Guidelines for Vice Chancellor’s Merit

Scholarship Scheme for Innovation

(VCMSSI)

The NorthCap University

Gurgaon

Dated: 15th November 2022

1.0 Introduction:

The Hon’ble Governing Body of THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY (NCU) has established a fund
called Vice-Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (renamed as Vice Chancellor’s Merit Scholarship
Scheme for Innovation, VCMSSI) to promote innovative research at NCU. In essence, it is a
funding pool that can be accessed by faculty members, researchers and students within the
university to carry out proven innovative approaches to research-based problems especially when
external funding is not readily available. The purpose of the financial support through the VCMSSI
is to accelerate process of constructive research by promoting competition among different
departments and faculties and it is not intended to merely enhance publications. The research
initiatives funded through the VCMSSI should be preferably suitable for commercialization of the
resulting innovation for societal projects. The use of the VCMSSI fund is to shape meaningful
research that can potentially attract funding from the outside agencies and industries in the future.
The innovation fund would also support novel and innovative undergraduate projects that may or
may not directly yield outcomes in the form of patents or research publications.

The selection of the proposals to be funded through VCMSSI would be based on the
recommendations of a high-level review committee that will carry out a strict process of evaluation.
Thereafter, the progress of the research by the selected VCMSSI awardees would be reviewed on a
quarterly basis. The quantum of financial grant during each academic year under the VCMSSI
scheme would be up to Rs 15 lacs per department for projects led by the faculty and Rs 2 lacs per
project for student projects.

The following sections give the guidelines for funding research proposals under the VCMSSI
scheme at the NCU. It describes the details of the eligibility, application procedure, evaluation,
monitoring and submission of the completion report.
2.0 Eligibility:

All faculty members are eligible for applying for funds from the VCMSSI. However, any such
application should satisfy the following criteria:
i) The research work involved in the proposal should be innovative and challenging in the present
technological arena. The innovative nature of the proposal should be brought out by completing a
thorough literature or patent survey in the current context and writing a state-of-the art report on the
technology and also bridge the gaps in the technology that the proposed project wants to cover. ii)
The proposal for funding under this scheme is primarily a seed funding to encourage faculty
members and researchers to initiate an innovative research idea that may also attract funding from
external agencies or industries in near future. The outcome and results of the proposal in societal
projects will be encouraged and must be clearly spelt out.
iii) The funding will be initially granted for one-year extendable for another six months.
Preference will be given to new initiatives and projects.
iv) The research proposal can involve collaboration with one or more persons/departments from
NCU or any other reputed educational/research institution.
v) The fund is primarily intended to support young faculty members to carry research in the
technologically challenging areas.

3.0 Ineligible Activities:

Following activities are not eligible for funding from the
VCMSSI. i) Travel abroad/or Inside India.
ii) Funding from other external agencies (VCMSSI fund for an existing project will
stop if it subsequently gets funding from other govt. agencies).
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 iii) Construction or renovation of rooms.
iv) Purchase of furniture.
v) Purchase of PC’s, laptops, tablets or computer accessories unless they are computer
controlled instrumental set-ups.
vi) Purchase of general-purpose software like Windows, MS Office etc.
vii)Salary/remuneration/wages etc. to any member and or staff of NCU directly or indirectly.
4.0 Procedure for Application for Funding:
Any faculty member can apply for funding from the VCMSSI by filling up the Project Application
Form given in Annexure – I and submitting it to the RDIL Office. If the Project Leader wants, he
can associate other faculty members and students in the project for using their specific expertise.
The project proposal should be complete with objectives, state of art of the technology, innovative
idea behind the project and its uniqueness and usefulness, methodology, Gantt or bar chart, budget
requirement, project team and output expectations in terms of specific deliverables.
The applications from faculty will be invited twice a year while for students once a year.. The last
date for the first cycle is 31 May and second cycle is 31 October. The students are entitled to apply
for funding during the second cycle. The decision on the project funding will be made
approximately 15 days after the last date of submission of projects. The project proposal has to be
vetted by the DRC prior to submission.

5.0 Evaluation of the Project Proposal:

The project proposal will be peer reviewed by one expert from within NCU and one external expert
from IIT’s, NIT’s, National Research Laboratories or other reputed educational/research
institutions, both of whom will be decided by the Hon’ble Vice- Chancellor. The proposal along
with the comments of the two experts will be considered by a Project Evaluation Committee
(henceforth called PEC) consisting of the following:
1. Hon’ble Pro-Chancellor
2. Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor
3. Two Professors/Associate Professors from NCU
4. Concerned HOD/DOS
5. Senior Professor or a mentor
6. Dean, RDIL
The Project Leader will be asked to give a presentation on the proposal to the PEC. If the project
proposal is recommended for funding from the VCMSSI by the PEC, financial sanction of Hon’ble
GB will be taken before the project is started. The process for the cycle is presented in the flow
diagram.

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5.1 It is not mandatory for committee to sanction the proposal if it does not satisfy the criteria
mentioned in the scheme.
6.0 Duration of the Project:

The Project grant will be sanctioned for one year only. However, as a special case the project may
be extended for another year at the recommendation of the Vice Chancellor.

7.0 Monitoring and Completion of the Project:

There will be quarterly review of each sanctioned project by the PEC to monitor the progress of the
project. A Project Progress Report (given in Annexure – II) will be submitted by the Project Leader
before each such quarterly review. The Project Leader may be asked to give a quarterly presentation
on the progress of the project to the PEC. In case the project is not progressing well, the PEC can
suggest corrective actions or can recommend closure of the project in an extreme case. On
completion of the project, the Project Leader has to submit a Project Completion Report (format
given in Annexure – III) giving technical progress, specific fund utilization and future follow up
action plan. The project leader must ensure that the project work undertaken should yield some
good publications or patents. The Project Completion Report should be submitted within one month
of completion of the project to the office of Hon’ble VC.

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 Annexu r e-I

Research

PROJECT PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING FROM VC’S INNOVATION FUND

1. Title of the Project:

2. Name of Project Leader with telephone no. and email:

3. Project Team:

4. Department:

5. Subject Area:

6. Objectives of the Project: (Athulya)

7. Introduction to the problem and state of the art: (Tanish)

(Attach separate sheet if required)

8. Justification for the Project: (Athulya)

9. Expected Scientific Output/Intellectual Property

Generation/Commercialization Possibility:

10. Methodology: (Aditya)

(Attach separate sheet if required)
11. Work Plan and activity:

The work plan for various activities of the Project is presented below.
 Activity Type of activity Duration (in months)
Start-Finish
1
2
3
4
1. Gantt or Bar Chart: (Aditya)
2.
Activity/Months From
0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24

3. Existing Expertise and Facilities at NCU:

4. Budget Requirements: (Vishu)

(Rs.in lakhs)
st nd
S.No Description 1 Year 2 Year Total
A. Capital
1 Equipment
Total(A)
B. Consumable
1 Raw materials, Consumable and
chemicals
2 Manpower
3 Testing Charges
4 Contingency & Others (Repair &
Maintenance)
Total(B)
Total(A+B)

List of New Equipment’s/Software and New Common Facility

Sr. Capital Justification for Total

No. Equipment/Software Purchase (Rs.Lakhs)
 1.
2.
Total

5. Extra Manpower required, if any:

6. Details of Collaboration, if any:

FROM VC’S INNOVATION FUND

1. Title of the Project:

2. Project No.:

3. Starting Date of Project:

4. Completion Date of Project:

5. Project Leader:

6. Project Team:

7. Objectives of The Project:

8. Date of Last Review:

9. Progress Made Since Last Review:

10. Gantt or Bar Chart Of Activities

Activity/Months from
start 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
 Now

Note–Please give% completion of each activity till the reporting quarter.

EXPENDITURE AND FUND STATUS:

The following table gives the complete information regarding the funds received and
expenditures incurred:
(In Rupees)
Expenditure
(in Rs. Lakhs) Sanction Unspent
Till Last Since last
Review Review Total
Non-Recurring

Equipment

Sub-total(A)

Recurring

Rawmaterials,
Consumable&c
hemicals
Manpower

Testing Charges

Contingency&
Others(Repair)
&Maintenance)
Sub-total(B)

Total (A+B)

11. Work Planned for Next Quarter:

For official use

Recommendation of the Project Evaluation Committee:

 Hon’ble VC:

Hon’ble GB:
Annexure–III

Project Completion Report of Project with Funding from

VC’s Innovation Fund
1. Title of the Project:

2. Project No.:

3. Starting Date of Project:

4. Completion Date of Project:

5. Project Leader:

6. Project Team

7. Objectives of The Project:

8. Detailed Technical Progress Report:

9. Gantt or Bar Chart Of Activities

Activity/Months
from start 0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24

Note–Please give% completion of each activity at completion of the project.

Expenditure Incurred:
The following table gives the complete information regarding the expenditures incurred for the
project: (In Rupees)

Head Sanction Expenditure

Non-Recurring
Equipment
Sub-total(A)
Recurring
Raw materials, Consumable
& chemicals
Manpower
Testing Charges
Contingency
&Others (Repair & Maintenance)
Sub-total(B)
Total(A+B)

10. Output from the Project:

Journal Publications:
Papers in Conference Proceedings:
Papers presented in Conferences:
PatentsFiled:
Laboratory Facility Set-up:
Students trained:
Doctoral Students: M.Tech.Students:
B.Tech.Students:

11. Commercializing Possibility/Social Use:

12. Future Research Plans and Follow up Action Required:

For official use

Recommendation of the Project Evaluation Committee:

Hon’ble VC:

Approval by Hon’ble GB