High Risk High Reward Mobility Grant [Closed]

Source: https://ge.iitm.ac.in/programs/faculty-mobility/hrhrg Parent: https://ge.iitm.ac.in/programs/faculty-mobility

The High Risk High Reward Mobility Grant is a unique program with IIT Madras’ valued strategic partners. This flagship program is aimed at enhancing and increasing our collaborations with institutes of global repute through attractive mobility funding for students and faculty. The program is currently closed.

Purpose

IIT Madras is a premier institute for research, which is home to a faculty of international repute and world class facilities. Faculty members at IIT Madras carry out high quality research, often in collaboration with researchers in areas which are at the forefront of cutting-edge research and technology. The Institute files more than 100 patents each year, and its faculty members and students publish top quality peer reviewed papers in highly acclaimed international and national journals.

Results of a recent survey among faculty revealed that most faculty believe that international collaboration is important, necessary, and complementary to their research at IITM. To support this, there is a need to focus on flexible mobility funding to enhance and sustain collaborations, particularly with highly ranked institutes (Eg: top 25 in the QS rankings).

About the Program

The expected outcomes include tangible results in terms of large quantity of high quality research publications, solution to key national and international problems, development of niche courses, high quality text books and research monographs, imbibing of best practices from top international academicians and researchers, strong bilateral co-operation, and improved world reputation and ranking of Indian Institutions.

• Increase research collaborations
• Enhance research impact and visibility ultimately leading to improved perception
• Deepen ties with existing top ranked strategic partners
• Lead to opportunities to design joint research/educational programs

Program Objectives

• Provide a platform for long-term research engagement
• Opportunity to initiate joint guidance for Masters/Ph.D. programs
• Pioneering collaborative research leading to top quality peer-reviewed joint publications
• Knowledge exchange beyond the host institution to include additional collaborators/institutions
• Opportunity to explore bilateral regional grants

Procedure

• Identify and reach out to highly ranked universities (Eg: QS top 25) you wish to collaborate with
• Opportunity to initiate joint guidance for Masters/Ph.D. programs
• Submit your proposal
• Faculty stay for 2-3 months (ideally over the summer)
• PhD student stay for 6 -12 months

Proposal

The proposal should include the following

• Cover letter
• Proposal narrative
• Summary of the proposed research
• Detailed budget
• PhD student details
• Letter of consent from proposed collaborating faculty
• Signatures and endorsement of both IITM and collaborating faculty
• Abbreviated CVs of IITM and collaborating faculty

Selection

• Screening and evaluation
• Review and assessment by a panel of experts in the field
• Addressing of questions and concerns (if any) raised by the experts in a peer reviewed style
• Presentation to subject matter experts (by selected PIs)
• Proposed student to undergo a separate interview and assessment by an independent committee comprised of IIT Madras faculty members

Frequently Asked Questions

After the deadline, approximately how much time it takes for the grant decisions to be made?

This is dependent to some extent on the reviewers, but rest assured that for travel in Summer 2022 you will be informed such that there is sufficient time to make arrangements for travel etc.

Once the grant has been given, is it expected that the travel is carried out within a particular period of time? For example, for this current round of grant the travel needs to be carried out within 2022?

Faculty are encouraged to travel in Summer 2022 and publications + student travel should be completed by the end of the summer of 2024.

Would it be ok if I submitted two applications with separate proposals?

Yes, that would be possible where there are different collaborators/ institutes.

Could you please clarify on why this programme is called 'high risk' - and not just a mobility award? Does the research proposed have to be something on those lines? Or does the risk here refer to working with new partners?

High risk because we would like the proposals to be in really novel/high risk areas.