Research funding

Research funding
• Research funding is defined as a grant obtained for
conducting scientific research generally through a
competitive process.
• Research funding is an essential part of conducting
research.
• To apply for grants and securing research funding is an
essential part of conducting research
• To be able to secure a research grant is a matter of
prestige for a researcher and it also helps in the
advancement of career.
Why Do We Need the Funds for Research?
• It is possible to publish papers without any external funding;
observational research and experimental research with small
sample size can be conducted without external funding and
can result in meaningful papers like case reports, case series,
observational study, or small experimental study.
• However, when studies like multi-centric studies, randomized
controlled trial, experimental study or observational study
with large sample size are envisaged, it may not be possible
to conduct the study within the resources of department or
institution and a source of external funding is required.
 Basic Requirements for Research Funding

• The most important requirement is having an interest in

the particular subject, thorough knowledge of the
subject, and finding out the gap in the knowledge.
• The second requirement is to know whether your
research can be completed with internal resources or
requires external funding.
• The next step is finding out the funding agencies which
provide funds for your subject, preparing research grant
and submitting the research grant on time.
What Are the Sources of Research Funding? 

• Many local, national, and international funding

bodies can provide grants necessary for research.
• However, the priorities for different funding
agencies on type of research may vary and this
needs to be kept in mind while planning a grant
proposal.
• Apart from this, different funding agencies have
different timelines for proposal submission and
limitation on funds.
 Application for the Research Grant
• Applying for a research grant is a time-consuming but rewarding task.
• It not only provides an opportunity for designing a good study but also allows
one to understand the administrative aspect of conducting research.
• In a publication, the peer review is done after the paper is submitted but in a
research grant, peer review is done at the time of proposal, which helps the
researcher to improve his study design even if the grant proposal is not
successful.
• Funds which are available for research is generally limited; resulting in reviewing
of a research grant on its merit by peer group before the proposal is approved.
• It is important to be on the lookout for call for proposal and deadlines for various
grants.
• Ideally, the draft research proposal should be ready much before the call for
proposal and every step should be meticulously planned to avoid rush just
before the deadline.
 steps of applying for a research grant
• Idea:
– The most important aspect of research is the idea.
After having the idea in mind, it is important to
refine your idea by going through literature and
finding out what has already been done in the
subject and what are the gaps in the research.
– FINER framework should be used while framing
research questions.
– FINER stands for feasibility, interesting, novel,
ethical, and relevant
• Designing the study:
– Well-designed study is the first step of a well-executed research
project. It is difficult to correct flawed study design when the
project is advanced, hence it should be planned well and
discussed with co-workers. The help of an expert epidemiologist
can be sought while designing the study
• Collaboration:
– The facility to conduct the study within the department is often
limited. Inter-departmental and inter-institutional collaboration
is the key to perform good research.
– The quality of project improves by having a subject expert
onboard and it also makes acceptance of grant easier.
– The availability of the facility for conduct of research in
department and institution should be ascertained before
planning the project
• Scientific and ethical committee approval:
– Most of the research grants require the project to be
approved by the institutional ethical committee (IEC) before
the project is submitted.
– IEC meeting usually happens once in a quarter; hence pre-
planning the project is essential.
– Some institutes also conduct scientific committee meeting
before the proposal can be submitted for funding.
– A project/study which is unscientific is not ethical, therefore
it is a must that a research proposal should pass both the
committees’ scrutiny
• Writing research grant:
– Writing a good research grant decides whether research
funding can be secured or not.
How to write a research grant proposal
• Identifying the idea and designing the study. Study design
should include details about type of study, methodology,
sampling, blinding, inclusion and exclusion criteria, outcome
measurements, and statistical analysis
• Identifying the prospective grants—the timing of
application, specific requirements of grant and budget
available in the grant
• Discussing with collaborators (co-investigators) about the
requirement of consumables and equipment
• Preparing a budget proposal—the two most important part
of any research proposal is methodology and budget
proposal.
• Preparing a specific proposal as outlined in the grant document.
This should contain details about the study including brief review of
literature, why do you want to conduct this study, and what are the
implications of the study, budget requirement, and timeline of the
study
• A timeline or Gantt chart should always accompany any research
proposal. This gives an idea about the major milestones of the
project and how the project will be executed
• The researcher should also be ready for revising the grant proposal.
After going through the initial proposal, committee members may
suggest some changes in methodology and budgetary outlay
• The committee which scrutinizes grant proposal may be composed
of varied specialities. Hence, proposal should be written in a
language which even layman can understand. It is also a good idea
to get the proposal peer reviewed before submission.
 Budgeting for the Research Grant
• Purchase of equipment which is not available in an
institution (some funding bodies do not allow equipment to
be procured out of research funds). The equipment once
procured out of any research fund is owned by the
institute/department
• Consumables required for the conduct of research
(consumables like medicines for the conduct of the
investigator-initiated trials and laboratory consumables)
• The hiring of trained personnel—research assistant, data
entry operator for smooth conduct of research. The
remuneration details of trained personnel can be obtained
from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) website
and the same can be used while planning the budget
• Stationary—for the printing of forms and similar expense
• Travel expense—If the researcher has to travel to present
his finding or for some other reason necessary for the
conduct of research, travel grant can be part of the
research grant
• Publication expense: Some research bodies provide
publication expense which can help the author make his
findings open access which allows wider visibility to
research
• Contingency: Miscellaneous expenditure during the
conduct of research can be included in this head
• Miscellaneous expenses may include expense toward
auditing the fund account, and other essential expenses
which may be included in this head.
• Once the research funding is granted. The fund allotted
has to be expended as planned under budgetary planning.
• Transparency, integrity, fairness, and competition are the
cornerstones of public procurement and should be
remembered while spending grant money.
• The hiring of trained staff on contract is also based on
similar principles 
• During the conduct of the study, many of grant guidelines
mandate quarterly or half-yearly progress report of the
project.
• This includes expense on budgetary layout and scientific
progress of the project.
• These reports should be prepared and sent on time.
 Completion of a Research Project

• Once the research project is completed, the

completion report has to be sent to the funding
agency.
• Most funding agencies also require period progress
report and project should ideally progress as per
Gantt chart.
• The completion report has two parts. The first part
includes a scientific report which is like writing a
research paper and should include all subheads
(Review of literature, material and methods, results,
conclusion including implications of research).
• The second part is an expense report including how
money was spent, was it according to budgetary layout
or there was any deviation, and reasons for the
deviation.
• Any unutilized fund has to be returned to the funding
agency. Ideally, the allotted fund should be post
audited by a professional (chartered accountant) and
an audit report along with original bills of expenditure
should be preserved for future use in case of any
discrepancy.
• This is an essential part of any funded project that
prevents the researcher from getting embroiled in any
accusations of impropriety.
 RESEARCH FUNDING SCHEME(UGC)
• The aim of research-funding programs of UGC is to
inculcate culture of research development and
innovation (RDI),
• enhance the competitive research capabilities of
faculties and higher education institutions, link
teaching-learning to RDI,
• promote university-industry relationships and
support generation of relevant knowledge and
technology for socio-economic development of the
country.
• University Grants Commission is currently providing
financial support to higher education institutions,
faculties and students for the following programs:
A. RESEARCH GRANTS
1. Institutional/Collaborative Research Grant
2. Faculty Research Grant
3. Small Research Development and Innovation Grant
B. FELLOWSHIPS AND PARTIAL SUPPORT
1. Ph.D. Fellowship
2. M.Phil. Fellowship
3. Partial support for Ph.D./M.Phil. Thesis
4. Partial support for Master's thesis in technical area
C. SUPPORT FOR RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE
1. Support for strengthening laboratory
2. Support for Library strengthening and networking
3. Support establishing Research Management Cell (RMC)
D. SUPPORT FOR TRAINING ACTIVITIES
1. Support for organizing national/international
conference
2. Support for Training/Workshop/Seminar
3. Travel grants
E. SUPPORT FOR PUBLICATION
1. Financial support for publishing research paper
2. Financial support for publishing scholarly journal
 NEPAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (NAST)
Science & Technology for National Development

• PhD Fellowship :
This fellowship is honored to Nepali students who have been doing their researches in S&T fields.
Rewarding of this fellowship is based on the evaluation carried out every year and can be
awarded up to 3 years period. This is given to those individuals who have registered their name
for PhD in University of Nepal. 
 
• Research Grant :
NAST gives research grants annually to Nepali professionals to encourage scientific research
activities in the country. The program gives priority to need based research utilizing local
resources.
 
• Research Assistantship:
This assistantship is rewarded to the fresh M.Sc. graduates (M.Sc. completion date should be less
than three year) with keen interest in S&T researches. This is awarded every year and the
internship will be provided one year at the most.
 
• M.Sc. Dissertation Grants :
NAST also provides financial assistance every year to the M.Sc. Students on their dissertation.