GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL

Department of Science & Technology and Biotechnology

No. 854 /STBT-11012(99)/11/2024 Date: 28.08.2024

NOTIFICATION

GUIDELINES FOR R&D PROJECT PROPOSALS (2024-25)

The guidelines for Research & Development (R&D) Project Proposals for FY (2024-25)
comprising of following five (5) parts are notified hereunder:

A. General Guidelines including Terms & Conditions

B. Appendix-I : Application Format for Project Particulars & Annexures
C. Appendix-II : Application Format for Plagiarism Checking
D. Appendix-III : Standard Forms for Progress Report, UC and Audited SoE.
E. Appendix-IV : Standard Form for MoU of IPR

GENERAL GUIDELINES INCLUDING TERMS & CONDITIONS

1. Department of Science & Technology and Biotechnology, Government of West

Bengal (DSTBT, GoWB) invites online applications for grant of financial assistance
for Research & Development (R&D) projects as per extant Financial Rules of the
Government of West Bengal.
2. The online application, complete in all respect, should be made through
VIGYANSATHI PORTAL (VSP) of the department by interested Principal
Investigators (PIs) affiliated or attached or working in government/ government-
aided/ private universities or colleges or research and academic/social institutions of
repute or other scientific research organisations etc. located within the state.
Additionally, proposals coming from Idea Clinics, regularly held by West Bengal
State Council of Science & Technology (WBSCST) may also be considered by the
department through evaluation by the respective Expert Committee. The prescribed
formats and guidelines are available on the website https://dstbt.bangla.gov.in and
online portal https://dstbt.bangla.gov.in/vigyansathi.
3. Priority will be given to R&D project proposals having far reaching translational,
social or economic impact which are positive in nature that lead to deliverables which
have real life applications and result in solutions of societal and environmental
problems. Project proposals that are inherently follow-up applications arising out of a
completed R&D project which was sponsored earlier by this department and which
has resulted in proven technologies/ deliverables may also be considered for support.
4. Nature of projects supported under the scheme: The scheme shall provide
financial assistance to develop and support, inter alia, following types of projects :
a. Emerging & challenging domains: R&D projects in emerging & challenging
areas of science, technology & engineering, with focus on technology
development, which can contribute to development in the state, and
improvement in quality of life, enhance livelihood and improve environment.
b. Joint/Collaborative programme with other organisations: Specific
collaborative, multi-disciplinary project proposals involving partnership/

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 cooperation among various central and state institutions, universities, etc. with
a location-based approach to regional/ rural development resulting in scientific
interventions which are translational and could be demonstrated/ adopted to
significantly improve the socio-economic-environmental challenges.
c. Studies, Surveys and Documentation related to Science & Technology: Basic
and applied scientific research oriented studies/survey/documentation or other
projects, that may, inter alia, include techno-economic analysis, simulation,
modelling, analysis etc. or developing state S&T database etc., and which may
lead to modification of policy, specific status reports to aid in policy and/or
planning in general or for the state in particular, etc. Such proposals will also
be examined by the concerned expert committee or by in-house scientists of
the Department/ Council as required.
d. Lab to land or pilot scale demonstration projects: Lab to land and/or Pilot
demonstration projects, including field trials etc. based on models/
technologies developed by any academic institution/S&T agency/ laboratories/
individuals etc., which could be suitably applied/ adopted/ scaled up to
overcome problems faced by the society.
e. Solutions of Problems of different line departments and industries: Applied
scientific research and development to cater to the needs of, and for solving
problems, and address requirements of various departments of the state
government as well as private industries and other stake holders.
5. Instruction for formulating project proposals:
a. For New Proposals:
i. Normally online applications from government/ government-aided/
private/ other R&D and academic/social institutions/ organizations,
universities and colleges etc. located within the state and focussing on
science & technology (S&T) based research will be considered.
ii. Preference shall be given to innovative proposals and multi-
institutional and multi-disciplinary projects with specific applications
with translational focus on fulfilment of socio-economic objectives and
need of the state/ its people. The proposals should have real life
applications and result in solutions of societal and environmental
problems.
iii. The department encourages proposals which include solving problems
of various line departments as well as industries and other stakeholders
that are identified through consultative approach. Submitted proposals
may be further improved through discussion, expert advice, etc., if
needed.
iv. Fresh proposals that have not been submitted elsewhere for grant
support will only be considered and the fact of non-submission must be
explicitly mentioned at the time of submission of the project.
v. Project proposals submitted in the department and rejected earlier
should not be resubmitted in any form.
vi. The time frame for delivering the specified outputs in conformity with
the objective(s) of the R&D proposal, should be limited to thirty six
(36) months.
vii. The project proposal must be submitted strictly as per the enclosed
format in Appendix I and Appendix II.

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 viii. All kinds of technology sources, references to publications,
annotations, etc. are to be clearly mentioned in the project proposal.
b. For follow-up applications proposing next phase of a completed R&D
project sponsored by this department :
i. Follow-up applications proposing next phase of a completed R&D
project sponsored by this department, and which had resulted in proven
technologies/ deliverables, value-addition or process re-engineering
may be submitted online as for new projects by the government/
government-aided/ other R&D and academic institutions/
organizations, universities and colleges etc. located within the state.
ii. The time frame for delivering the specified outputs in conformity with
the objective(s) of the next phase of the R&D proposal should be
limited to thirty six (36) months and the project proposal must be
submitted strictly as per the enclosed format in Appendix I and
Appendix II.
iii. All kinds of technology sources, references to publications,
annotations, etc. are to be clearly mentioned in the project proposal.
iv. The Project Completion Certificate (PCC) issued by the Department
on satisfaction regarding the deliverables and confirmation of financial
and non-financial compliances consequent to mandatory “Completion
Form” must also be submitted through Vigyansathi Portal.
6. Broad category of eligible subject areas: Project proposals are invited for the
following broad domains, preferably having definite translational value and
possessing potential to contribute to the socio-economic development of the state or
any identified location within the state :
a. Physical Sciences;
b. Chemical Sciences;
c. Biological sciences and Biotechnology;
d. Engineering Sciences & Technology;
e. Mathematical Sciences & Computer Science (Including AI, ML) and IT;
f. Material Sciences & Nanotechnology;
g. Physiology and Medical Sciences including Public Health;
h. AYUSH and Medicinal Plants;
i. Agriculture and Horticulture;
j. Veterinary and Fishery Sciences;
k. Environment, Ecology and Disaster Management;
l. Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean, Planetary Sciences & Water Resources, and,
m. Traditional & Indigenous Knowledge.
7. There shall be Departmental R&D Expert Committees for each of the aforementioned
domains to examine project proposals and make suitable recommendations regarding
acceptability of the said proposals. There shall be a secretary as well as a Convener
Secretary for the committee. Recommendation of a project by any Expert Committee
does not automatically entitle a project for grant funds. The final administrative
approval and financial sanction shall be given by the departmental authority, whose
decision regarding accepting a project proposal shall be final.
8. A brief outline of the project including the expected outcome of the project submitted
by the PI will be uploaded on the website of the DSTBT after sanction of the project.

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 Similarly, a brief summary of the outcomes of the project will be uploaded on the
website of the DSTBT after completion of the project.
9. Mode of application:
a. All project applications will have to be made online through VIGYANSATHI
PORTAL (VSP) (https://dstbt.bangla.gov.in/vigyansathi/) and the process/
procedure for the same is available at the portal.
b. Appendix-I and Appendix-II of the Application Format duly filled in should
be uploaded separately at Vigyanathi Portal (VSP). Otherwise the application
will be considered incomplete.
c. One time Registration of PI (Principal Investigator) and Co-PI on the
VIGYANSATHI PORTAL (VSP) is mandatory. (Those who have already
registered in Vigyansathi portal for any project is not required to register
again). Therefore the registration ID, details, password etc. are to be kept for
future reference.
10. For the purposes of these guidelines, unless otherwise stated,
a. Sponsoring Agency (Sanctioning Authority) will mean the Department of
Science & Technology and Biotechnology (DSTBT), Government of West
Bengal.
b. Implementing Agency (Grantee Institution) shall mean any of the said
government/government-aided/private R&D and academic institutions/
organizations, universities and colleges etc. located within the state which has
been sanctioned grant for implementation of a R&D project.
11. General Terms and Conditions :
a. Project proposals received online will be initially screened based on terms and
conditions provided in these guidelines.
b. The otherwise eligible proposals will be considered for similarity (plagiarism)
checking by the Convener Secretary of the respective Departmental R&D
Expert Committee for short-listing for placement before the concerned
Departmental R&D Expert Committee. It may be mentioned that the
department notifies guidelines in connection with anti-plagiarism interventions
from time to time (the extant guidelines for similarity (plagiarism) checking
are enclosed) and these are applicable for all project proposals, new as well as
follow up ones. The PI is mandatorily required to declare that the project
proposal (during submission time) is original and not a plagiarized one in the
prescribed format as per Annexure-II of Appendix-I of the guidelines. The
information (technical details) necessary for plagiarism check should be
submitted as per Appendix-II of these guidelines (in an editable pdf format).
c. Subsequently, the PIs of the short-listed proposals will be required to make
detailed presentations of project proposals before the Departmental R&D
Expert Committee when advised by the concerned Convener. The Department/
Expert Committee may seek any external expert opinion on the merit of the
project at any stage, if deemed necessary.
d. Normally research project proposals pertaining to Translation and Applicable
focussed areas on the state of West Bengal shall be taken up.
e. It is expected that normally the Principal Investigator (PI) would be attached
to an organization/ institution. However, depending on merit of the project,
projects submitted by PIs not affiliated or attached or formally working in any
institutions may also be considered. However, in such cases the proposal

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 should have a Co – PI who must be affiliated or attached or working in any
government/ government-aided/ private universities or colleges or research
and academic institutions of repute or scientific organisations, etc. located
within the state. In such a case, the Co – PI’s institution shall be deemed to be
the Implementing Agency (Grantee Institution) for the project.
f. Co-PI(s) can be from the same institution as the PI or from any other
institution(s). An individual cannot be PI for more than one project (including
all subject areas as mentioned above) and cannot act as Co-PI in more than
two ongoing projects.
g. All funds will be disbursed to the institution of the PI/ Co-PI as applicable and
decided by DSTBT.
h. Engagement of manpower in the sanctioned project:
i. For engagement of project personnel, advertisement may be published
by the Grantee Institution as per existing rules of the Implementing
Agency (Grantee Institution). The relevant minimum qualification(s) &
experience(s) shall be as prescribed by DSTBT from time to time.
ii. The selection of manpower shall be done by a Selection Committee
formed by the Grantee Institution for engagement of the JRF/SRF as
per rules of the said institution. However, this committee must include
the concerned Convener/ a representative from DSTBT, GoWB.
iii. Details of the selected JRF/SRF (qualification, experience, etc.) are to
be maintained by the institution.
iv. The manpower engaged (if any) for the project shall be paid
remuneration as per the latest rules and guidelines of the DSTBT,
Government of West Bengal (vide Table 1). The said remuneration for
the JRF/SRF will be credited to his/her Bank A/c as per norms laid
down by DSTBT from time to time.
v. It may be clearly noted that any engagement as JRF/ SRF etc. in
DSTBT sponsored project(s) is purely temporary and only for the said
project, subject to all other qualifications being met. Any engagement
under the project shall be strictly contractual in nature and will cease
automatically as soon as the project is completed/ terminated.
vi. The services of JRF/SRF appointed under a sanctioned project shall
not be utilized in any other project.
i. Travel guidelines:
i. Unless travel forms an integral part of the project (e.g. fieldwork, etc.),
and specific sanctioned travel budget exists, expenses on travel should
be within reasonable limits and adequately justifiable for the
implementation of the project. Sanctioned travel grant may be used
only for necessary testing/field work etc. for that R&D Project only.
ii. No Project/Travel grant can be used for attending Seminar,
Conference, Workshop etc. (National/ International).
iii. International travel is NOT permissible under the project. Also NO Air
fare (Domestic/ International) is allowed from any part of the project
fund.
j. No Awareness Camp/ Seminar/ Workshop are allowed to be organized from
any part of the project fund unless recommended by the expert committee and
specifically approved by the department.

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k. In case of any multi-institutional collaborative project, a joint statement of
collaboration countersigned by the respective heads of the institutions with
documents outlining the formal agreement, along with details of activity/ role/
equipment shared among the collaborating institutions/ scientists should be
submitted to the department as a part of the project proposal.
l. The Implementing Agency (Grantee Institution) referred in the sanctioned
project proposal is deemed to have assumed all financial and other
administrative responsibilities of the project during its implementation. All the
corresponding communications regarding purchase/ recruitment/ travel/ IPR/
publications will be the responsibility of the Grantee Institution.
m. Equipment/Software:
i. In general, proposal for purchase of equipment/ software are not
encouraged. However, if absolutely essential equipment/ software
proposed for purchase/ hiring using project funds should be bare
minimum and adequately justified in detail and documented to reveal
how the equipment/ software will be used to fulfil the objectives of the
project. Further, the PI must provide an endorsement that the
equipment/ software is not available in the institution.
ii. Procurement of generally available equipment/ software/ accessories
like desktop/workstation/laptop/printer/UPS/external HDD/scanner/
refrigerator or any such items will not be entertained from any part of
the project fund/ budget. For any exception in this regard, PI should
move the Expert Committee giving justifications. Recommendation of
the Expert Committee followed by approval of DSTBT is compulsory
prior to any such procurement.
iii. All procurements of Equipment and Consumables as well as the tender
procedure for the same, if any, must be as per extant State Government
rules such as GeM (Government e-Marketplace) etc. Hiring, if any,
will be as per the state government rules only. Necessary quotations for
consumables & equipment/software, as applicable, need to be
submitted with the proposal.
iv. The DSTBT encourages maximisation of the use of project funded
equipment which shall be maintained strictly within the implementing
institution after the completion of the project. Institution/Investigators
must permit the use of spare or idle capacities of any equipment
procured under the project by bona-fide users as and when required.
n. Ethical Clearance: For projects involving trial on humans or animals, all
institutional and/or ethical clearance(s) must be submitted within 6 (six)
months from the approval of the project and should abide by, and conform to,
extant Acts and Law. No trials should be taken up before such clearances have
been received unequivocally and in unambiguous terms. The DSTBT shall not
be responsible for any legal complications arising out of non-compliance of
this clearance if not submitted.
o. Technology Transfer and Commercialisation: The DSTBT encourages
technology transfer and commercialisation through its Technology
Development and Adaptation Centre (TDAC), in the WBSCST. The projects
that shall lead to development of sustainable technology may be taken up for
technology transfer and commercialisation accordingly. Ownership and
royalty sharing issues will be assessed on case to case basis in consultation

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 with the PI. Licensing and cross licensing issues will also be settled through
agreement with the implementing agency/ institution/university. A Committee
under the Chairmanship of the nodal officer of the DSTBT, normally the nodal
Special/ Additional/ Joint Secretary, and comprising of CSO/ CST/ PSO/ Pr.
Scientist, Convenor Secretary of R&D Expert Committee, Nodal Officer of
TDAC, External Expert of Technology Transfer process (if needed) and the
grantee institution, PI/ Co- PI will settle the final agreements of technology
transfer process.
p. Patenting (IPR): The DSTBT encourages patenting (IPR) from the outcome
of the R&D projects. Therefore, any Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) arising
out of the R&D Project work (if any) should be intimated to DSTBT and
should be filed jointly in the credit of the Department of Science &
Technology and Biotechnology, Govt. of West Bengal and the Implementing
Agency (Grantee Institution).
q. The sharing of royalty with respect to the IPR (if any) should be settled
between the Grantee Institution and the DSTBT through MoU on Rs. 10/- Non
Judicial Stamp Paper (Standard Form-IV of Appendix-IV), which is to be
signed immediately after commencement of the project or as decided by the
DSTBT. There is facility of novelty assessment in the Patents Information
Centre (PIC), WBSCST under DSTBT.
r. Any violation of the above-mentioned rules in respect of IPR, publications,
etc. while making the DSTBT a legal partner shall be considered as a serious
offence and will invite suitable action.
s. The DSTBT must be acknowledged in all publications made using the data/
results/ study of the funded project.
t. No overhead charges are permissible.
u. Bank details of the Implementing Agency (Grantee Institution) are to be
furnished (vide Annexure IV of Appendix-I) with proper authentication. In
case of any subsequent amendments, the relevant changes in bank details
should be updated forthwith.
v. Educational qualifications, requisite experience and age limitations for PI/ Co-
PI are as indicated in Clause 14 below.
w. Project Commencement Date shall be guided by Clause No. 11. dd (Time lines
for sanctioned R&D projects) mentioned in the document below.
x. Total Project Cost: While ordinarily this should be not more than Rupees
Thirty (30.00) lakh, including maximum equipment cost up to Rupees five
lakh (5.00), for a 3 year project, this may be relaxed for outstanding proposals
as decided by DSTBT.
y. Intimation on release of fund: After the administrative approval and
financial sanction of a project, funds will be released through issue of formal
Government Order (GO) which will be uploaded to VSP and which can be
downloaded by the PI from concerned dashboard. In case of any discrepancy/
anomaly or non-receipt of fund etc., the PI may get in touch with the
concerned Departmental R&D Convener Secretary for redressal.
z. Conflict of Interest: The PI/ Co-PI should ensure that there is no Conflict of
Interest.
aa. Sharing of Project Completion Report with Line Departments: The final
project report/findings/papers, etc. may be shared by DSTBT with relevant
line department(s).

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bb. Representative/ Officers of DSTBT may visit Implementing Agency (Grantee
Institution)/ project site as and when deemed during its tenure or subsequently.
cc. The Competent Authority of DSTBT reserves the right to reject/consider
any proposal at any stage without assigning any reason. No
correspondences will be entertained in this regard.
dd. Time lines for sanctioned R&D projects:
i. Duration of R&D projects would normally be 36 months. For
grounding of project, maximum two months may be allowed from day
of issuance of approval letter/GO. However time extension may be
granted for a maximum of another two months in addition to time for
grounding the project, subject to approval of departmental authority.
ii. PI, through implementing institution, is required to mandatorily submit
progress report after completion of 1st year i.e. 12 months from the day
of grounding. The progress report shall comprise of technical progress,
Utilization Certificate (UC) and Audited Statement of Expenditure
(SoE) for the working period of 1st year.
iii. The Expert Committee will review the performance of the 1st year
only after receiving all the three documents of the progress report and
identify clear-cut deliverables of the project. No review of the project
shall be initiated by the respective Expert Committee in the absence of
any one of these three documents. The said progress report has to be
submitted to DSTBT immediately after completion of twelve months’
work of 1st year. If not submitted, Convener Secretary of the
respective Expert Committee will follow up regarding progress report
from the PI. The authority may allow a maximum of two months
extra time in addition to twelve months of the 1st year, if needed, for
such report. After 14 months of the 1st year, if the progress report is
still not received, the Convener Secretary shall carry out an enquiry
and submit a report indicating if the project may be considered for
closure and refund of fund allotted, if acceptable specific reasons for
such delays are not available. This system will generally be followed
for the subsequent years of the project. Necessary modification in
administrative approval and sanctioned order is to be incorporated. But
it is reiterated that maximum time span for project completion shall
remain 36+2 months.
iv. The final report has to be submitted immediately within one month of
the completion of the project. Maximum one month time may be
additionally granted for submission of final report of the project,
utilization certificate and audited statement of expenditure.
v. In case of violation of any of the above-mentioned deadlines, the
project may be closed forthwith by the Sanctioning Authority and full
refund of project fund released so far (with accrued interest, if any)
may be recovered from the PI through implementing institution
(Grantee Institution).
vi. In case of any negligence of PI/ Grantee Institution/ departure of PI/
Co-PI, etc. leading to closure of the ongoing project midway, the
project fund released till then will be recovered (with accrued interest,
if any). In case of defalcation or any such misdemeanour, criminal
action may be initiated, if need arises.

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 vii. A suitable undertaking shall be furnished by the grantee Institution at
the time of project submission.
ee. Evaluation of on-going R&D Projects:
i. The PIs will have to mandatorily make a presentation on the yearly
progress of their work before the Expert Committee or as decided by
DSTBT/ Expert Committee. However, the department may ask for
half-yearly presentation of work progress and findings for any project,
if required.
ii. Yearly Progress Reports (interim, if any as well as final) are to be
compulsorily submitted (as per Standard Form-II of Appendix-III)
along with GANTT chart and the reports are to be signed by the PI &
all Co-PIs. The said reports are to be mandatorily countersigned/
authenticated by the Head of the Implementing Agency (Grantee
Institution).
iii. On completion of each year’s work (for 12 months), audited statement
of accounts (by an External Auditor), Utilisation Certificate (UC), and
Progress Report must be submitted at the same time with a suitable
covering letter addressed to the concerned Convener. In this
connection,
1. The Detailed Audited Statement of Expenditure (Audited SoE)
is to be submitted in line with the sanctioned Budget as per the
prescribed format of DSTBT in Standard Form-III.
2. Five copies of Utilisation Certificate (UC) are to be submitted
as per the prescribed format of DSTBT as per Standard Form-I
with original signature of the Competent Authority of
Implementing Agency (Grantee Institution). The UC should be
submitted in one single page only and not split into different
Financial Years (FYs), even if the Project runs for more than
one financial year.
3. Yearly Progress Report should reflect the quantitative
indication of the actual progress vis-à-vis the original proposal
submitted (as per Standard Form-II).
iv. The PIs are encouraged to publish good quality research papers on the
work and whenever such publications take place (journals/
conferences/ periodicals/ book chapters, etc.) the PI/ Co-PI must duly
acknowledge the source of funding as DSTBT, Govt. of West Bengal.
v. Outcome of research work needs to be assessed for patentability search
before publication. The Expert Committees will examine the project
proposals on completion of the second year of the project to see
whether there is any scope of patenting. The matter of publication also
needs to be brought to the knowledge of the respective Convener
Secretary before initiating the communication to the publication house
for patentability assessment of the research outcome.
vi. Carry over of Unspent balance :
1. Any unspent balance of the previous year will be adjusted from
the next year’s approved budget. There should not be any
committed expenditure from the unspent balance as shown in
the UC and Audited-SoE.

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 2. The unspent balance in the Final Year work has to be returned
to DSTBT, GoWB in TR Form-7 at stipulated Bank before
final submission of the UC and Audited-SoE.
vii. The final instalment of the grant may be released only after a thorough
review by the Expert Committee(s).
viii. After completion of the project, the PI is also required to
declare that the work done (along with the progress reports and final
report) is original and not a plagiarized one as per point No. 5 of
Annexure-II of Appendix-I of the Guidelines.
ix. For any clarifications and/ or in case of any ambiguity, PI should
contact the concerned Convener Secretary/DSTBT before submission
of the UC, Audited-SoE and Report etc.
ff. Refund/ recovery of Project Cost: For repeated delays, PI and/or
Implementing Agency (Grantee Institution) may be blacklisted and debarred
from any further funding support by the DSTBT. The fact of blacklisting shall
also be communicated to all organizations/ agencies that support such R&D
proposals.
gg. Action on completion of Project :
i. A project “Completion Form”, in the relevant format, should be
mandatorily submitted through the Vigyansathi Portal after completion
of the project signifying the closure of the project from the Principal
Investigator’s (PI) view point. This should be accompanied by, inter
alia,
1. the final (technical) project report in a properly bound form,
accompanied by a soft copy in pdf format, with detailed
physical achievements, highlighting how the outcome helps the
common people in our state, number of papers published/
communicated (with copy) etc.
2. achievement against deliverables stated/ approved at the time of
project submission/ sanction or during interim review,
3. all utilization certificates and audited statement of expenditure,
4. information of the publications made in reputed/ high impact
journals,
5. information/ report of patentable outcome,
6. Information/ report on translational deliverables.
ii. In all cases, the soft copies of Utilization Certificate (UC), Audited
Statement of Expenditure (SoE), Final Report (including photographs
if any) must also be submitted, along with the physical copies of the
same, immediately after completion of the project.
iii. Soft copies of the interim report(s), on annual basis, along with the
annual UC, SoE, including for the remuneration for JRF/ SRF, should
also be uploaded in Vigyansathi Portal (VSP) after completion of each
year (i.e. 1st year/ 2nd year/ 3rd year, as the case may be).
iv. Details of any commercialization or patenting aspect of the outcome or
their use for translational benefits for the state government/ society,
etc. must also be submitted with the filled in mandatory “Completion
Form” through Vigyansathi Portal.
v. On satisfaction regarding the deliverables and confirmation of financial
and non-financial compliances, the DSTBT shall issue a formal

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 “Project Completion Certificate” (PCC). This Certificate is mandatory
for submission of subsequent proposals.
vi. Failure of the concerned institution in this regard may result in the
institution being put on a grey list and the PI would not be eligible for
subsequent grants from the Department.
12. Format of MoU for Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Protection of R&D
Output: A prescribed format (Standard Form IV) outlining a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Science & Technology and
Biotechnology, Govt. of West Bengal and the implementing university/ institution is
made available in the website https://dstbt.bangla.gov.in and online portal
https://dstbt.bangla.gov.in/vigyansathi, which is required to be adopted for protection
of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) arising out of any sponsored R&D project. After
sanction of the project, the PI, on behalf of the Institution, must download and submit
the said standard form IV printed on Rs. 10/- Non-Judicial Stamp Paper, duly filled
and signed, to DSTBT.
13. Instructions related to filling up the proforma (please follow departmental portal
Vigyansathi; https://dstbt.bangla.gov.in/vigyansathi/) :
a. Project Proposal may be typed in Times New Roman in 12 on A4 size paper.
b. Scanned copy of the signed document to be uploaded wherever applicable.
c. Only Appendix-II containing application format for plagiarism checking will
not be accepted if it is scanned/ image PDF.
d. Project title should be precise and specific.
14. Essential Qualifications of Principal Investigators (PI) & Co-Principal
Investigators (Co-PI):
a. Qualifications:
i. Should hold doctoral degree in relevant disciplines of Science/
Geography with 3 years research/ teaching experience at PG level, or,
ii. ME/ M. Tech. or equivalent Post Graduate degree in Engineering/
Technology disciplines recognized by Govt. of India/ UGC/AICTE,
etc. with 3 years research/ teaching experience at PG level, or,
iii. MD/ MS/ MDS or equivalent Post Graduate (PG) degree in Medical
Science/ Dental Science/ AYUSH/ Veterinary Science disciplines as
recognized by Govt. of India/ MCI/ DCI or other equivalent agencies
etc. with 3 years’ research/ teaching experience at PG level.
b. Age limit/ criteria: Either of the PI or Co-PI, if deemed necessary, should be
a permanent working employee of a Govt./ Govt. Sponsored/ Private
Institution and should have at least five (5) clear years left prior to retirement
as per the norms of the concerned institution, at the point of submission of a
project proposal. The age limit/ retirement condition may be relaxed in
exceptional cases.
c. The above qualification/ age limit, etc. is relaxable in exceptional cases as per
decision of the Competent Authority of DSTBT.

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 15. Eligibility & Remuneration for contractual manpower temporarily engaged in
the R&D projects:

Sl. Category Rate of

Remuneration (Rs.)
01 Junior Research Fellow (JRF)*
Qualification: Post Graduate degree in concerned disciplines
of Science/ Geography (for relevant projects) or equivalent. Rs. 25,000/- pm
OR (consolidated)
Graduate degree in Engineering/ Technology/ Medical/
AYUSH/ Dental Science/ Veterinary/ Juridical disciplines or
equivalent.
02 Senior Research Fellow (SRF)*
Rs. 30,000/- pm
Qualification: Same as JRF with minimum two (2) years’
(consolidated)
experience as JRF in relevant field.
*The Junior Research Fellow may in situ be upgraded to Senior Research Fellow after
completion of two years of work after a thorough review by PI and Co-PI as per rules of the
Grantee Institution/ Committee.

16. Last date of submission: This shall be indicated in the newspaper advertisement/
publication on the departmental website of the DSTBT in the notice inviting
proposals. This shall normally be 45 Days from the date of publication of
notification. Project proposal submitted after last date and/ or through e-mail/
hardcopy will generally not be entertained.
17. Address for communication:

Special Secretary to the Government of West Bengal

Department of Science & Technology and Biotechnology
Vigyan Chetana Bhavan
DD-26/B, Sector- I, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700064

Hard copy of application or by email is not required to be submitted. Applications before the
last date should only be submitted through the departmental portal. In order to avoid rush at
the ending hour, it is advised to submit the application well ahead.

___________

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 Instructions/ Guidelines for Similarity (Plagiarism) checking of R&D Projects
To ensure conformity with prevalent standards of ethics, the Department of Science &
Technology and Biotechnology, Government of West Bengal makes the following guidelines
for checking the content of similarity (plagiarism) in all the Research and Development
(R&D) projects that are sponsored under the Research and Development and all other
scheme(s) of the DSTBT that warrant such interventions, and the taking of consequent
actions for, inter alia, preliminary scrutiny (or consideration) of such proposals by the
DSTBT until further notified.
I. Strict scrutiny of all proposals and outcomes will be carried out for plagiarism, using good
quality software for the purpose and the proposals shall be classified into:
1. Level A: Similarities up to 10%
2. Level B: Similarities above 10% and up to 20%
3. Level C: Similarities above 20%
II. These similarities shall exclude common knowledge or coincidental terms in up to
fourteen (14) consecutive words. In the similarity checks for plagiarism, the
following may be excluded:
1. All quoted work are reproduced with all necessary permission and/or attribution.
2. All references, bibliography, table of contents, preface and acknowledgements.
3. All generic terms, laws, standard symbols and standards equations.
III. While Level A proposals will be directly taken up for consideration for further short
listing by the concerned officials, including the respective Convener Secretary,
followed by evaluation by the R&D Expert Committees. It is further decided that Level B
proposals may also be cross-checked by short listing by the concerned officials, including the
respective Convener Secretary, for identifying ‘good proposals’ and the applicants for such
proposals may be advised to withdraw the same and resubmit the same after the said
similarities are reduced to within 10% for consideration of the R&D Expert Committees. All
Level C proposals shall be rejected without further reference.
IV. It would be mandatory on the part of the PI to furnish the following certificate at the time
of submission of the proposal/ outcomes:
This to certify that the reported work in the proposal/ paper entitled “..............” authored
by...... (name of all authors)...... submitted for acceptance/ publication is an original one.
I/we further certify that proper citations to the previously reported work have been given
and no data/tables/figures have been quoted verbatim from other publications without
giving due acknowledgement and without the permission of the author(s). The consent of
all the authors of this paper has been obtained for submitting the paper to the journal
“..................”.
[Signatures and names of all the authors]

Sd/-
Special Secretary, DSTBT
Government of West Bengal

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