Grants for the purchase of equipment may be provided for the investigation of the equipment is of a specialized nature, required exclusively for the project and is either not available at, or cannot be spared from, parent Institution for the project.

Appointment of a limited number of research assistants and technical supporting staff such as technicians, instrumentation mechanics, etc. can be made for an approved project. However, at the close of project ISRO cannot assume any responsibility for the project staff who will have no claim whatsoever to recruitment in ISRO on any basis.

The selection and appointment of the above project staff is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator. These should be made according to the normal selection procedures of the university or institution submitting the research proposal. The qualification / experience required and the salary offered for such staff should have the approval of the head of the institution according to the rules followed in the Institution.

The research personnel who are associated with the project may be awarded ISRO’s research Fellowships, Research Associateships and Research Scientists according to guidelines laid down by ISRO for this purpose. Details on the award of Research personnel are given in following sections.

Purchase of books and scientific literature necessary for the investigation and not available in the parent university or institution (for Journals, ISRO approves only the purchase of single copy of issues or Photostat copies of the papers relevant to the project). Subscription to journals on a regular basis cannot be covered by these funds.

Travel in connection with the project or for attending seminars and symposia of relevance to the subject of the investigation.

All requirements of foreign exchange for the purchase of equipment and/or consumables should clearly identified and mentioned in the budget. It is expected that the foreign exchange will normally be arranged by the concerned Institution and ISRO will provide equivalent money only in Rupees. Only under exceptional circumstances can ISRO consider proposals for limited foreign exchange allocations.

ISRO does not grant any funds for buildings and civil works for housing any equipment or personnel. However, charges for equipment installation can be provided.

All travel in connection with the project should be approved by the Principal Investigator according to the TA / DA rules of the concerned Institution. The mode of Journey including air-travel may also be approved by him so that the implementation of the project takes place in time subject to the condition that the institution has no objection to such an arrangement and that the travel expenses are contained within the budgetary provisions for the project approved by ISRO

The funds will be sanctioned under different specific heads and will normally be released by ISRO once every year. Reappropriation of funds among different heads is permissible only in special cases with the approval of ISRO.

If the amount sanctioned during a particular period is not spent, the spill-over will be taken into account while sanctioning further funds.

 
Terms and Conditions of ISRO Research grants

ISRO reserves The Right To revoke In Whole Or In Part The Funds Approved for a project at any time without assigning any reason.

Approved funds must be utilized solely for the purpose for which they have been granted unless ISRO agrees other wise. A certificate that the funds have been so used must be produced by the grantee Institution at the end of each year of support.

Acknowledgement of ISRO support must be made in all reports and publications arising out of an approved project / investigation. The Institution will take prior permission of ISRO before publishing any work based on an ISRO supported project. Such permission will not be unreasonably withheld.

Two copies of all publications resulting from the research conducted with the aid of the grants should be submitted to ISRO.

No investigator receiving a grant from ISRO may make commercial use of the results of the work through patents or otherwise. ISRO reserves the exclusive right to determine whether any patent shall be taken out and for which commercial use, if any, shall be made of any result of the investigations. All patents shall be in the name of ISRO and ISRO shall retain exclusive rights to commercially exploit them. The share, if any, for the royalty to the Investigator, the parent Institution and ISRO will be determined by ISRO.

The Principal Investigator is required to submit two copies of yearly reports indicating the progress of the work accomplished. He is also required to submit two copies of a detailed scientific/technical report on the results of the research and development work after the completion of the project. One copy of these reports should be sent to the address to which the proposal was sent and other to the scientific Secretary, ISRO Headquarters. Annual reports should preferably be sent to the release of funds for the subsequent year. The reports will become the property of ISRO.

ISRO may designate scientists/specialists to visit the Institution periodically, for reviewing the progress of work on an ISRO-funded project.

An inventory of items purchased from ISRO funds should be sent to ISRO giving the description of the equipment, cost in rupees, date of purchase and name of supplier along with a purchase certificate from the Head of the Institution. All items of equipment and non-consumable items costing more than Rs. 5,000 remain the property of ISRO and ISRO reserves and right to recall, transfer or dispose them off on the termination of the project.

The accounts of the expenses incurred out of ISRO funds should be properly maintained and should be authenticated by an approved auditor. The final statement of accounts in duplicate, duly audited, should be sent to ISRO at the end of each financial year of support. A statement of accounts of his Institution should be sent to ISRO for every operational year of the project sufficiently in advance to enable the release of funds for the subsequent year.

If the total amount sanctioned is not spent during the whole period of support, the remainder amount must be surrendered to the Pay and Accounts Officer, Department of Space, within one month after completion of the project.

The assets acquired wholly or substantially out of an ISRO grant should not, without prior sanction, be disposed off or utilized for purposes other than that for which the grant is sanctioned.

A register of assets, permanent and semi-permanent, should be maintained by the Institution and this should be available for ISRO audit scrutiny.

The Institution cannot divert the grants for a project to another institution if it is not in a position to execute or complete the assignment. In such a case the entire amount of the grant must be immediately refunded to ISRO.

The terms and conditions of ISRO research grants are subject to change from time to time, but the funding of any project till its completion will be governed by the terms and conditions exiting on the date of starting of the project with ISRO funds, unless mutually agreed to otherwise.