Indian Council of Social Science Research

Guidelines of 2nd Call for ICSSR Longitudinal Studies in Social and Human Sciences

1 Introduction

1.1 Understanding long-term patterns and correlations in different social-economic phenomena requires the use of
longitudinal studies. These studies offer invaluable insight over long time spans, making it possible to analyze
social behavior, the state of the economy, and public policy in more detail. In the social and human sciences,
longitudinal studies are crucial because they offer a comprehensive understanding of the intricate and dynamic
social patterns, trends, and processes. Through prolonged observations or measurements of the same people or
constructs, these investigations enable researchers to monitor changes, identify linkages, and generate well-
informed forecasts.

1.2 ICSSR Longitudinal Studies in Social and Human Sciences aims to support extensive research that tracks variables
over time to address critical challenges and provide solutions to attain the development goals of Bharat. The
potential applicants applying for these longitudinal studies shall explore the research areas identified by ICSSR
and develop their proposals in collaboration with researchers from different institutions.

1.3 Team for the longitudinal studies shall comprise four to six scholars. The ICSSR encourages multiple institutions
to come together and propose a collaborative study. This study should offer a comprehensive assessment of the
identified area of research. This shall involve identifying studies on diverse ecosystems of assets as laboratories of
change, where experimentation and innovation flourish. The researchers are expected to conduct experimental and
longitudinal research aiming to discover new pathways that can contribute to holistic development and economic
growth.

1.4 The proposals and research must aim to ensure that the study area encompasses a significant sample size for
research and assess particular themes/areas of research for potential development in the identified region.
Geographical coverage (villages/blocks & districts covered) with details about the location of field units/offices,
and locations of the project handled should be specifically shown in the chart form.

1.5 The proposals should have scope for fact-based and action-oriented research covering the background of the
specific research area, a very pertinent literature review leading to meticulously evolved hypotheses, objectives,
research questions, scientific and systematic research methodology (specifying sampling types and sources of
research data, interview schedule/questionnaires and tools and software to be employed for arriving results) with
specific scope and limitation covering mitigation strategies. The proposed study should encompass both
quantitative and qualitative approaches, aimed at action-oriented, applied, and experimental analysis. This includes
assessing the impact of leading practices from both national and international perspectives.

1.6 Themes that demand robust multidisciplinary methodologies and frameworks in social science research will
necessitate teams consisting of both social scientists and natural/applied scientists collaborating to submit
proposals.
1.7 A team of 4-6 researchers from different disciplines of different institutions and different regions must be formed
to conduct research. One of the Project Directors (PDs) would act as the Project Coordinator of the collaborative

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 study. The Project should be mandatorily from social science/humanity and the project shall be housed in the
institute which he/she represents. The Project Coordinator will be responsible for the successful completion of the
study.

1.8 Those submitting research proposals against the research area 1(f), i.e., Artificial Intelligence: Socio-Economic
Impact / Machine Learning for Global South Modeling (Including New Employment Opportunities), must ensure
that the Project Coordinator is from Applied Sciences with research expertise in Artificial Intelligence. Project
Directors shall be from the social and human sciences and among whom one of the Project Directors must be from
the field of economics and another from statistics. There should be minimum three Project Directors. Any proposed
study that includes AI as a subsidiary area of inquiry must have an AI researcher/expert as one of the Project
Directors.

1.9 The researchers may develop their research design using cohort panel, trending or retrospective study for
developing their research design. The sample size for the proposed field survey will be determined by the
demographics of the population under study and the specific research questions to be addressed. The research team
shall gather preliminary data from the cohort or panel. This comprises baseline measurements, demographic data,
and other pertinent information that acts as a foundation for further comparisons. For the purpose of gathering data
from the same people, the proposal must include periodic follow-up assessments. To assure consistency, the study
team will collect data using the same methods and instruments at each follow-up. The research team shall be
collectively accountable and responsible for working together to save and handle the data in an organized manner
and ensure data integrity. In order to address the issue of respondent dropouts, the team must include and inform
about the strategies employed to minimize dropouts in the proposal. The research team must ensure that ethical
standards are followed during the investigation. This includes gaining informed consent, maintaining
confidentiality, and being transparent about the study's objective and procedures.

ICSSR invites research proposal for 2nd call for Longitudinal Studies in Social and Human Sciences in the
following areas:

1) Development Studies
(a) Sustainable Development Goals for Bharat
(b) Cooperatives for Rural Transformation
(c) Innovations in Agriculture and Rural Development
(d) Entrepreneurship and Startup: Rural and Urban
(e) Women-Led Development
(f) Artificial Intelligence: Socio-Economic Impact/ Machine Learning for Global South Modelling
(Including New Employment Opportunities)
(g) Blue Economy
(h) Maritime Studies
(i) Natural Resources and Regional Development
(j) Sustainable Livelihood
(k) Indigenous Technology Innovation and Development
(l) Human Resource and Holistic Growth
(m) Trade and Commerce
(n) Rural Economy

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 (o) Renewable Energy
(p) Infrastructure and Logistics
(q) Community-Based Food Security Interventions
(r) Industrialization and Manufacturing
(s) Export-Led Growth
(t) Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
(u) Supply Chain Management and Logistics
(v) Investment and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
(w) Industrial Clusters and Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
(x) Textile and Apparel Industry
(y) Digital and Advanced Manufacturing
(z) Labor Reforms and Workforce Development
(aa) Circular Economy and Waste Management
(ab) Digital Economy and E-Commerce

2) Governance and Diplomatic Strategies

(a) International Relations
(b) Geopolitics and Geo-economics
(c) G20 Declaration and Global Sustainability
(d) Defence and National Security Studies
(e) Digital Governance and E-Governance Ethical Governance
(f) Indo-Pacific Strategic Relations
(g) India’s Cultural Diplomacy and Soft Power
(h) Decentralized Governance and Development
(i) Public Administration Reforms
(j) Disaster Management and Emergency Response
(k) Public Policy Analysis and Impact Evaluation:
(l) Urban Governance and Smart City Initiatives
(m) Public Health Governance
(n) Trade Diplomacy and Economic Partnerships
(o) Gender and Governance

3) Social and Regional Studies

(a) Demography
(b) Migration
(c) Janjatiya Studies
(d) Rural and Urban Tourism
(e) Marginality Studies
(f) Social Protection
(g) Interstate Comparative Development
(h) Urbanization and Community Development
(i) Cultural Heritage and Identity

4) Environmental Studies

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(a) Green Economy Transition
(b) Climate Change
(c) Social Innovations in Science and Technology
(d) Climate Smart Agriculture
(e) Agro-Ecology
(f) Biodiversity Conservation and Human Interface
(g) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
(h) Waste Management and Circular Economy
(i) Sustainable Water Management
(j) Environmental Policy and Governance

5) Health Studies and Social Psychology

(a) AYUSH & Community Medicine
(b) Indigenous Healing Methods and Practices
(c) Health of Women & Divyangjan Studies
(d) Mental Health & Social Inclusion
(e) Sports and Fitness
(f) Social Determinants of Health
(g) Public Health Systems and Policy
(h) Nutrition and Public Health
(i) Health Technology and Digital Health
(j) Health Equity, Insurance and Access to Healthcare
(k) One Health

6) Education and Skilling

(a) Digital Learning & Technology Integration
(b) Indian Knowledge Systems: Theoretical and Experimental Applications
(c) National Education Policy: Mapping Implementation and Challenges
(d) Ethics, Values and Innovation in Education
(e) Legal and Paralegal Studies
(f) Education and Human Capital Formation
(g) Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
(h) Development of Skilled Force

7) Disaster Management and Risk Resilience

(a) Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management
(b) Risk perception and Communication in Disaster Preparedness
(c) The Strategies for Development of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure
(d) Policy and Governance in Disaster Management
(e) Social and Cultural Dimensions of Disaster Management
(f) Resettlement of Displaced People affected by Disasters

1.10 Duration and Budget

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 Longitudinal Collaborative Research Studies will be awarded for a duration of up to 5 years with a budget of up
to Rs 3.00 crores.

2 Eligibility

2.1 Researchers who are permanently employed or retired as faculty from UGC Recognized Indian
Universities/Deemed Universities/ Affiliated Colleges/Institutions under (2) F or 12(B), ICSSR Research
Institutes, ICSSR Recognized Institutes and Institutes of National Importance as defined by the Ministry of
Education (MoE) are eligible to apply. The applicants should have quality research experience demonstrable
through publications of books / research papers / reports are eligible to apply. The Ph.D. Degree is mandatory
qualification for Project Coordinator and Project Directors who are serving in Higher Education Institutions.

2.2 In exceptional cases, independent researchers, who have produced at least two sole-author books published by
reputed publishers and/or 05 articles in peer-reviewed journals, can also be considered as Project Directors. Such
scholars will be required to work in collaboration with a faculty from institutions given in 2.1 above.

2.3 Further, those researchers who are in contractual appointment in academic/research institutions and have produced
at least two sole-author books published by reputed publishers and/or 05 articles in peer- reviewed journals may
also apply as Project Directors. In the event of their contract expiry, they may continue as Project Directors until
the completion of the project.

2.4 Senior and retired government and defense officers (having not less than 15 years of regular service) possessing a
Ph. D. degree in any social science discipline and having produced at least two sole-author books published by
reputed publishers and/or 05 articles in peer-reviewed journals can also apply as Project Directors, in collaboration
with a faculty from institutions given in 2.1 above

2.5 In addition to the eligibility norms mentioned in clauses 2.1 to 2.4, it is imperative for the team to include at least
one Project Director with a background in Natural Sciences. One researcher from the Research and Development
vertical of any corporate house or in India may also be included as Project Director. Depending on the nature of
the study non-academic participants / stakeholders / local community may also be part of the research team in the
capacity of Key Informant.

3 How to Apply

3.1 The applications will be invited through an advertisement on ICSSR website, social media platforms of ICSSR
and if required, in print media.

3.2 The applicants are required to submit an online application along with the research proposal, annexures, and other
required documents in the prescribed format, duly forwarded by the competent authorities of the affiliating
university/college/institute. The last date for online submission is 1st May 2025. The online application form will
be available on ICSSR website from 1 April 2025.

3.3 Approval of Ethical Committee/ Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)/ Research Development Committee -

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 (a) The Institution’s Ethical committee/Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)/ Research Development Committee
shall duly vet the proposal to ensure the quality of Research.
(b) The Ethical committee/Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)/ Research Development Committee shall ensure
that the proposal is prepared following the ICSSR guidelines for the Call.
(c) The Ethical committee/Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)/ Research Development Committee shall ensure
that the Research Methodology and budgetary Provisions are rationally prepared by the project coordinator.
(d) A certificate of approval to be given in the prescribed format, from the Ethical Committee/Internal Quality
Assurance Cell (IQAC)/ Research Development Committee shall be attached with the research proposal.
(e) The Ethical committee/Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC)/ Research Development Committee must ensure
that the project proposal is free from AI content and plagiarism.
(f) A plagiarism and AI detection report duly signed by the Ethical committee/Internal Quality Assurance Cell
(IQAC)/ Research Development Committee should be attached with the project proposal.

3.4 Research proposals and final reports should either be in English or Hindi. Arial/ Mangal Unicode (Devanagari)
font should be used to fill Application form in Hindi.

3.5 Researchers from the university system can apply for only one project at a time. In the case of any ongoing or
completed project with the ICSSR, the cooling-off period for applying to another project will be two years for both
the Project Coordinator and the Project Director. The cooling period will be calculated from the date of submission
of the final report. However, the cooling period rule shall not be applicable on those researchers who have been
awarded the short-term empirical research projects and minor projects of the ICSSR. The cooling period will not
be applicable for ICSSR Research Institutes.

4 Procedure for Awards

4.1 The procedure for the award of the projects will be in multiple phases before the declaration of final results. All
applications submitted to the ICSSR will be screened and evaluated by the expert committee following a blind
review process. Shortlisted applicants shall be invited for interaction/presentation at ICSSR (in person or online).

4.2 The expert committee(s) shall make recommendation(s) for award of studies and also suggest the budget for the
proposed studies after interaction with the shortlisted applicants.

4.3 For Longitudinal studies, there will be two rounds of interaction for these projects. During the first round, scholars
will present their proposals to a panel of experts. Outstanding proposals will be identified based on the potential
demonstrated in the planned research. Scholars with such outstanding proposals will then be directed to further
develop their proposal incorporating suggestions and recommendations given by the experts to improve the
research plan. After integrating the recommendations and suggestions, scholars will give a second and final
presentation to the team of experts. Following this presentation, recommendations for the award of grants shall be
made by the experts.

4.4 The merit list of selected candidates of Projects will be published on the ICSSR website.

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4.5 Only the selected candidates and their affiliating universities shall be informed individually through a provisional
award letter clearly specifying the formalities and documents required for joining the Project.

5 Budget and Heads of Expenditure

5.1 The amount will be disbursed in installments, depending on the funds, phases and duration of the study, as indicated
in the Award Letter. ICSSR reserves the right, based on Expert opinion, to make changes in research design, budget
and duration of the project.

5.2 The detailed budget estimates along with the proportionate Heads of Expenditure for these proposals are to be
prepared by the Institute / Project Coordinator / group of scholars.

5.3. Allocation of Heads of Expenditure

A. The remuneration for the Research Staff must be according to the ICSSR guidelines.

B. The proportionate allocation of expenditure for the budget heads such as Fieldwork (Travel / Logistics / Boarding,
Survey Preparation or Consultancy etc.); Equipment and Study material (Computer, Printer, Source Material,
Books, Journals, Software, and Data Sets etc.), Workshop/Seminar/Publication and Contingency charges etc. shall
be as per the ICSSR guidelines given below;

Detailed budget breakup for the proposed allocation

Detailed budget breakup for the proposed allocation

S. No. Heads of Expenditure Value (Rs.)

1. Research Staff: Full time/part time/ Hired services Not exceeding 45% of the total budget

2. Field work Not exceeding 35% of the total budget

3. Research Equipment and study material Not exceeding 10% of the total budget
(Computer, Printer etc.)

4. Contingency Not exceeding 5% of the total budget

Workshop/ Seminar/Publication Approx. 5% of the total budget, subject

5. to a maximum limit of Rs.5,00,000/-

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 *This will be decided by the ICSSR depending
upon the requirements of the project.

Grand Total 100%

C. Affiliating Institution shall be eligible to get Overhead Charges @ 10% over and above the awarded grant of the
project. However the maximum limit of overhead is frozen at 5.00 Lakhs. Subject to a maximum limit of Rs.5,
00,000/- which will be released by the ICSSR after successful completion of the project.

5.4 Project Staff shall be engaged/appointed as per the rules by the affiliating institution of the Project Coordinator on
a full/ part-time basis during the research work. The duration may be decided in consultation with the Project
Director. The consolidated monthly remuneration/emoluments of the project staff must be according to the
following guidelines:

Project staff Monthly Remuneration/

Emoluments Qualifications

Research Associate Rs. 47, 000/- Post graduate in any social science discipline (55%
minimum) with NET /M.Phil. / Ph.D. and 2 years
research experience as a Research Assistant in any
Project.

Research Assistant Rs. 37, 000/- Post graduate in any social science discipline (55%
minimum) with NET /M.Phil. / Ph.D.
Field Investigator Rs. 20, 000/- Post graduate in any social science discipline with
minimum 55% marks.

5.5 Selection of Research Staff should be done through an advertisement published on the respective institute’s
website. The research staff shall be selected on the basis of recommendation of selection committee, duly approved
by the competent authority of the institution, consisting of (1) Project Coordinator; (2) One external subject Expert
(from outside the institute where the project is located); (3) Dean of the faculty in case of University /Principal in
case of College and (4) Head of the Department of the Project Coordinator.

5.6 For all field work related expenses of Project Coordinator, Co-Project Director(s) and project personnel, rules of
affiliating institutes/universities shall be followed.

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5.7 All equipment and books purchased out of the project fund shall be the property of the affiliating institution, and
a detailed stock report duly signed by the Head of the Institute / Registrar / Principal has to be submitted to the
ICSSR. However, ICSSR may ask for books and/ or equipment if it so requires.

6. Joining and Release of Grants

6.1 The Project Coordinator has to join the project as per the date notified by the ICSSR by submitting the requisite
documents such as an ‘undertaking’ on an Rs.100 stamp paper duly verified by a notary, declaration in prescribed
format on a Rs.100 stamp paper duly verified by a notary, Grant-in-Aid bill towards the first instalment on or
before the given deadline and Registration Mandate Form of PFMS Account of those affiliating / administering
institutions, which have not linked their accounts to PFMS for ICSSR grant. The joining period can be extended
only in exceptional circumstances up to a maximum of three months by the ICSSR.

6.2 The total awarded grant for the Longitudinal Research Studies will be released to the affiliating institution in
instalments as mentioned in the award letter, which will be decided by the ICSSR keeping in view upon the overall
requirements of the project.

6.3 Final instalment will be released after receipt of recommendations of the expert for acceptance of the Final Report;
Audited statement of accounts (AC) in prescribed format with utilization certificate (UC) in form 12A of GFR, for
the entire approved project amount duly signed by the Finance Officer/Registrar/Director of the affiliating
Institution; and at least five published research papers in the peer-reviewed and Scopus Indexed journals. A detailed
stock report duly signed by the Head of the Institute / Registrar / Principal has to be submitted to the ICSSR. The
utilization certificate of institutions whose accounts are not audited by CAG/AG, will be signed by the Finance
Officer and Statutory Auditor of the Institute.

6.4 The Overhead Charges to the affiliating institution will be released after the acceptance of Final Report along with
the receipt of the final audited Statement of Accounts and Utilization Certificate in prescribed formats, which shall
be verified by the ICSSR.

6.5 The Project Coordinator shall ensure that the expenditure incurred by him/her conforms to the approved budget
heads and relevant rules. The Audited Statement of accounts with Utilization Certificate in form 12A of GFR is
mandatory for the entire approved amount for the project.

7 Monitoring of Research Projects

7.1 Research undertaken by a Project Coordinator will be monitored through the submission of periodic progress
reports in the prescribed format. The project may be discontinued/terminated if research progress is found
unsatisfactory or if any ICSSR rules are violated. In such cases, the entire amount must be refunded with a 10%
penal interest to the ICSSR.

7.2 The scholar/awardee must acknowledge the support of ICSSR in all their publications resulting from the project
output such as Research Papers, Journal Articles, and Articles in edited Books etc., and they must submit a copy
of the same to the ICSSR during the course of or after completion of the project. In case of absence of

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 acknowledgement by the scholars, they will be blacklisted and they will not be able to apply for any schemes of
ICSSR in the future. Papers published in Conference/Seminar proceedings will not be considered as they are not
peer reviewed. However, proceedings published by Scopus indexed / pee reviewed journals can be considered.

7.3 The ICSSR may, at any time, ask for verification of accounts and other relevant documents related to the Project.

7.4 The ICSSR reserves the right to change the affiliating institute if it is found that the affiliating institute is not co-
operating with the scholar and it is not facilitating timely completion of the study.

7.5 Final report submitted by the Project Coordinator is mandatorily evaluated by an Expert appointed by the ICSSR
before considering the release of the final instalment.

7.6 The Project Coordinator shall be personally responsible for the timely completion of the Project. The project
proposal/final report cannot be submitted for the award of any University degree/diploma or funding by any
institution by any member of the project staff, including the Project Director.

7.7 If the researchers do not submit the requisite documents and the final report in time or the project is not completed
in the stipulated period, the scholars will be blacklisted and the legal recourse will be initiated for recovery of the
released grant.

7.8 As per the directions of the Ministry of Education (MoE), the amount of grant sanctioned is to be utilized within
the stipulated duration of the project. Any amount of the grant remaining unspent shall be refunded to the ICSSR
immediately on expiry of the duration of the project. If the Project Coordinator fails to utilize the grant for the
purpose for which the same has been sanctioned/or fails to submit the audited statement of expenditure within the
stipulated period, he/she will be required to refund the amount of the grant with interest thereon @ 10% per annum.

8 Completion of the Study

8.1 On completion of the study, the Project Coordinator should submit:

A. Two hard copies of the Final report along with softcopy in both PDF and word formats;
B. Hard copy of abstract in 500 words along with softcopy in both PDF and word formats;
C. Hard copy of Executive Summary of the final report in 5000 words along with softcopy in both PDF and word
formats;
D. Similarity index sheet (Plagiarism check) for the final report.

8.2 If the expert suggests any changes in the reports at the time of evaluation, the Project Coordinator shall incorporate
the changes within stipulated time and should submit the following:

A. Soft copy of modified final report in both PDF and word formats along with two hard copies;
B. Five copies of executive summary;
C. Soft Copies of Data Sets, along with well-defined definition of data and other important information for
documentation.

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8.3 ICSSR gets every report checked for plagiarism and the similarity report is also generated. As a policy, ICSSR
does not accept reports having similarity beyond 10 per cent on similarity index. Scholars are required to get their
final report checked from their affiliating institutions for similarity index and attach a certified report of the same
at the time of submission.

8.4 The final report submitted by the scholar will be considered as satisfactory only after final recommendation of
acceptance by the expert appointed by the ICSSR.

9 Obligations of the Affiliating Institution

9.1 The affiliating institution is required to give an undertaking in the prescribed format contained in the Application
Form to administer and manage the ICSSR grant.

9.2 It is also required to provide the requisite research infrastructure to the scholar and maintain proper accounts.

9.3 The affiliating institution shall open / maintain a dedicated bank account for ICSSR grant (Scheme Code- 0877)
that is duly registered at EAT Module of PFMS portal for release of the grant without any delay.

9.4 The affiliating institution will be under obligation to ensure submission of the final report and an Audited Statement
of Accounts and Utilization Certificate, (in the prescribed Proforma GFR 12-A) duly certified by the competent
authority of the institution including the refund of any unspent balance.

9.5 The affiliating institution shall make suitable arrangements for preservation of data such as filled-in schedules,
tabulation sheets, manuscripts, reports, etc. relating to the study. The ICSSR reserves the right to demand raw data,
or such parts of the study as it deems fit.

9.6 In case a Project Coordinator leaves / discontinues the project before completion of the tenure, the affiliating
institution shall inform ICSSR immediately and refund the entire amount with a penal interest @ 10% per annum.
The unutilized funds pending with the institutions for all projects must be returned to the ICSSR immediately. In
case the universities/ institutions do not abide by the rules of the ICSSR, they shall be blacklisted for applying in
schemes of ICSSR in the future.

9.7 In case a Project Coordinator dies before the completion of the project, the affiliating institution shall immediately
inform ICSSR by submitting a copy of the death certificate and settle the accounts immediately by expediting
refund of any unspent balance.

10 Other Conditions

10.1 The duration of the project includes the time for Final Report writing. In exceptional circumstances, if the ICSSR
is satisfied with the progress of the work, including quality publications, an extension may be granted without any
additional grant. In case, the extension is needed beyond the above-mentioned period, the matter will be put up to
the competent authority of ICSSR for a decision. If the extension is required, the Project Coordinator needs to
request at least three months prior to the end of stipulated tenure for no- cost extension with a copy of the progress
report and reasons for the delay with documentary evidence. Retrospective extension will not be permitted.

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10.2 The contingency grant may be utilized for stationery, computer typing related costs, specialized assistance such as
data analysis and consultation for field trips etc., related to the research work.

10.3 Defaulters of any previous fellowship / project / programme / grant of the ICSSR will not be eligible for
consideration. No scholar will be allowed to take up a research project along with any ICSSR fellowship.

10.4 Foreign trip is not permissible within the awarded budget of a project. However, the Project Coordinator may
undertake data collection outside India in exceptional cases and if warranted by the needs of the proposal. For this
he/she is required to apply separately for consideration under the Data Collection Scheme of the ICSSR
International Collaboration Division. However, ICSSR will not be bound to support such data collection from
abroad and the decision of the ICSSR will be final. In either case, the completion of study should not be consequent
upon such data collection support.

10.5 Any request for additional grant in excess of the sanctioned budget will not be considered.

10.6 The procurement of equipment/assets for the research project is allowed only if it was originally proposed, does
not surpass the permissible amount, and adheres to the regulations of the affiliating institution.

10.7 The Project Coordinator cannot make any changes in the research design at any stage.

10.8 The project coordinator are to ensure that the name of the Project Coordinator / Any of the Team members /
Affiliating University / Institution shall not be mentioned anywhere in the proposal. Violation of this Guidelines
will lead to the disqualification of the proposal.

10.9 Regarding Transfer of a Project/Appointment of substitute Project Director:

A. On the request from a university/institute, the ICSSR may permit the appointment of a Substitute Project
Coordinator in exceptional circumstances.

B. If the Original Awardee of the Project fails to carry out the study systematically and satisfactorily, ICSSR may also
appoint a Substitute Project Coordinator for successful completion of the Study.

C. The ICSSR may transfer the Project from one affiliating institution to another subject to submission of the following:
• Satisfactory progress report (s);
• No objection certificate from both previous and the new university/institute;
• Audited statement of account and utilization certificate along with unspent balance, if any.
• However, no transfer of project / Project Coordinator should be requested in the last six months of the study.

D. Overhead charges will be apportioned proportionally among the institutes as per the grant released or as may be
finally decided by the ICSSR.

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 E. In case of superannuation of Project Coordinator and if the rules of the institution so require, the transfer of the
project to a serving faculty member may be done with prior approval of the ICSSR. The credit of Project shall
belong to the original Project Director.

10.9 Consideration under other call(s) would require a fresh proposal.

10.10 The Council reserves the right to reject any application without assigning any reason. It will not be responsible for
any postal delays/loss.

10.11 Incomplete applications in any respect will not be considered.

10.12 The final authority related to the interpretation of these guidelines or any other issue is vested with the ICSSR.

10.13 No queries will be entertained by the ICSSR until the final declaration of results against a call. Any lobbying for
an award will lead to disqualification.

10.14 The ICSSR retains all rights to publish any project funded by it, contingent upon the recommendation by expert(s)
appointed by ICSSR for publication. Copyright for the final report and outcomes of the project shall be held by
ICSSR. Any publication or dissemination of research findings shall solely be at the discretion of ICSSR.

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