INDIAN COUNCIL OF MEDICAL RESEARCH

Guidelines for National Health Research Priority Projects

I. Description of National Health Research Priority Project Programme

Overview and purpose

In addition to Extra-Mural and Intra-Mural projects, a separate program to fund projects on National Health
Research Priority has been created and this will be monitored directly at the level of DG, ICMR.
National health research priorities will be identified by SAB and approved by GC. Relevant research questions will
be decided based on feedback from multiple stakeholders. Expressions of Interest (EoI) will be floated based on
priority research questions in each area.

These projects will be co-developed with participation of the applicant and ICMR. These projects will be mostly
multi-centric with commonly agreed upon protocol. For each priority area, multiple projects can be funded. The
focus will be to bring about significant and impactful improvement in the priority health challenges.

In June 2023, the Governing Council of ICMR approved the following disease conditions for the current year:
A. Communicable Diseases
1. Tuberculosis
2. Vector Borne Disease
3. AMR

B. Non-communicable Diseases
4. Cancer
5. Mental Health
6. Ambulatory care

C. Reproductive, Child health and Nutrition

7. Anaemia
8. Childhood malnutrition
9. Neonatal Mortality

D. Others
10. Acute Em. Care
11. Oral Health

*Primary Health Care has been added to the above list based on request from NITI Ayog as it is important to deliver
care for all of the above conditions.

Duration: Projects will be for a maximum period of 4 years, extendable by 1 year with due approval of competent
authority.

Funding: Upper ceiling for such projects would be Rs 25Cr for each project over the entire period of the duration.
Funding will not be more than Rs 8 Cr/site.

Who can apply

Such projects will be open for participation by ICMR as well as non-ICMR Indian scientists depending upon the
project requirements.
The EoI can be submitted through ONLINE MODE ONLY by scientists/ professionals who have regular employment
in Medical Institutes/ Research Institutes/ Universities/ Colleges/ Government and semi-government organizations and
NGOs (documentary evidence of their recognition including a DSIR certificate should be available).

On approval of a priority area, Expressions of Interest (EoI) from research groups will be invited. Scientists from
ICMR as well as from other institutes may submit their EOI. Research proposals will be developed by the selected
teams.
Depending upon the nature of the priority, projects may be multi-centric or uni- centric.

Expression of Interest
Points to be kept in mind while submitting the EoI
a) The EoI must address the specific question that is mentioned in the call text.
b) Projects with collaborative, multi-centric, interdisciplinary and innovative approaches
will be preferred.
c) Projects should focus on outcomes that are translatable into policy.
d) Foreign collaboration is not allowed under the call.

Review process:
Review mechanism will be through an Expert Committee with participation of SAB members.

The EoI documents will be evaluated and shortlisted by the ICMR. The ICMR team will screen the
applications for technical accuracy and eligibility. The shortlisted teams will then collaborate to develop a detailed
proposal, under the guidance of ICMR. The proposal will be evaluated based on factors such as proposed
methodology, feasibility, prior experience, engagement with program implementers and potential for seamless
integration in a public program.
The proposal will be reviewed by a Proposal Review Committee and will be finalized after incorporation of their
comments/feedback.

Every participating Institute must complete CODAL formalities at their end.

How to Apply: Interested parties will submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) as per the prescribed format (Annexure-
I).
II. Guidelines for Operation of Projects for Grantees

1. Expression of Interest (EOI): Interested research groups will submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) as
per the prescribed format (Annexure-I).

2. Budget
The budget is to be submitted in prescribed format- Annexure-IV
The budget would be sanctioned under broad sub-heads as under

i. Staff (Pay and allowance of the staff)

ii. Contingency (Recurring and Non-recurring)
iii. Consumables
iv. Travel (if approved)
v. Equipment (if approved)
vi. Overhead charges (Maximum 3% of Recurring Budget i.e., except Travel & Non-Recurring)

3. Declaration & Attestation to be submitted in prescribed format during initial submission of project –
Annexure – V

4. Certificate issued by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR)

a. Public funded institutions do not require DSIR certificate for applying.

b. Private academic institutions with valid UGC/AICTE/PCI or NMC approved Medical
colleges also do not require DSIR certificate for applying.
c. All other institutions must submit DSIR certificate.

5. Short listing of EOI: The EoI documents will be evaluated and shortlisted by ICMR. The ICMR team
will screen the applications for technical accuracy and eligibility. Shortlisted teams will then collaborate
to develop a detailed proposal, under the guidance of ICMR. The proposal will be evaluated based on
factors such as proposed methodology, feasibility, prior experience, engagement with program
implementers and potential for seamless integration in a public program.
The proposal will be reviewed by a Proposal Review Committee and will be finalized after
incorporation of their comments/feedback.

6. Every participating Institute must complete CODAL formalities at their end.

PIs will have to submit the following documents within 3 months of receiving the approval letter
(Annexure-VI), failing which the approval may be cancelled. It is therefore recommended that PI may
proceed to prepare the below listed documents (CODAL) to avoid non- compliance of specified submission
time duration of documents:

i. Declaration & Attestation

ii. Acceptance (with Revised Budget/Revised Proposal, as applicable)

iii. Plagiarism Undertaking for proposal

iv. The Bank & Account Details are to be submitted in prescribed format – Annexure –VIII
 v. Institutional Ethics Committee clearance (if applicable/ Declaration with reason if NA):
a. IEC clearance along with DHR registration no. for each of the participating centres/Sites
and/or
b. Institutional Animal Ethics Committee clearance (if applicable)

vi. Certificate issued by Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), as applicable.

vii. Additional documents may be asked to be submitted as per requirement of the project:
a. Case Record proforma, study instruments, questionnaires, scales, etc
b. Review Committee on Genetic Manipulation (RDNAT)- Recombinant DNA technology or
declaration that the same is not required
c. Clearance from Nuclear Medicine Committee, AERB (if using radio tagged material)
d. Institutional Bio-safety Committee (IBSC) – Recombinant or synthetic DNA/RNA/ Risk
groupI/II/III organisms and/ or other biohazards
e. If the Proposal is for a regulatory clinical trial: Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI)
Approval
f. If the proposal is for a clinical trial, regulatory or otherwise: CTRI Certificate
7. Once the project is approved by the competent authority, ICMR will inform the PI about the sanctioned
budget & duration of the project with a request to submit the Acceptance to ICMR within stipulated
date, failing which the acceptance will no longer be valid Annexure VI-a.

8. The duly signed Acceptance (in prescribed format Annexure -VII) is to be submitted to ICMR by
PI/Head of Institution accepting:

i. the Sanctioned budget and Duration of the project.

ii. to submit Annual Report along with and Statement of Expenditure and Provisional Utilization
Certificate of the project within three months of prescribed date, failing which the project is likely
to be terminated.
iii. to submit following documents within three months from the date of completion or termination of
the project:
a. the Final Report
b. a list of articles, both expendable and non-expendable
c. submit (online) all the raw data (along with descriptions) generated from the project to the
ICMR Data Repository
iv. to submit the Audited Statement of accounts duly audited by the auditors as stipulated by ICMR.
v. to acknowledge the ICMR in all publications related to the study.

9. Plagiarism:
The project proposals before submission should be subjected to plagiarism check by standard software. An
undertaking in this regard should be enclosed as per the prescribed format (Annexure-IX). Plagiarized
proposals are liable to get rejected.

10. Auditors
The ICMR would normally accept audited report from statutory auditors. The ICMR may also accept
statement of accounts audited by Chartered Accountants approved by or registered with CAG and / or
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. A copy of the resolution is to be submitted if a private firm is
engaged.

11. Release of grants

The funds will be released in one installment only in a year. The first installment is released along with the
sanction letter. It would include the entire grant for purchase of equipment’s and recurring expenditure for
the entire year. Steps to procure the approved equipment’s should be initiated immediately (to avoid
escalation of cost) following the prescribed norms of the host institution including GFR.
 For the subsequent years, the funds will be released only after receipt of the annual progress report of the
project for previous year along with Statement of Expenditure (SoE) duly attested by the Accounting
Authority of the Institute. In order to avoid break and continuity of funding, the annual report and SOE
should be submitted 3 months before the end of year. Expenditure committed for the remaining 3 months can
be included as committed expenditure in the SoE. In no case the Annual report/SoE/Provisional UC should
be submitted later than 1 month of the end of the year of project.

If the annual report and SoE is not submitted within 1 month of the end of the year, the project is likely to be
terminated.

The last year’s fund would be released only after receiving of the SoE and provisional UC for the
penultimate year. Last year’s allocation would be after adjustment of unspent balance as per the SoE & UC.
Entire fund for the last year would be released in one go with a mandatory condition that the PI would
submit final report and UC within next 3 months from the date of completion of project, failing which the
PI would be blacklisted for 3 years for the purpose of receiving of project funding from ICMR. An advisory
would also be sent to the Head of the Institute.

12. Re-appropriation of funds

Expenditure should on no account exceed the budget sanctioned for the project. For re- appropriation of
expenditure under the different sub-heads (pay & allowances, contingencies, consumables, equipments, etc.)
within the sanctioned budget and for unspent balance, a request may be sent to ICMR only where re-
appropriation is exceeding 20% of concerned subheads under sanctioned budget for the year. Within this
20%, PIs will have the liberty to re-appropriate the funds with due intimation to ICMR. However, the overall
sanctioned budget should remain the same.

13. Down gradation/Up-gradation of approved posts

For whatever reasons, if an investigator would like to downgrade or upgrade a post or convert it to an
equivalent post with another designation, the PI will have to send a request to ICMR with adequate
justification. The justification will be carefully examined by the Technical Division and if approved, Heads
of Divisions will communicate the same to the PI. However, the PIs will have to manage such re-
designations within the budget and only after appropriate approvals.

14. Date of Start

The date of initiation of the project will be the date when the PI receives the grant. This date would have to
be communicated by the host Institute to the ICMR.

15. Utilization of travel grant

The travel grant can be utilized for travel by the PI, Co-I or by Research fellow/Associates/ Project Staff
(staff) working in the project for:
a. Visiting the ICMR Hqrs Office for meeting(s) related to the project.
b. Attending a training course related to project (mainly for project staff).
c. Attending seminars/symposia/conference provided the PI himself or the Project Staff/
Fellow/Associate is presenting a research Paper (based on the project work) which has been
accepted.

d. For field work / survey in respect of project related activities

e. International travels are not permitted under this head

16. Contingency grant
This is meant for recurring as well as non-recurring expenditure. The contingency grant can be utilized
for purposes it was sanctioned by the appropriate Expert Committee like, but not limited to:
a. Acquisition of books and documents of relevance to the research topic in case these are not
available in the library, these would become the property of the Institution’s library and after
purchase and accession may be issued to the Department / Scientist till they are needed.

b. Chargesforspecializedinvestigationsforwhichfacilitiesdonotexistinthehostinstitute
c. Publication Charges/Article Processing Fees/ reprints/ off-prints of research papers published as an
outcome of the research.

d. Printing of questionnaire
e. Preparing software for data management or Apps for data entry
f. Computer utilities, charges for analysis of data(computer charges)
g. Expenses in connection with the preparation of the final report
f. POL - Taking up field work/travel connected with the research work (TA/DA would be as per the
entitlement).
h. Communication Charges
i. Grant cannot be used for purchase of furniture items/office equipment

17.1 For contingency grant exceeding Rs.25000/-per annum, detailed breakdown should be given.
All expendable and non-expendable articles acquired for work of the project should be purchased in
accordance with GFR and with the procedure in vogue in the host institutions. For permanent and
semi-permanent assets acquired solely or mainly out of the grant, a separate audited record in the form
of register in prescribed Performa enclosed shall be maintained by the Institute. The term moveable
property where the value exceeds Rs. 5000/-, separate assets registers for items costing more than Rs.
20,000/- and less than Rs. 20,000/- may be maintained.

18. Consumable items required for research work.

19. Equipment
a. The Council would provide equipment(s) for conduct of the study provided it has been approved by
the appropriate Expert Committee. There is no upper ceiling on the amount to be sanctioned for
purchase of equipment (s). This would vary on the nature, scope and need of the project.
b. For indicating Estimated cost of equipment in Budget, submit any documentary proof that shows
projected cost such as estimate from GeM/E-commerce/Company website.
c. All equipments should be purchased according to the GFR and procedures of the Institutions where
the project is to be carried out.
d. Equipment procured through the ICMR grant should bear a label “ICMR funded”.
e. On completion of the study, a list of all equipments procured from the project funds along with
their cost, date of installation and suggestions for disposal of the same should be sent to the ICMR
Hqrs. in the prescribed format as at Annexure XIV pt.18.
 Equipments costing less than Rs.1,00,000/-are generally all owed to be retained by the Institute, while
those costing more than Rs.1,00,000/-, the ICMR would decide after receiving the request/ suggestions.

20. Hiring of Project Human Resource

The ICMR shall only fund for the project positions, as enumerated in the criteria for engagement of Non-
Institutional Project Human Resource Positions, purely on temporary contractual basis, as has been
circulated by ICMR HQ, vide letter No. 16/29/2023/E. Office No.157401 dated 01.08.2023 (or as per
subsequent revisions if any in this regard). Age relaxation beyond indicated maximum age limit is not
permissible.

It may be noted that there will be no legal binding or relation of “Employee” and “Employer”, between the
project staff and the ICMR and no claim for any additional emoluments, perquisites, privileges,
continuation of project services in any other ongoing project and regularization of service against the
regular ICMR sanctioned posts, shall be entertained.

21. Annual Progress Report

a. Annual Report is to be submitted annually in the prescribed format- Annexure-X. . In order to avoid
break and continuity of funding, the Annual report and SOE should be submitted 3 months before the
end of the year. Pl refer to para 12 for more details.
b. The progress of the project would be evaluated by the ICMR either by peer review or by an Expert
Committee.
c. The project will not be renewed for the next year unless the Council receives the progress report in time.
d. A delay in receipt of the report in time for consideration by the Committee may lead to termination of
the project.
e. The PI may be asked to present the progress at the meeting of the Committee, if considered
necessary.
f. The suggestion and views of the Committee and mid-course correction, if any, would be conveyed to
the PI from time to time for effective conduct of the project.

22. Annual Financial Statement

a. Annual Statement of Account in form of SoE as per the prescribed format (Annexure-XI) duly
signed by the Accounts Officer, PI & Head of the host Institute/empanelled auditor for the project
giving the funds received and expenditure incurred upon completion of 9 months from date of start
of the project needs to be submitted by the PI as provisional UC for releasing the grant for next
year.
b. Unspent balance would be adjusted in the next year installment.
23. Final settlement of the Accounts
The final settlement of the Accounts will be done only after the receipt of the following:

a. Full and final utilization certificate – Annexure XII.

b. Full and final audited statement of expenditure – Annexure- XIII.
c. List of equipments procured from the project along with their cost, date of purchase and
 suggestions for disposal of all items purchased under equipment, in the prescribed format-
Annexure XIV pt.18.
d. The unspent balance paid by ICMR shall be refunded by the institution at the end of the project
period or as and when the investigator discontinues the project midway or does not follow the
detailed technical programme laid down and approved, as noted by the Committee.

24. Final Project Completion Report

a. At the completion of the project, the final report in the prescribed format Annexure-XIV has to be
submitted.
b. The report should be submitted not later than three months from the date of completion of the project
failing which the PI would be blacklisted for 3 years for the purpose of receiving of project funding
from ICMR. An advisory would also be sent to the Head of the Institute.

25. Extension of the project

Requests for project extension beyond approved duration would not be entertained routinely. However,
if interesting/important leads are likely to emerge that need to be followed up, then a valid justification
for an extension should be submitted by the PI three months before the expected completion of the
project along with progress report, clearly mentioning the period of extension with justification and
reasons why the project could not be completed within the stipulated sanctioned period.

It can be extended after approval of Addl. DG/DG, ICMR. It will not be necessary to send the
same to finance section if extension request is within the approved budget. A proper justification
is needed and Head of the concerned Division will have to prior-approve the request before the
final decision by Addl. DG/DG, ICMR and Finance section, if additional budget for the extended
period is necessary, the details to which are to be provided by the PI in his extension request.

26. Change of PI
a. PIs are encouraged to have a co- Principal investigator in the project.
b. In case the PI leaves the project, an eligible co-Principal investigator could be considered as the PI
subject to recommendation of the PI and the Head of the Institution. Such a request should be sent
well in advance, for approval of ICMR along with consent of the Co-PI that he agrees to carry out
the project as per terms and conditions of ICMR.
c. In case the PI is shifting to any other institution, the Co-Principal investigator could be made PI or
the project could be transferred to the Institutions with prior approval of the ICMR
d. The host institution has an important role to play in the above. The Institute/ Principal Investigator
will have to inform ICMR of any change and in consultation with ICMR, take steps to ensure
successful completion of the project before relieving the original Principal Investigator.
Approval of Addl. DG/DG, ICMR for this change is required.

27. Number of projects with the PI

Number of ongoing projects funded by ICMR in which applicant is Principal Investigator must be less
than five AND sum of grant amount of ongoing projects must be less than INR 25 crores. While
submitting an application for a research project, the PI should give in detail all the research projects
(completed, on-going). Fresh research proposal can be considered only when the on-going research
proposals are about to conclude.
 28. Intellectual Property Rights
All new intellectual property viz. patents, copyright, design, etc. generated as part of the research
supported by the ICMR would jointly belong to the Council and host institute of the PI. All raw data
(in all forms) should be made available/accessible to ICMR at the completion of the project along with
submission of the final report.

29. Overhead expenses

i. Will be restricted to maximum ceiling of 3 % of the total recurring cost (excluding Travel &
Equipment budget) of the project depending upon the type of host Institution.
ii. Overhead expenditure will not be granted on equipment and travel allowances.

30. The grant paid by the ICMR shall be refunded by the institution as and when the Investigator
discontinues a project before the end of first year or does not follow the detailed technical programme
laid down and approved, as recorded by the appropriate Expert Committee. Also, upon discontinuation,
the PI is obligated to submit the technical report along with UC/ SOE and refund of balance of funds.

31. Publication of Results/Presentation of Papers

Primary publications emanating from the project would be published whereby all site Principal
investigators, Co-Investigators, Coordinators and other Experts as decided by ICMR will be given due
credit depending upon their scientific contribution. None of the study sites will publish separate
manuscript(s) from their own site data prior to primary publications as indicated above.

i. All authors shall abide by DHR/ICMR publication policy.

ii. The note for media briefing for all DHR/ ICMR funded projects shall be shared at least 48 hours
prior to the release by all DHR/ ICMR scientists and PI s of all research projects funded by DHR/
ICMR so that the comments of DHR/ICMR, if needed, can be prepared.

32. Data sharing

As per para 9. iii (c) the PI is required to submit (online) all the raw data (along with descriptions)
generated from the project to the ICMR research Data Repository. Any sharing of data should follow
the provisions of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and relevant policies of the GoI.

33. Confidentiality

Confidentiality of ongoing research should be maintained. Results should not be disseminated in any
form without their finalization & peer review and publication.

*All Annexures included in the document are indicative and may be revised from time to time.
 Annexure-I

Format of Expression of Interest (EOI) to be submitted

A. Name of the Senior Researcher (Principal Investigator):

B. Name of the institute:

C. Address with email id and phone no. of PI:

D. Type of Organization:
Government
Private
Non-Government Organization

E. List of publications in last 7 years

In prescribed format (Annexure-II) for PI/CoPIs proposed for study should be included, where she/he was the
First/last/ corresponding author). Highlight impact of each publication e.g. inclusion in policy/protocol/programme
or being cited in patents/commercialisation of results etc.

F. List of research projects undertaken in last 5 years in prescribed format (Annexure- III)

G. Collaboration with ICMR or contribution to ICMR activities in last 5 years (maximum 250 words).

H. Rationale of proposed study including the choice of sites (states and districts) to be included where the
implementation shall be carried out.
The proposal should clearly state the rationale for the study, the recommended sites which are likely to be relatively
more vulnerable due to reasons of geography; socio-economic or cultural disadvantage; may be preferentially
included.

I. Implementation Strategy
Provide a clear and detailed description of the proposed study including details of the pathogens and
collection of samples. You should also include steps of implementation, a timeline, methods of data analysis, data
management and deliverables. PI must provide justification of the collaboration proposed in this project

J. Address feasibility and scalability

Address the feasibility of the proposed study, including availability of the resources needed for
implementation (Instrumentation, computational infrastructure etc), the capacity of the implementing organization,
and the potential for wider adoption and scale-up.

K. Research Team
Summarise and justify the composition of the proposed research team, based on the expertise of the
individual team members in designing and implementing the project. Also, highlight the skill set and expertise the
members shall bring to the research team that shall be constituted by the ICMR Hqrs for the development of final
protocol and research project implementation.

L. Any ongoing National/International collaborations relevant to the call

M. Illustrative Budget outline (additional to the 2-page limit)
The final site budgets for the proposal will be developed by the selected research team(s) under the guidance of
ICMR. In this EOI, provide an estimated budget outline (no budget justification required at this stage) under the
following headings: staff, recurring contingency, data management, travel and equipment.

N. One-page CV of the principal investigator and other key investigators (additional to the 2-page
limit) Please provide a one-page CV of the PI and other key investigators from each identified area. Each CV
should include:
• Academic and professional qualifications
• Current position and affiliation
• Up to five most relevant previous research grants
• Upto five most relevant previous publications
• Experience in undertaking projects on immunization from the public health perspective

Annexure-II
List of publication in last 7 years

Title of publication in Impact factor of Name of policy/programme/ protocol

AMA style Impact journal document or patent/commercialisation of
products where cited.

Annexure-III

List of projects in last 5 years

Short title of Primary Type of study (e.g. Sample Grant Time period
the project objective (in brief) RCT/Prevalence/Lab based) size amount
 Annexure-IV

Justification of Budget
(Staff, Equipment, Contingency/Consumables and Travel Allowance)

Staff/Manpower
Sl. No. Salary (As per ICMR Project Staff guidelines)

Justification of Staff/Manpower(each position)

Equipment
Sl. No. Equipment Estimated cost (submit any documentary proof that shows Justification Mode of proposed
Name projected cost such as estimate from GeM/E-commerce/ disposal
Company website)

Contingency
Detail Breakup with Justification
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Year 4:

Consumables
Detail Breakup with Justification
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Year 4:

Travel Allowance
Detail Justification
Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Year 4

Overhead charges(as per rules)

Year 1:
Year 2:
Year 3:
Year 4
Grand Total

__________________________ _________________ _____________________________

Signature of the Principal Investigator Accounts Officer of the Institute Signature of Head of the Institute with Stamp
with Stamp with Stamp

Date:_________________

Justification must be given in adequate detail; else the proposed budget item will be removed from the approved grant.
 Annexure-V

Ref. ICMR-Call for Application: ________________________________

Title of the project: ________________________________
Name of the PI: _________________________________
Name of the Institute: _________________________________

Declaration & Attestation

We hereby certify that:

i. We have read the terms and conditions for ICMR Research Grant. All necessary Institutional facilities will be
provided if the research project is approved for financial assistance.
ii. The equipment(s) that is being requested as part of this project is/are not available in the Institute/Department
/or these are available and are being used at full capacity (Strike off the inappropriate one)
iii. The equipment(s) requested as part of this project have not been purchased earlier from the funds provided by
ICMR for previous project(s) in the Institute.
iv. No utilization certificate (UC)/ statement of expenditure (SoE) final report is pending for earlier ICMR
project(s) under the PI and the final report(s) for earlier projects have been submitted.
v. The project has not been submitted to any funding agency or institution other than the ICMR.
vi. The PI does not have more than 5 (five) projects funded by ICMR at present as a Principal Investigator AND
sum of grant amount of ongoing projects is less than INR 25 crores.
vii. We understand that ICMR shall only fund for the project positions, as enumerated in the criteria for
engagement of Non-Institutional Project Human Resource Positions, purely on temporary contractual basis.
ICMR has apprised us of this rule and we have carefully noted it.
viii. I/We agree to submit within one month from the date of termination of the project the final report and a list of
articles, both expendable and non-expendable, left on the closure of the project.
ix. Interim report will be submitted annually so as to be reviewed by Technical advisory group for iteration and
development of iterative model as per requirements of implementation research project.
x. All the principal investigators in the NHRP project will be site Principal investigators with project coordinator
at ICMR who will work directly under DG, ICMR.
xi. Data sharing: PI is required to regularly submit (online) all the raw data (along with descriptions) generated
from the project to ICMR. Any collection, storage and sharing of data should follow the provisions of the
Digital Personal Data Protection Act 2023 and relevant policies of the GoI.
xii. Progress of the study, its implementation & collected data will be regularly monitored for quality by ICMR.
xiii. I/we will take responsibility of the authenticity of data submitted by me/ for my site. In case the progress,
implantation, data quality is not satisfactory, ICMR may terminate the project at any time.
xiv. Publication policy: Primary publications emanating from this project would be published whereby all site
Principal investigators, Co-Investigators, Coordinators and other Experts as decided by ICMR will be given
due credit depending upon their scientific contribution. None of the study sites will publish separate
manuscript(s) from their own site data prior to primary publications as indicated above.
xv. The PI and Co-investigator(s) hereby submit the ICMR Declaration of Interest form in prescribed format.
xvi. The name of the Statutory Audit Authority of our Institute is as follows:
________________________________________________________________________
 [Please attach a copy of the resolution if a private firm is engaged]
xvii. Registration/Unique ID no. assigned by NITI Ayog, GoI (on DARPAN Portal) (applicable only for NGOs):
…………………………………………………
xviii. CV of the investigator and Co-Investigators is/are attached in prescribed format.

Name Signature Date

a) Principal Investigator _________________ _______________ _______________

b) Co-Investigator(s) ________________ __________________ ________________
c) Head of the Department ________________ __________________ ________________

_____________________________
Signature of the Head of the Institution with seal

Date:
 DECLARATION OF INTEREST FORM
Self-Declaration of Financial Interest (Pl refer to the Guidance document)

Please fill in this form to fulfill the disclosure requirements mandated by the ICMR regulations on promoting
objectivity in research.

Name of the Investigator: ________________

University and Institute: ____________________
Project Title: ___________________
Call date and Type: ___________________

A. No significant financial interests affecting grants awarded by ICMR

I confirm that I, as an investigator / collaborator / subgrantee being responsible for the design, conduct or
reporting of research results of a grant awarded by ICMR, have not been affected by a financial conflict
of interest during the past 3 years.

B. Financial interests affecting grants awarded by ICMR.

I have been affected by a financial interest during the past 3 years.

(Please tick as appropriate and specify below)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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C. Please declare Yes or No

Yes No
Stocks / Shares / Stock options / Equity interests and similar values: During the past 3 years I, my
spouse, or my dependent children have held such values which, when aggregated, exceed 1,00,000 INR

Ownership interests: During the past 3 years I, my spouse, or my dependent children have held such
interests which, when aggregated, represent more than a 5% ownership interest in any single entity.

Salary / Honoraria / Fees for services / Other payments:

During the past 3 years I, my spouse, or my dependent children have received above mentioned values
which, when aggregated, exceed 20,000 INR

Patents / Copyrights / Royalties from such rights: During the past 3 years I, my spouse, or my dependent
children have received above mentioned values which, when aggregated, exceed INR 100,000

Travel reimbursements from firms and sponsored travels: During the past 3 years I, my spouse, or my
dependent children have received above Rs. 20,000
Confirmation: I confirm that I have read and understand the “ICMR guidelines for project submission”
and that I comply with it. I have completed this disclosure to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Place:_____________ __________________________
Date: ____________ Investigator’s Signature
Declaration of Interest- General Guidance

All individuals who are participating in the conduct of The Study in any capacity (e.g., Principal Investigators, Co-
Investigators, Study Coordinators, consultants, etc.) should complete a DOI Disclosure Form.

Study Duration to Which Guidance Applies: This guidance applies for the duration of The Study activity, the
preceding 3 years prior to completing the Disclosure Form, and until all major primary outcome publications are
completed.

Examples of Interest that should be Disclosed: All activities that would qualify as a duality according to the
individual’s Institution requirements should be reported to the Institution and also to The Study. In addition, regardless
of the Institution’s requirements, all relationships with commercial entities whose products/services are being
used/tested or are in direct competition with those being used/tested should be disclosed to The Study.
 Ownership of stock, equity, or other financial interest in a company/entity which has products that might be used in
or benefit from or be harmed by the results of The Study.
 Employment, office or directorship in any company/entity involved or potentially involved with The Study.
 Personal compensation from any company/entity involved or potentially involved with The Study.
 Consulting/advisory arrangements with any company/entity involved or potentially involved with The Study,
including service on:
o Data and Safety Monitoring Boards
o External Evaluation Committees
o Advisory Boards
 Involvement with grants, contracts, research, training or other support (restricted or unrestricted) from any
company/entity involved or potentially involved with The Study.
 Travel grants to attend educational symposia provided by any company/entity involved or potentially involved with
The Study. This includes serving in one of the aforementioned consulting/advisory arrangements.
 Intellectual property rights (i.e. copyright, patent, trade mark) related to the activities of The Study.
 Relationship with a company/entity that may affect academic advancement or status, such as sponsorship of an
endowed chair or establishment of a fund for use by The Study investigator.
All of the above applies to companies/entities being studied as well as those in direct competition with the
companies/entities being studied as defined above.

DOI Disclosure Procedures:

 DOI Disclosure Forms should be completed when first engaged in The Study and updated on no less than an
annual basis. New conflicts should be reported as soon as they are identified by submitting a new DOI form.
 Disqualification from participation in an activity that would potentially be affected by the DOI (e.g., authorship on
a paper or voting on any issue related to a company/entity with which they have a relationship).
 Divestiture of significant financial interests to the extent that the financial relationship falls above the stated
threshold for DOI.
 Severance of the relationships/activities that create actual or potential DOI.

DOI Violations: Violations involving DOI could lead to removal from The Study activities and include but are not
limited to:
 Failure to disclose a pertinent DOI to The Study and/or to the individual’s institution and/or its IEC (where
required by the institution).
 Unwillingness to comply with duality management specified by the individual’s institution or The Study
 Failure to comply with The Study DOI procedures.
 Annexure-VI

Communication to PI once DG approves the co-developed project

Dear Dr -------------,

This is with reference to your proposal Id “xxx-2023-xxxx”, titled “--------------------------”.

We are pleased to inform you that your project has been approved.

We would also ask you to urgently arrange for all CODAL formalities to be completed, particularly getting an Ethics
committee approval unless it is not required. If the documents pertaining to CODAL formalities are not uploaded in
ICMR-ePMS portal within the stipulated period (not later than 3 months), the approval may be cancelled.

For any clarification on the technical or budgetary comments, please contact “[email protected]”

Important Note: This is a system generated email. Please do not reply to this email.

With Regards

Program Officer
 Annexure-VI-a

Subject: Your proposal has been approved for funding-submit Acceptance.

Title of the Project: _________________

ICMR Project ID: _________________
Name of the PI: __________________
Name of the Institute: ________________
Sanctioned Budget of project: __________
Sanctioned Duration of project: _________

Dear Madam/Sir,

This is with reference to the above mentioned project submitted by you to ICMR for consideration for funding.

You have submitted all requisite documents pertaining to codal formalities.

We would like to inform you that your project has been approved by the competent authority as per the sanctioned
budget above. You are requested to complete and submit acceptance as per format attached.

The duly signed Acceptance may please be uploaded by __(date)__( not later than 7 days of this communication).

Yours sincerely

(----AO/SO—Div----)
 Annexure-VII

ACCEPTANCE

To
The Director General
Indian Council of Medical Research
New Delhi – 110029

Dear Madam/Sir,

1. We hereby accept the project entitled -------------------------- (ICMR Project ID……..) with Sanctioned budget-
----------------- and Duration of--------------years.

2. We agree to submit Annual Report along with and Statement of Expenditure and Provisional Utilization
Certificate of the project within three months of prescribed date, failing which the project is likely to be
terminated.

3. We agree to submit following documents within three months from the date of completion or termination of
the project:

a. the Final Report

b. a list of articles, both expendable and non-expendable
c. submit (online) all the raw data (along with descriptions) generated from the project to the ICMR Data
Repository

4. We agree to submit the Audited Statement of accounts duly audited by the auditors as stipulated by ICMR.

5. We agree to acknowledge the ICMR in all publications related to the study.

_________________________
Name and signatures of the PI

____________________________
Signatures and seal of Head of the Institute

Date: ________________
 Annexure-VIII

BANK & ACCOUNT DETAILS

Electronic Clearing Service (Credit Clearing) / Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) Facility for Receiving Payments

A. DETAIL OF ACCOUNT HOLDER :

1 NAME OF ACCOUNT HOLDER

2 COMPLETE CONTACT ADDRESS

3 TELEPHONE NUMBER / FAX / EMAIL

4 NAME & ADDRESS OF PROJECT INVESTIGATOR

5 TITLE OF THE PROJECT

B. BANK ACCOUNT DETAIL :

1 BANK NAME

2 BRANCH NAME WITH COMPLETE ADDRESS,

TELEPHONE NUMBER AND EMAIL

3 WHETHER THE BRANCH IS COMPUTERISED?

4 WHETHER THE BRANCH IS RTGS ENABLED? IF

YES, THEN WHAT IS THE BRANCH’S IFSC CODE

(i) IS THE BRANCH ALSO NEFT ENABLED?

(ii) TYPE OF BANK ACCOUNT ( ONLY SAVING

BANK ACCOUNT/ INTEREST-BEARING
ACCOUNT)

(iii) COMPLETE BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER (LATEST)

(iv) MICR CODE OF BANK

(v) COPY OF PFMS MAPPED VENDOR DETAILS
(FOR GOVT INSTITUTES)

I hereby declare that the particulars given above are current and complete. If the transaction is delayed or not effected
at all for reasons of incomplete or incorrect information, I would not hold the user Institution responsible.

(Signature & Seal of Project Investigator) (Signature of Accounts Officer of the Institute)

Date: ___________

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certified that the particulars furnished above are correct as per our records.

(Signature / Seal of AO of the Concerned Div, ICMR)

Date:
NOTE: Please attach a cancelled Cheque copy for purpose of verification of the concerned Bank account where
money is to be remitted
 Annexure-IX

Plagiarism Undertaking

To
The Director General
ICMR, New Delhi

Sir
I __________________________________________________________________________ hereby certify that
the research proposal titled _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________ submitted for possible funding by ICMR, New Delhi is my
original idea and has not been copied/taken verbatim from anyone or from any other sources. I further certify that
this proposal has been checked for plagiarism through a plagiarism detection tool i.e.
________________________________ and the contents are original and not copied/taken from any one or many
other sources. I also declare that there are no plagiarism charges established or pending against me in the last five
years. If the funding agency notices any plagiarism or any other discrepancies in the above proposal of mine, I
would abide by whatsoever action taken against me by ICMR, as deemed necessary.

Signature of PI with date

Name / designation
 Annexure-X

Format for Annual Progress Report

1. Project title

2. PI(name & address)

3. Co-PI(name & address)

4. Date of start

5. Duration

6. Objectives of the proposal

7. Methodology

8. Interim modification of objectives/methodology(with justifications)

9. Detail progress of the work carried out during the period

10. A summary sheet of not more than two pages under following heads(Title, Introduction, Rationale,
Objectives, Methodology, Results, Translational Potential)

11. Research work which remains to be done under the project

12. Applied value of the project

13. Any publications

14. Any patents applied for

15. If additional budget or staff is required for the remaining part of the research work, please give
justifications and details.

Date: Signature

Designation
 Annexure-XI

Format for Annual Statement of Accounts/Provisional UC

(Period ...................................................................................... )

1. Sanction Letter No. : ........................…………………………

2. Total Project Cost : Rs…………………………………………

3. Sanction/Revised Project cost (if applicable): Rs…………..................................................

4. Date of Commencement of Project : …………….................................................

5. Proposed Date of Completion : …….……………………………………...

6. Statement of Expenditure : From………….….......To.............................

S. Sanctioned Funds Expenditure Incurred Balance Remarks

No. / Heads Allocated I Year II Year III Year IV Year as on
(Date)
1. Salaries
2.
2.1. Non-recurring
(Equipments)
2.2 Recurring
(Supplies,
Materials,
Consumables,
etc.)
3. Travel
4. Overhead
Expenses
5. Interest on
Bank Deposit
Total

Committed Expenditure (3 months):

S. Heads Committed Expenditure Remarks

No.

Signature of Principal Investigator with date Signature of Accounts Officer with date

Signature and Seal of Head of the Institute

 Annexure-XII

Format for Final Utilization Certificate

1) Title of the Project

2) Name of the Institutions

3) Principal Investigator

4) ICMR letter No. and date sanctioning the project.

5) Head of account as given in the original sanction letter

Certified that out of Rs................................................of grants-in-aid sanctioned during the project period …………

in favour of ……………………..............under ICMR Letter No………....................................., a sum of

Rs......................................has been utilized for the purpose for which it was sanctioned and that the balance of

Rs.................................remaining unutilized at the end of the project which has been surrendered to ICMR (vide

cheque No........................... Dated………).

Certified that I have satisfied myself that the conditions on which grant was sanctioned have been duly fulfilled
and that I have exercised required checks to see that the money has been actually utilized for the purpose for which
it was sanctioned

i. The main accounts and other subsidiary accounts and registers (including assets registers) are maintained.

ii. There exist internal controls for safeguarding public funds/assets watching outcomes and achievements of
physical targets against the financial inputs.

iii. To the best of our knowledge and belief, no transactions have been entered that are in violation relevant
Act/Rules/standing instructions and scheme guidelines.

iv. The expenditure on various components of the scheme was in the proportions authorized as per the scheme
guidelines and terms and conditions of the grants-in-aid.

Signature of Principal Signature of Accounts Signature of Registrar/Head of the

Investigator with date Officer of the Institute Institute with date
with date
 Annexure-XIII

Format for Final Statement of Expenditure

(to accompany the Final Report)

1) Sanction letter No. :

2) Total project cost :

(Sanctioned/revised project cost, if applicable)

3) Date of commencement of project :

4) Date of completion of project :

5) Grant revised in each year(financial) :

S. Sanctioned/ Funds Expenditure Incurred Balance Remarks

No. Heads Allocated I Year II Year III Year IV Year as on
(Date)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9)
1. Salaries
2.
2.1. Non-recurring
(Equipments)
2.2 Recurring (Supplies,
Materials,
Consumables,
etc.)
3. Travel
4. Overhead
Expenses
5. Others(if any)
Total

Amount to be refunded/reimbursed (whichever is appropriate): Rs……………

Name & Signature

Principal Investigator
With date

Signature of Competent
Financial/audit authority
with date
 Annexure-XIV

Format for Final Report

1. Title of the Project:

2. Unique ID of the Project(provided by ICMR)

3. Principal Investigator and Co-Investigators

4. Implementing Institution and other collaborating Institutions

5. Date of commencement

6. Duration

7. Date of completion

8. Objectives as approved

9. Deviation made from original objectives if any, while implementing the project and reasons thereof.

10. Field/ Experimental work giving full details of summary of methods adopted.

11. Supported by necessary tables, charts, diagrams and photographs.

12. Detailed analysis of results.

13. A summary sheet of not more than two pages under following heads (Title, Introduction, Rationale,
Objectives, Methodology, Results, Translational Potential)

14. Contributions made towards increasing the state of knowledge in the subject.

15. Conclusions summarizing the achievements and indication of scope for future work.

16. Science and Technology benefits accrued:

I. List of research publications with complete details: Authors,
Title of paper, Name of Journal, Vol., page, year
II. Manpower trained in the project:
a. Research Scientists or Research Fellows
b. No. of PhDs produced
c. Other Technical Personnel trained
III. Patents taken, if any:

IV. Products developed, if any.

17. Abstract (300 words for possible publication in ICMR Bulletin).

18. a. Procurement/usage of Equipment

S. Name of Make/ Cost Date of Utilization Remarks regarding
No Equipment Model FE/ Installation rate% maintenance/breakdown

a. Suggestions for disposal of equipment.

Name and signature with date

1. 2.
(Principal Investigator) (Co-Investigator)