French research cooperation

Expected Collaboration Activities

Strong proposals should include activities such as:

  • Joint workshops

  • Researcher and personnel exchange

  • Cross-border mobility

  • Joint publications

  • Collaborative scientific meetings

  • Shared methods and co-developed outputs

In short, the collaboration itself is a core evaluation factor—not just the research topic.

Funding Structure and Duration

Project Duration

  • Projects can run for up to 3 years

  • Both countries aim to align project timelines

Funding Model

  • DST (India) funds the Indian participants

  • ANR (France) funds the French participants

  • Each side applies its own regulations and funding rules

  • Budget requests should be proportionate to the project’s scale and objectives

Total Funding Available

  • Up to €1.5 million allocated by the Indian side

  • Up to €1.5 million allocated by the French side

This funding is intended to support joint research and innovation projects, while each national team receives support from its own funding agency.

Who Is Eligible?

Basic Eligibility Rule

To be eligible, proposals must be jointly submitted by:

  • At least one partner eligible for funding from India

  • At least one partner eligible for funding from France

This is a mandatory binational requirement.

Proposal Eligibility Requirements

A proposal must:

  • Be jointly submitted by eligible partners from both countries

  • Be complete at submission

  • Include the required scientific document

  • Include CVs

  • Include properly filled online submission data

  • Align with the defined research areas

  • Have a duration of no more than 3 years

Participation of Companies or NGOs

Participation from:

  • Companies

  • NGOs

is allowed under specific conditions.

However, on the Indian side:

  • They must participate using their own resources

  • They must provide a letter of intent

This is an important condition and should not be overlooked.

What Makes a Strong Proposal?

A competitive proposal should clearly demonstrate:

  • Strong scientific quality

  • Clear fit with one or more priority research areas

  • Real Indo-French synergy

  • Complementary expertise across teams

  • Integrated work planning

  • Joint outputs and co-authorship potential

  • Researcher mobility and knowledge exchange

  • A realistic 3-year implementation plan

  • Budget logic that matches the research scope

The strongest proposals will show that the partnership is scientifically interdependent, not simply administrative.

How to Apply

This is a joint international research call, so applicants should prepare both the scientific case and the collaboration case carefully.

Step-by-Step Application Approach

  1. Confirm partner eligibility in both countries
    Ensure there is at least one eligible Indian partner and one eligible French partner.

  2. Choose the strongest research fit
    Align the proposal clearly with one or more of the four priority areas.

  3. Build a genuinely integrated binational team
    Show complementary expertise, shared tasks, and a common research agenda.

  4. Prepare the scientific document carefully
    The proposal must clearly explain the research problem, methods, expected outcomes, and why the Indo-French partnership adds value.

  5. Include all mandatory documents
    Submit the required scientific document, CVs, and complete online submission data.

  6. Plan researcher mobility and collaboration activities
    Add workshops, exchanges, joint publications, and other cooperation mechanisms.

  7. Match the budget to the workplan
    Ensure financial requests are realistic and aligned with the project scope.

  8. Check company/NGO conditions if applicable
    On the Indian side, companies or NGOs must use their own resources and provide a letter of intent.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid these common errors when preparing a proposal:

  • Submitting a partnership that is not truly integrated

  • Failing to show clear scientific complementarity

  • Weak alignment with the four priority themes

  • Treating mobility and exchange as optional rather than central

  • Submitting an incomplete proposal package

  • Exceeding the 3-year maximum duration

  • Building a budget that is too vague or disproportionate

  • Overlooking the Indian-side company/NGO self-funding requirement

  • Proposing parallel work instead of jointly co-developed research

Tips to Make Your Proposal Stronger

Practical Tips

  • Use clear, direct scientific framing

  • Explain why the topic matters to Applied Mathematics and AI

  • Show exactly how the Indian and French teams depend on each other

  • Highlight joint publications, shared methods, and co-developed outputs

  • Include a realistic plan for mobility and knowledge exchange

  • Keep the project structure coherent across both national teams

  • Make sure the proposal is complete and administratively clean

What Reviewers Will Likely Value

Reviewers are likely to look for:

  • Scientific excellence

  • Strong bilateral cooperation

  • Innovation potential

  • Mathematical and AI relevance

  • Integrated team design

  • Feasible implementation

  • Clear added value from international collaboration

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) Who is launching this India–France research call?

The call is launched by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), India and the French National Research Agency (ANR), France.

2) What research fields does the call support?

The call supports Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, especially in four areas:

  1. Mathematical Foundations of AI

  2. Theoretical Optimization and AI

  3. Safe and Trustworthy AI

  4. AI applications in PDE modeling

3) How much funding is available?

The funding amount is up to €1.5 million allocated by each side, meaning both India and France will fund their own eligible participants.

4) How long can projects run?

Projects can be funded for up to 3 years, and both sides aim to align project timelines.

5) Who can apply?

Proposals must be jointly submitted by:

  • At least one eligible Indian partner

  • At least one eligible French partner

Participation from companies or NGOs is possible under specific conditions.

6) Can companies or NGOs participate?

Yes, but on the Indian side, companies or NGOs must:

  • Use their own resources

  • Submit a letter of intent

7) What documents are required?

A complete proposal must include:

  • The required scientific document

  • CVs

  • Properly completed online submission data

Conclusion

The DST–ANR India–France Joint Research Call on Applied Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence is a strong opportunity for binational research teams to build or deepen Indo-French scientific collaboration in strategically important AI and mathematics fields. With up to €1.5 million allocated by each side and projects lasting up to three years, the call supports high-quality joint research that combines mathematical rigor, AI innovation, international mobility, and shared scientific outputs.

For more information, visit Department of Science and Technology.