Sponsored Research RESPOND

RESPOND Basket

Overview

ISRO started the RESPOND (Sponsored Research) programme in the 1970s, with the objective of encouraging academia to participate and contribute in various Space related research activities. Under RESPOND, projects are taken up by Universities/Academic Institutions in the areas of relevance to Space Programme. ISRO has evolved the RESPOND programme through which necessary financial and technical support is provided to academia in India for conducting research and development activities related to Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications. This is the flagship programme of ISRO to promote the extra-mural research in emerging areas of Space at Academia. To enable the faculty of Universities/ Institutes to prepare suitable proposals of relevance to space programme, a detailed list of R&D areas/sub areas /topics have been evolved as per major programmes of ISRO, by the various centres of ISRO and published annually. RESPOND programme is mutually beneficial to ISRO and Academia, wherein the rich talent of Academia/ faculty is being harnessed to support the Nation's Space programme.

The main objective of the RESPOND Programme is to establish strong links with premiere academic institutions in the country to carry out research and developmental projects which are of relevance to Space and derive useful outputs of such R&D to support ISRO programmes. RESPOND programme aims to enhance academic base, generate quality human resources and infrastructure at the academic institutes to support the Indian Space programme. Under RESPOND, projects in the advanced areas of relevance to Space programme are encouraged to be taken up by premiere universities/academic institutions. ISRO helps these institutions to establish the necessary technical facilities and also provide fellowships to researchers to work on cutting edge research topics. The research studies conducted by the STC/ Academia are expected to be directed towards some of the future Space activities, which would be a good supplement to various missions undertaken by ISRO.

I-GRASP (ISRO GRant in Aid for Space Research Programmes)

Academic Interface is one of the most important activities of CBPO and it aims at encouraging joint collaborative research with academia/Labs/institutes and establishing the Knowledge/incubation/research etc., across the country.

Recognising the need for a broader academic interface with institutions across the country, a series of capacity building initiatives have been taken up to further strengthen the involvement of academia for ISRO programmes. These initiatives include R&D Projects (RESPOND Basket); Space Technology Cells (STCs); Regional Academic Centres for Space (RAC-S); Space Technology Incubation Centres (S-TICs).

Research proposals are supported by ISRO in the areas of Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications which are of relevance to Space Programme. RESPOND Basket document published annually comprises of the most urgent and important research problems identified by ISRO/DOS Centre / Units on the basis of ISRO's upcoming programmatic R&D requirements. And Research Area for Space Document published bi-annually with same moto. Each research problem comprises of a brief write-up about the topic for the faculty of the Academic Institutions/R&D laboratories to select and prepare the proposals. A Co-PI from ISRO/DOS Centres has also been identified for each topic proposed in the Basket.

In March 2022, ISRO launched "I-GRASP" online portal (ISRO GRant in Aid for Space Research Programmes). The portal invites proposals from academia. The PIs from the academic institutions based on their area of interest and expertise select and submit the research proposals through this portal, where the entire process will be carried out through this portal which includes submission of proposals under RESPOND/STC/S-TIC and Other programmes are submitted online through "I-GRASP" portal only.

An individual or group(s) of scientists/faculty members affiliated to any academic institution/autonomous R&D institutions may submit proposals. The Principal Investigator(s) should be full-time employee(s) of the concerned institution. The age limit for the Principal Investigator should be below 65 years (sixty-five years) including the project period. The Head of the academic institution must forward proposals with application for research grants. Proposals from individuals not affiliated to any recognized institution will not be considered. There may also be co-investigator(s) from the same/different institutions working on the project. But satisfactory completion of a project will be the responsibility of the Principal Investigator and her/his institution. The following information is required for the submission of the proposal online.

Detailed bio-data of all the investigators (Age also to be indicated) including publications/awards & recognition received.
Contact details: address, email id, telephone/fax numbers of investigators as well as the institution.
In case the institution belongs to Non-Government Category, NGO Darpan ID and PAN number of the institution.
Brief description of the research proposal including the objectives and the scientific/application merits of the work.
Description of the research methodology or technique to be used for the proposed project.
The extent of financial support needed from ISRO for executing the work within the shortest possible time.
A list of research projects related to the proposal undertaken or carried out through funding by other Agencies.
Scanned copy of the declaration form signed by head of the institution.

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List of ongoing projects under RESPOND

203

List of completed projects under RESPOND

RESPOND Basket of SAC Document

RESPOND