UCL-IIT Delhi Strategic Partner Funds 2024/25

UCL and the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD) are contributing matching funds to support collaborative and interdisciplinary education and research initiatives.

University College London (UCL) and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD) are contributing matching funds to support collaborative and interdisciplinary education and research initiatives, through a joint call for proposals, for the development of collaborative activities that will lead to impactful research outcomes.

Projects

This call invites research proposals in areas of mutual interest and complementarity that strengthen partnership between UCL and IITD. 

Proposals must include participants from both institutions; be interdisciplinary in nature; demonstrate a pathway to impact either in industry or societal impact and/or policy; and focus on sustainable development goals. Industry collaboration will be welcome.

Proposals are sought in two thematic areas: 

• Energy, Sustainability, Climate    
• Quantum Technologies

Projects that involve undertaking research in government restricted zones or borders are excluded from the call unless governmental clearances have been obtained.

Proposals will be assessed by a committee composed of members from both institutions.

Up to four joint projects will be selected for funding, to be undertaken over a period of two years. 

Eligibility

Applications are open to UCL and IITD staff members with the following roles:

UCL
Professor/Professorial Teaching Fellow or equivalent. 
Reader or equivalent. 
Senior Lecturer/Principal Researcher/Principal Research Associate/Senior Teaching Fellow or equivalent. 
Lecturer/Senior Research Associate/Teaching Fellow or equivalent.
Post Doc/Researcher/Post Doc Fellow/Research Associate or equivalent are eligible provided the contract covers the spend and activity period. 

Please note:

• Applicants are not required to have a doctorate to apply but do need to hold a role at one of the levels described above. 
• PhD students are not eligible to apply, but PIs are encouraged to include PhD students in their project.

IITD
The call is open to all faculty members. 

Value and duration

Each successful proposal will receive up to £15,000 over a period of two years sub-divided into two funding tranches. 
In year 1 (2024 – 2025): up to £7,500 for UCL faculty and up to Rs. 7.50 Lakh per year for IITD faculty. 
In year 2 (2025 – 2026): up to £7,500 for UCL faculty and up to Rs. 7.50 Lakh per year for IITD faculty.

Identifying Academics at IITD and UCL 

• In order to identify academics at either institution, please refer to the relevant institutional website in the first instance. 
• If further help is required, then UCL applicants should contact Professor Naresh Bhatnagar at IITD, whilst IITD applicants should contact Dr Amit Khandelwal at UCL. 

Submission of proposals

1. Before submitting your application, please ensure you read the funding guidelines in full: 

   ucl_iitd_joint_research_seed_funds_2024_2025.pdf

   ucl_iitd_joint_research_seed_funds_2024_2025.pdf
2. Proposals are to be prepared and submitted jointly and please ensure that all project costs are provided for the panel’s consideration.  
3. Compilation of the proposal will be handled by IITD. It is therefore crucial that UCL academics, in particular the lead Principal Investigator, liaise closely with their IITD counterparts as they will be responsible for filling out an online form. Please see an example of the form that your IITD counterpart will complete. 
4. The IITD counterpart will be responsible for submitting the final proposal on Friday 4th October 2024 by 6:00pm UK time, 23.30 hrs Indian standard time. It is vital that both the IITD and UCL counterparts are in full agreement on all aspects of the proposal prior to formal submission.
5. IITD Dean R&D office will forward all the proposal received before the deadline to UCL Global Engagement for adjudication.

Timeline

Contacts

If you have any further questions about the joint call, please do not hesitate to contact the colleagues listed below: