India–Israel Industrial Research & Development Fund – (I4F)

The India-Israel Industrial R&D and Technological Innovation Research Fund (I⁴F) is a cooperation platform between the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the Israel Innovation Authority (IIA), Government of Israel, to promote facilitate and support joint industrial R&D projects between companies from India and Israel, which would lead to successful commercialization and benefit for both countries. CFP-7 is open to the applied R&D projects in all areas but will prioritize the areas of:

• Agriculture
• Energy
• Healthcare
• Information & Communication Technologies (ICT)
• Water

Types of Projects to be Supported

• Joint Technology Development leading to pre-commercialisation prototype development, wherever applicable
• Projects should be innovative, user-need based and market-driven, leading to new product or process and eventual commercialization
• The duration of the project is up to 24 months.
• Projects must articulate clear commercial goals and associated commercialisation strategies; Building on the principles of a truly bilateral partnership, all projects should demonstrate equivalence in effort from the Indian and Israel partners.
• Applicant already possesses basic infrastructures/testbeds, prototype and developed basic Proof of Concept (POC).

Eligibility for India–Israel Research Fund

Each proposal must include an eligible Project Lead Applicant who would be responsible for application submission and leading the project in the two countries respectively. Although it is not mandatory, projects that engage a technology developer and a technology end-user /first customer are strongly encouraged.

Before submitting the proposal, the heads of the principal entities (Project Leads) of both countries shall have completed negotiations on details including payment of contributions, roles and mutual responsibilities.

Indian Applicants

Eligible Indian applicants must be researchers or managers of companies that operate and are headquartered in India. Academic institutions, research hospitals, other R&D institutes (including not-for-profit research institutes recognized by DST/GITA) that are headquartered and operate in India are strongly encouraged to participate in the projects as co-investigators.

Specific criteria for eligible applicants are as follows:

• The Indian Project Lead (INPL) (i.e. lead company) must be a commercial company under the Indian Company Act 1956, which operates in and is headquartered in India.
• At least 51% stake of the INPL Company must be owned by Indian citizens.
• The INPL should have the required expertise and team capacity to manage the proposed project.
• Sole proprietors and partnership firms are not eligible for support under this programme
• Companies headquartered and owned outside India and their subsidiaries in India, or vice versa, are not eligible to receive funding from DST/GITA under this programme.
• INPL should lead the project from Indian side and if required bring in other Industry Partners or Academic/R&D Institutions as Sub-contractors.

Preferences will be given to:

• Indian companies having partnership with government-funded Indian academic and R&D institutions.
• Indian companies having in-house R&D Centre which is recognised by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of India.
• Companies that fall under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) category, as defined by the Government of India.

Israeli Applicants

An Israeli for profit R&D performing company, which is registered, operate in Israel as Project Lead (ISPL), responsible for the Israel application submission, leading the Israeli side of the project and communicating with the Indian Project Lead.

• The Israeli Project Lead (ISPL) ((i.e. lead company) and any other Israeli company that is signed on the Cooperation and Project and Funding Agreement are subjected to the Israeli Research and Development Law (1984) and to the Israel Innovation Authority Board Guideline number 1.

Important Notes (this section will go below the eligibility)

• Collaborations must be business-led from both sides.

Sub-contractors (i.e. universities,research institutions) are eligible to participate as Sub-contractors or as part of bi-lateral Indo-Israeli consortium as long as they have background IP that will be used in the joint project or if they get ownership on the new developed Product

Apply Online for India-Israel research fund:

Apply for Funding

Closing Date   03-May-2021 18:30 Hrs.

More Information: GITA