The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was established by an Act of Parliament in the year 1987, with a view to promote proper planning and coordinated development of technical education system throughout the country. The Council has been performing its regulatory, planning and promotional functions through its Bureaus, namely: Administration; Finance; Planning and Coordination; Under Graduate Studies; Post Graduate Education and Research; Faculty Development; Quality Assurance; and Research and Institutional Development Bureaus; and through its Regional Offices located in various parts of the country.
II. Name of scheme(s)
A. Research & Institutional Development Schemes
Modernization & Removal of Obsolescence Scheme (MODROBS)
Research Promotion Schemes (RPS)
Industry-Institute Interaction Schemes
Industry Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC)
Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDC)
National Facilities in Engineering & Technology with Industrial Collaboration (NAFETIC)
Nationally Coordinated Project (NCP)
Modernisation and Removal of Obsolescence (MODROBS)
Objective(s)
To equip technical institutions with modern infra-structural facilities in laboratory(s)/workshop(s)/computing facilities to enhance functional efficiency for teaching, training and research purposes. Creation of new laboratories is not envisaged. Maximum Funding is Rs. 15 lakhs with 2 years duration.
The aims are contemporary Lab Work, relevant project work, indirect benefits to faculty/students of the institution through training programmes and consultancy work.
Research Promotion Schemes(RPS)
Objective(s)
RPS aims to create research ambience by promoting research in technical disciplines and innovations in established and emerging technologies; and to generate Masters and Doctoral degree candidates. The three research avenues within RPS are the following:
proof of Concept work - Independent research activity which can lead to growth of knowledge/process in an area, which can grow into a major project. Funding for such projects would be limited to a one time grant of Rs. 5-10 lakhs.
capacity Building for research – A young faculty (30 years limit) with grant of Rs. 10-12 lakhs, is encouraged to carry out research at Doctoral level in a reputed institution. The funding can be used for both drawing of salary during leave without pay condition and towards purchase of equipment to carry out research in a Novel area.
patentable technology development by a group of faculty members, having proven tract record, who aim at developing new research facilities, at the parent institution, being motivated chiefly by high-end output such as patentable technologies. Funding to such projects would be limited to a one time grant of Rs. 20 lakhs.
Industry Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC)
Objective(s)
To establish institute-industry liaison by encouraging: (1) conduct of industrial training programmes (2) facilitating exchange of resource personnel (3) carry out industrial R&D (4) conduct of industrial visits (5) developing appropriate curricula and (6) undertake consultancy services, etc.
Entrepreneurship Development Cells (EDC)
Objective(s)
To encourage students to consider self-employment as a career option and provide training in entrepreneurship.
National Facilities in Engineering & Technology with Industrial Collaboration (NAFETIC)
Objective(s)
To establish national level facilities in the frontier areas of Engineering & Technology through collaboration between industry(s) and institutions for product development, basic research, trouble shooting, consultancy, testing & training purposes.
Nationally Coordinated Project (NCP)
Objective(s)
To plan, coordinate & execute integrated R&D programmes at national level by a group of institutions. The technical/ financial/ administrative deliverables are to be spelled out clearly by the networking institutions with the lead institution being an IIT/IISc/IIM/NIT.
III. Who can submit a proposal
The Council invites fresh proposals annually from AICTE approved technical institutions: University Departments, Government Institutions, Grant-in-aid Institutions and Accredited Institutions in the private sector for financial assistance for schemes operated by the RID Bureau. For five year old institutions in J&K State and North-Eastern States, accreditation criterion is not mandatory.
Centrally funded Institutes such as IITs, IISc, IIM’s, NIT’s are not eligible for these schemes as they are directly funded by Ministry of Human Resource Development, New Delhi.
Centrally funded Institutions may apply, however, only for the Nationally Coordinated Project (NCP) Scheme.
Professional Bodies/Societies; Industrial Units/Houses; NGO’s; Institutions/Departments not approved by AICTE and Non-accredited departments of Self-financing Institutions are NOT ELIGIBLE to apply for RID Bureau Schemes. (This restriction is not applicable to five years old Institutions located in J&K State and the North-Eastern States).
IV. When and how to submit a proposal
As described under III above.
V. Areas of research support
Engineering and Technology
Architecture
Town Planning
Management
Pharmacy
Hotel Management and Catering Technology
Applied Arts and Crafts etc.
VI. Components of grant
Each scheme has a different system/level of funding. The details may be seen from the website:
VII. Items not allowed out of grant
The details may be seen from the website:
VIII. Mechanism of implementation and monitoring
After an initial scrutiny at the Bureau level, proposals are screened by experts on the subject, and if recommended, the concerned Principal Investigator/Coordinator of the Project is invited for presentation of the project proposal before an Expert Committee. Projects recommended by the
Expert Committee are placed before the Board of Research of Institutional Development.
With a view to ensure effective implementation of these schemes, AICTE has set-up an Advisory Board, namely Board of Research & Institutional Development comprising of eminent scientists, engineers, technologists, academicians and industrialists.
