The funds may only be used for activities that directly support the collaborative research project outlined in the application, such as:

• additional research and technical staff specifically employed for carrying out grant activities,
• essential travel between India and Australia for pursuing the collaborative activities outlined in the grant application (travel costs and allowances should be in line with Australian Taxation Office guidelines 
• essential services, consumables and specialised research equipment for conducting the stated activities. 
• other costs essential for completing the project within the grant period.

Applicants are required to submit an itemised budget which will be reviewed by the Selection Panel alongside the description of the proposed grant activities.

A Progress Report with an itemised expenditure statement is required by 8 September 2023.

A Final Activity Report with full itemised expenditure statement is required by 15 December 2023.

Funds unexpended by 8 December 2023 must be reimbursed by 15 December 2023.

Grant funding cannot be used for teaching relief, production of teaching material, student fees, top-up of existing researcher salaries, publication costs of completed research, professional memberships, entertainment, conference fees, office equipment and supplies.

Applications must be made by an Eligible Principal Investigator who meets the following criteria:

• an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia.
• a researcher employed in an academic (teaching/research) position at an onshore campus of an Australian university, and who undertakes research in one of the four priority research fields.
• an individual or member of a research group who is:

• undertaking existing funded research collaboration in India with an Indian Co-Investigator,
• expanding the scope of their existing funded research to include collaboration with an Indian Co-Investigator, or
• initiating new collaborative research with an Indian Co-Investigator

Note: Existing research collaboration may include projects that have been completed within the past 5 years. This offers an opportunity for researchers to enhance completed research through the addition of a complementary research component in collaboration with Indian research partners.

Ineligible to apply as Principal Investigator:

• Researchers holding adjunct or honorary appointments at Australian universities
• Indian citizens on temporary work or activity visas taking part in research at Australian universities.

The Principal Investigator must nominate a minimum of one, and no more than three, Indian Co-Investigator/s.

The Indian Co-Investigator must be employed at an Indian higher education institution, Indian research institution or India-based industry.

They may be a member of the Principal Investigator’s existing research collaboration project or a new research collaboration partner.

Grantees are required to submit a Progress Report of grant activities by 8 September 2023.

Grantees must submit a Final Activity Report by 15 December 2023.

The Progress Report and Final Activity Report should each include: 

• Collaborative activities undertaken
• Research progress
• Significant technical outcomes
• Significant collaborator/relationship outcomes
• Significant publications submitted/accepted/published
• Research collaboration group workshop on the research grant activity
• A reflection on the engagement, impact and value of the grant activities for research collaboration with India
• An itemised expenditure statement following the original budget along with appropriate justification.

Grant activities should deliver tangible outputs that enhance research collaboration between Australia and India and add value to the ongoing bilateral research collaboration in the four fields. For example:

• New, expanded or open access data sets
• Application of novel methodologies or techniques
• Wider geographical scope of the research
• Research commercialisation potential, such as patents
• Significant publications submitted/accepted/published
• Activities promoting outputs to relevant stakeholders
• Other measurable impacts and engagement activities.

Existing research collaboration can include ongoing projects or those that have been completed within the last 5 years.

The four research fields were identified as mutual priorities during the fifth Australia-India Education Council (AIEC) meeting in 2019, when the education ministers of both countries agreed to deepen research collaboration to strengthen the bilateral Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The four themes are also the focus of a complementary set of research collaboration workshops being delivered by the AII, with the support of the Australian Government Department of Education.

The broad design of the themes aims to encompass the interdisciplinary scope and diverse range of research collaborations.

The program will award three grants per research theme. Therefore, we ask that you select the research priority theme that is most relevant to your application.  

This field offers wide scope for innovative collaborative interdisciplinary research and translation that addresses shared interests and concerns of Australia and India. Both countries have made significant advances in different aspects of digital and AI technologies. The rapid expansion of information and communication technologies (ICT), digital datasets and innovations in machine learning have opened new areas of research at the intersection of computing, humanities, and social sciences. Digital humanities encompass both the use of tools and methods of these technologies to understand changing relationships between humans and machines, and how these are deployed in creating new forms of digital economies, societies, and cultures. The increasing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is transforming the meanings of learning, work, well-being, social interaction, safety, geopolitics, and the environment. 

There can be only one Australian Principal Investigator submitting the application. There may be other Australia-based researchers who may form part of the PI's research team. You can include details of your team members and how they will be involved in the project in your application. 

The Grants are designed for mid-career and senior researchers at Australian universities. 

The funding will be awarded to the Principal Investigator’s home institution. Your proposed budget should indicate how the funds will be used to pursue the collaborative project with your Indian Co-Investigator. Examples of eligible and ineligible uses of grant spending are provided in the Guidelines. Your home institution is responsible for the transfer of any funds to the institution/organisation of your Indian Co-Investigator. 

The Principal Investigator needs to be employed at an Australian higher education institution. While you would not be eligible to be the PI, you could be part of an eligible PI’s research team. 

The purpose of the Grants is to boost and deepen research collaborations between Australia and India and, as such, the Grants target Australian Citizens and Permanent Residents working as academic research/teaching staff at Australian university campuses based in Australia.  While researchers on temporary work visas employed at Australian universities are ineligible to apply for this grant, they may be included in grant proposals as members of the research team led by an Australian Principal Investigator and Indian Co-Investigator.

A Principal Investigator may submit multiple grant applications as long as each application is for a different research project. However, it is important to note that each grant application will be assessed independently on its own merit. It is recommended that each application be carefully reviewed and refined to ensure that it meets the eligibility criteria and funding requirements.

The aim of collaborating with industries is to leverage their expertise and resources to achieve better research outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to have an industry co-investigator that aligns with the research goals and objectives.

Yes, researchers from public or private Indian higher education institutions or research institutions are eligible as Indian Co-Investigators.

No, independent consultants who are not employed by the collaborating organisations cannot be considered eligible for the position of Co-Investigator. The Indian Co-Investigators must be employed by an Indian institution or industry that has a direct connection to the research being conducted. This means that the co-investigator should have an active role in the organisation and be involved in its day-to-day operations. 

Yes, an Indian Co-Investigator can be from an NGO, as long as the NGO is directly relevant to the research being conducted. 

Yes, an Australian citizen working in India can be eligible to be a Co-Investigator, as long as they meet the program's eligibility criteria and have legally-recognised residency status in India. 

For the purposes of this program, evidence of research collaboration is based on existing grant or funded projects, not through journals/paper writing or joint presentations. Therefore, you would need to apply under the seed funding category.  

If you have a research collaboration with an Indian university that is not currently funded or funded within the last five years, then you can apply for seed funding to support the collaboration. 

Yes, if your proposed collaborative project builds or expands on the existing co-supervisory work undertaken by yourself and your Indian counterpart. 

The ownership of the intellectual property of the research is governed by the Principal Investigator’s home institution’s policies. The Australia India Institute and the Department of Education are facilitating the grantee’s proposed research activity. The grantee will be required to acknowledge the support of the Australia India Institute and the Department of Education in any publications or presentations resulting from the grant activities. Please refer to the ‘acknowledgements’ section of the Terms & Conditions. 

Research activities undertaken during the grant period are intended to further, deepen, and strengthen research collaborations between Australian and Indian researchers. Grantees will be encouraged to publish work resulting from their grant project, including publications, reports, and short communications on the ARCH India platform and the Australia India Institute website.

The Selection Panel membership comprises of 12 prominent academics and researchers from universities and higher education institutions in Australia and India. A selection Panel has been established for each of the four research priority fields. Each panel includes an Australian Chair who has appointed two other members - senior researchers from Australia or India - with expertise in the relevant research area. 

Selection Panels for each of the four research fields will assess applications and supporting documents and recommend grantees to the Australia India Institute. 

In assessing applications, the Selection Panels will consider the following:

• • Alignment with project aims:
    • Potential to boost and deepen collaborative research in the identified fields
    • Potential to expand and deepen connections between Australian researchers and Indian researchers and industry
    • Potential to strengthen institutional linkages between Australia and India.
  • Strength of the proposal in alignment with the identified research fields, innovative ideas, research plan, and methods
  • Scope of the research collaboration between Australia and India
  • Realistic budget and timeframe for completing activities within the grant period which ends on 8 December 2023
  • Outcomes and impacts of research and strengthening of collaboration.

The maximum total amount of the Grant is $30,000 and is inclusive of any GST payable and indirect costs associated with grant administration by the home institution.

The requested amount will be paid into the bank account of the grantee’s home institution in two instalments. 

• First instalment of up to $20,000 will be paid on the Australia India Institute's acceptance of the signed agreement documents and an invoice from the grantee’s home institution. Documents are to be submitted to the Australia India Institute by 8 June 2023.
• Second instalment of up to $10,000 will be paid on the Australia India Institute's acceptance of the grant activity progress report, expenditure statement, and second invoice from the grantee’s home institution. Documents are to be submitted to the Australia India Institute by 8 September 2023.