Applications for two-year grants are invited from interested individuals and teams from recognized universities, Government research institutes and not-for-profit research organizations.

The grant is envisaged as an enabler to deliver ready-to-deploy solutions for small and marginal farming communities. The outcome of the research, while based on advanced scientific knowledge, shall be readily translated into a fully sustainable solution featuring innovation, relevant to the farming community, cost-effective and easily accessible. The applicant shall emphasize the immediate deployment of the technology or research solution to the benefit of farmers.

Possible focus areas, although not limited to, of the grant are listed below:

• 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, Farm machinery, Agro forestry, Solutions to prevent post-harvest losses.

Institutional Eligibility

Individuals and teams from recognized universities, R&D institutions, and recognized non-profit research organizations in India are eligible to apply.

Proposals can come from a single institution or multiple institutions.

International Collaborations

International collaborations are eligible, but the lead organization must be based in India, and the funds will only be provided to the Indian side of the expenditure.

You’ll need to provide a strong justification for why the collaboration is essential for the execution of the project, what value it will add to the proposal, and why the work cannot be carried out in India.

Highlight any regulatory approvals needed from the Indian government for the collaboration, as well as material transfer.

Principal Investigator Requirements

The Principal Investigator should be below 50 years of age as on 31st March, 2023.

Funding Restrictions

Grants cannot be used for the salary of investigators.

You’ll need to have already secured a salaried job and space and support from the host institution before applying.

Sree PVF grants are not intended to duplicate support available from the Indian government or other sources.

If you’ve already received substantial funding for your core activities or similar work, you’ll only be eligible if you can demonstrate that the activity for which funding is sought is additional to the work for which you had already received funding from other sources.

Maximum Budget

The maximum budget for each grant is Rs. 50 lakh.

Grants will be disbursed in two tranches, with each tranche no more than Rs. 25 lakh per year.

Eligible Costs

Eligible costs for funding include capital expenditure (equipment), manpower, consumables, travel (no international travel) and local hospitality, contingency, overheads, field trials, safety studies, outsourcing, and others, such as training and awareness, workshops, publications, review meetings, etc., based on the requirement of the project.

Flexibility in Utilizing Budget

Sree PVF offers flexibility to the applicant in how they wish to utilize the budget as long as the requested costs are commensurate with the proposed research and are strongly justified.

Salary for Investigators

However, it’s important to note that the salary for investigators is not included in the grant.

The host institution is expected to provide salary and research support for the duration of the grant period.

Scientific Novelty and Innovation: What innovative and novel solutions are proposed?

Relevance to Farming Community: How will the proposed solutions benefit small and marginal farming communities?

Sustainable solutions: Are the proposed solutions sustainable and easily accessible?

Cost-effectiveness: Does the proposal showcase cost-effectiveness?

The expertise of Applicants: What is the expertise of the applicant in fulfilling project objectives?

Readiness to Deploy: Is the proposed technology or research solution at a reasonable readiness level for deployment upon project completion?

Green Technology: Does the proposed project adhere to green technology principles?

Responsibility: Is the timeline and budget for the project on completion reasonable?

Please click here to download the application format. 

Applicants are requested to take due diligence in filing the form and provide necessary information as required. Short-listed candidates would be required to present a research proposal before a selection committee through an online presentation.

Duly filled-in applications should be submitted through email: sreepvf.agriculture@gmail.com on or before 10th April 2023. Selection of the proposal/s for the award of grants is expected to be completed and announced by 31st May 2023. The successful applicant(s) will be intimated by email as well as will be declared on the Sree PVF website.