In view of the Institute decision to financially support research of faculty and staff using internal resources, the following strategy for selection and monitoring of projects, including implementation details and deadlines will be adopted.

Call for proposals: Office of Dean: R&D will announce the call for proposals from the academic staff of the Institute. The call will include the Institute position on thrust areas, though proposals would be welcome from all domains of science and technology. Interesting proposals involving social sciences will also be considered. Proposals can be developed by individuals though it is likely that high quality proposals would be inter-disciplinary and hence originate from a group. Proposals will have to be in the DST format. Financial support will be provided for up to a period of three to four years. The quantum of funding is clearly substantial.

Review process: Proposals will be reviewed by a Board-constituted standing committee. The committee may seek the opinion of international experts to evaluate the proposal. Such experts may be suggested by the investigator in the proposal itself. Quality, originality and the likelihood of high impact would be the guiding principles during the evaluation. Presentations may be arranged to gauge the originality and importance of the proposed research. The committee will make decisions with respect to the suitability of the proposal for financial support as well as other aspects such as time-frame requested, cost of equipment, consumables, staff, expenses towards travel, and workshops-conferences that the investigator may wish to organize. The recommendation of the committee, forwarded by Dean: R&D will be submitted to Director for final approval.

Administrative issues: The standing committee for evaluating sponsoring projects from Institute resources would be composed of the faculty of the Institute. The committee will have a membership of six with Dean: R&D as the Chairman. In addition, each proposal will be independently reviewed by 2-3 subject experts. Members of the Departmental Advisory Committee may be drawn in for the review process as well as discussions. The standing committee will advise the Board of Governors on areas of research that the Institute should undertake and identify areas of collaboration with leading groups around the world.

Timeline: Call for proposals would be launched in early January every year. Proposals will be due on 31st January. Review (internal and external) is expected to be complete by 31st March. Presentations would be held in mid-April and all decisions would be announced by the last week of April. Reviews of ongoing projects would be arranged in October each year.

Identifying areas of research: This step is understandably the most important. Science and technology evolve at galloping speeds – an aspect that requires flexibility in the choice of research disciplines, investment, as well as faculty recruitment. Research directions could be driven by pure excitement and curiosity. More importantly, certain breakthroughs create new opportunities and avenues of research. The possibility of commercializing ideas, products, devices, and processes will call for sustained funding in specific areas. Ideas may flow from the industry or the Government. Research may be driven by crisis situations or concerns related to national security. The research community periodically announces grand challenges with suitable financial rewards. As an Institute, we may propose to take on leadership positions in subjects that we have traditionally excelled in. The emphasis will vary from one year to the next and will require continuous discussion. Departments, Centers, and IRDC will have to provide continuous advice to the Institute on the choice of focus areas.

Evaluating outcome: Progress would be closely monitored, using external experts, if necessary. High impact publications would be the first step in this evaluation. Institute support will also be viewed as an investment for bringing in major projects and awards. Contribution to national goals in missions such as health, communications, energy, environment, and water will be suitably recognized.