Guidelines for the Award of ICSSR Collaborative Empirical Research Project on Solar Energy and Sustainability

1. Introduction

1.1 Bharat, as one of the world’s largest economies, is progressing towards major energy transformation. The Government of India has introduced several significant initiatives to promote solar energy as part of its broader renewable energy and sustainability efforts. The National Solar Mission (NSM), launched in 2010, aims to achieve large-scale solar deployment with a target of 100 GW by 2022. The (PM KUSUM) Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Utthaan Mahabhiyaan scheme was introduced in 2019 to support farmers in installing solar pumps and power plants, while the Rooftop Solar Programme sets a goal of 40 GW in rooftop solar capacity. Solar Park Development focuses on large-scale projects with an additional 40 GW capacity. India, as a co-founder of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), leads global efforts in solar energy promotion. The Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) emphasizes solar energy for tribal communities, while the PLI Scheme boosts domestic solar manufacturing. Collectively, these initiatives contribute to India's renewable energy targets of 175 GW by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.

1.2 The nation’s rapidly growing population and increasing industrialisation have led to a surge in energy needs over the past half-century. Traditional fossil fuels, which are both limited and harmful to the environment, are no longer a viable option. Given these challenges, solar energy emerges as a beacon of hope. India’s geographical advantage of abundant sunlight makes solar energy not just a promising option, but a potential game-changer. Empirical research on solar energy and sustainability can identify optimal strategies for transitioning to solar power and reducing the carbon footprint, which will facilitate combating climate change. While solar technology is making massive advances, efficiency, storage, and cost pose a significant challenge. To address these challenges, empirical research can lead to advances by testing new materials, increasing photovoltaic cell efficiency, and improving storage costs. Innovation in these areas is absolutely essential for making solar energy more efficient and attractive for widespread use.

1.3 The solar energy sector holds significant potential for job creation in areas such as manufacturing, installation, maintenance, and research. Empirical studies can map the job creation landscape, identify skill gaps, and suggest educational and training programs to prepare the workforce for the emerging green economy.

1.4 Furthermore, the economic impacts of solar energy investments can attract further investments, both domestic and international, thereby bolstering India’s economy. Empirical research can also address issues emerging from India's heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels. To do so, it can identify practical ways to harness domestic solar energy, enhancing energy security and independence. Furthermore, the research can offer decentralised solar solutions to alleviate energy needs in rural and remote areas. Such an approach will reduce regional economic inequalities. A combination of traditional knowledge and modern technologies supported by robust empirical data can support sustainable and culturally appropriate energy solutions, paving the way for India's brighter and more sustainable future.

1.5 The researchers' role in conducting empirical research is pivotal for effective policymaking for sustainable energy development. By providing robust empirical evidence, researchers play a crucial role in offering insights into approaches to integrate solar power into the national grid, design effective subsidy frameworks, and create incentives for solar energy producers and consumers. Understanding the socio-economic impacts of solar energy adoption allows for policies that maximise benefits while minimizing potential drawbacks. This data-driven approach ensures that policies are technically sound, socially equitable, and economically beneficial.

1.6 In this context, the ICSSR has identified Solar Energy and Sustainability as a key area for empirical research, with the goal of generating outcomes and insights on various aspects of solar energy transformation in both urban and rural sectors.

i. Proposal Requirements:

1.7 Proposals must ensure a significant sample size for research to objectively assess the various dimensions of Solar energy and sustainability issues. Detailed geographical coverage (villages, blocks, and districts) should be shown using charts and GIS-based maps to illustrate project locations.

1.8 Proposals should encompass fact-based and action-oriented research, including a thorough background of the specific research area and a relevant literature review leading to well-defined hypotheses, objectives, and research questions. The proposal must outline a systematic research methodology, specifying sampling methods, data sources, interview schedules/questionnaires, and tools and software for analysis. The study should address quantitative and qualitative approaches, focusing on actionable and applied analysis, and include specific scope and limitations with mitigation strategies.

ii. Research Team Composition:

1.9 The research team should include three to six scholars to develop a comprehensive study, emphasising collaboration among multiple institutions. Researchers from various disciplines, institutions, and regions are encouraged to collaborate on this research.

1.10 The Project Director will be responsible for completing the study successfully and utilising the funds. The Project Director and Co-Project Directors should be from the social and human sciences.

iii. Duration, Budget and Disbursal of Grant

1.11 The project duration will be 10 to 12 months, with a budget of up to Rs. 15 Lakhs. The grant will be disbursed in instalments as deemed fit by the ICSSR. The affiliating institution should open/maintain a dedicated bank account for the ICSSR grant (Scheme Code-0877) that is duly registered at the EAT Module of the PFMS portal.

iv. Methodological Approaches:

1.12 A multi-method approach will be employed to provide a comprehensive analysis. Quantitative studies will deploy statistical methods to analyse existing large-scale datasets (or the data gathered by the researchers) on solar energy production, consumption, and impacts that will offer insights into overall trends. To complement the quantitative exercise, qualitative research will be conducted through in-depth interviews, focus-group discussions, and case studies to capture the nuanced experiences and perspectives of the stakeholders, ranging from policymakers to local users. Additionally, a comparative regional analysis will assess the performance and challenges of solar energy implementation across various states, identifying region-specific solutions and best practices tailored to diverse environmental and socio-economic contexts.

2. ELIGIBILITY

2.1 Researchers who are permanently employed or retired as faculty from UGC Recognized Indian Universities/Deemed to be Universities/ Affiliated Colleges/Institutions under (2) F or 12(B), ICSSR Research Institutes, ICSSR Recognised Institutes and Institutes of National Importance as defined by the Ministry of Education (MoE) are eligible to apply. The applicants should have substantial research experience, which is demonstrable through publications of books/research papers/reports. The Project Director and Co-Project Director must also hold a Ph.D. Degree.

2.2 In exceptional cases, Independent researchers with PhD degrees who are not affiliated permanently with any institution mentioned in Clause 2.1 but 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 Co-Project Directors. Such scholars will be required to collaborate with a faculty from institutions given in 2.1 above.

2.3 Further, those researchers with PhD degrees who are in contractual appointment in academic/research institutions mentioned in Clause 2.1 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 Co-Project Directors. In the event of their contract expiry, they may continue as Co-Project Directors until the completion of the project.

2.4 Senior and retired government and defence officers (having not less than 05 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 Co-Project Directors, in collaboration with a faculty from institutions given in 2.1 above.

2.5 Non-academic participants/stakeholders/local community may also be part of the research team in the capacity of key informants.

3. How to Apply

3.1 The applications shall will be invited through an advertisement on ICSSR website and shall will be promoted through social media platforms of ICSSR.

3.2 The applicants must 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 affiliated university/college/institute. Hard copies of the same must be submitted within ten days of the last date of submission of the online application. The online application form will be available on the ICSSR website from September 13th, 2024. The last date for online submission is October 13th, 2024.

3.3 Research proposals and final reports should be in English or Hindi. The application form should be filled out in Hindi using Arial/ Mangal Unicode (Devanagari) font.

3.4 Researchers can apply for only one project at a time. For any ongoing or completed project with the ICSSR, the cooling-off period for applying to another project will be one year for the Project Director. The date of cooling period will be calculated from the date of submission of the final report. However, this will not be applicable for minor projects/short-term empirical research projects of duration equal to or less than 12 months. For ICSSR Research Institutes, the cooling period will not be applicable.

4. Procedure for Awards

4.1 The procedure for awarding 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 will be invited to interact/present at ICSSR (in person or online).

4.2 The expert committee(s) shall make a recommendation(s) for awarding studies and suggest the budget for the proposed studies after interacting with the shortlisted applicants.

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

4.4 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 instalments, 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 the research design, budget and duration of the project.

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

i. Allocation of Heads of Expenditure

* The project investigator may with the permission of the institution the re-appropriate expenditure from one sub-head to another subject to a maximum of 10% of the particular budget heads. If the study necessitates re-appropriation beyond 10% it may be done only after the approval of the ICSSR.

5.3      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, Data Sets, workshop/seminar/publication etc.); and Contingency charges etc. shall be as per the ICSSR guidelines given below;

C. Affiliating Institutional Overhead Charges @ 10% over and above on the awarded grant of the project, subject to a maximum limit of Rs. 2 00,000/-, will be released by the ICSSR after successfully completing the project.

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

5.5 Selection of Research Staff should be made through an advertisement published on the respective institute’s website and a selection committee, duly approved by the Competent Authority of the institution, consisting of (1) Project Director; (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 Director.

5.6 The rules of affiliating institutes/universities shall be applied to all field work-related expenses of the project director, co-project director (s), and project personnel.

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

6. Joining and Release of Grants

6.1 The Project Director has to join the project as per the date notified by the ICSSR by submitting the requisite documents, such as an ‘undertaking’ on a 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 grant awarded for the Research Project will be released to the affiliating institution in instalments, as mentioned in the award letter. The ICSSR will decide in accordance with the overall project requirements.

6.3 The 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 UGC care 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 Finance Officer and charted accountant will sign the utilisation certificate of institutions whose accounts are not audited by CAG/AG.

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

6.5 The Project Director will ensure that their expenditure 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 Director will be monitored by submitting periodic progress reports in the prescribed format. The project may be discontinued/terminated if research progress is unsatisfactory or any ICSSR rules are violated. In such cases, the entire amount must be refunded with a 10% penal interest.

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 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 / UGC care-listed journals can be considered.

7.3 All project-related queries will be addressed to the Project Director/ Affiliating Institution for their timely reply.

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

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

7.6 The final report submitted by the Project Director is mandatorily evaluated by an Expert appointed by the ICSSR before the release of the final instalment is considered.

7.7 The Project Director shall be personally responsible for the project's timely completion. Any member of the project staff, including the project director, cannot submit the project proposal/final report for the award of any University degree/diploma or funding by any institution. However, ICSSR will have no objection if any project staff member utilises the project data for research purposes, provided there are due acknowledgements to ICSSR.

7.8 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 legal recourse will be initiated for recovery of the released grant.

7.9 As per the Ministry of Education's (MoE) directions, 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 upon the expiration of the project's duration. Suppose the Project Director 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. In that case, he/she will be required to refund the grant amount with interest thereon @ 10% per annum.

8 Completion of the Study

8.1 On completion of the study, the Project Director 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 the 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 Director shall incorporate the changes within the stipulated time and should submit the following:

A. Soft copy of the modified final report in both PDF and Word formats along with two hard copies;

B. Five copies of the executive summary;

C. Softcopies of (if any) Data Sets, along with well-defined data definitions and other important information for documentation.

8.3 ICSSR checks every report for plagiarism and generates a similarity report. As a policy, ICSSR does not accept reports with a similarity beyond 10 per cent on the similarity index. Scholars must get their final report checked by their affiliating institutions for similarity index and attach a certified report of the same at the time of submission.

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

9. Obligations of the Affiliating Institution

9.1 The affiliating institution must 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 should open and maintain a dedicated bank account for the ICSSR grant (Scheme Code-0877) duly registered at the EAT Module of the PFMS portal for the release of the grant without any delay. This account should be retained for all projects awarded by ICSSR. 

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 preserving data relating to the study, such as filled-in schedules, tabulation sheets, manuscripts, reports, etc. The ICSSR reserves the right to demand raw data or such parts of the survey as it deems fit.

9.6 If a Project Director 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 unutilised 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 to schemes of ICSSR in the future.

9.7 In case a Project Director passes away before the project's completion, the affiliating institution shall immediately inform ICSSR by submitting a copy of the death certificate and settle the accounts immediately by expediting the 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 (up to three months for Minor Projects up to six months for Major Projects) without any additional grant. If an extension is needed beyond the above-mentioned period, the matter will be brought up with the competent authority of ICSSR for a decision. If the extension is required, the Project Director must request at least three months before the end of the stipulated tenure for a no-cost extension with a copy of the progress report and reasons for the delay with documentary evidence. Retrospective extension will not be permitted.

10.2 The contingency grant may be utilized for stationery, computer typing-related costs, specialised 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 can participate in a research project or ICSSR fellowship.

10.4 Foreign trips are not permissible within the awarded budget of a project. However, the Project Director may undertake data collection outside India in exceptional cases and if warranted by the needs of the proposal. For this, they must 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 the study should not be consequent upon such data collection support.

10.5 Any request for an additional grant over 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 director cannot make any changes in the research design at any stage.

10.8 Regarding Transfer of a Project/Appointment of Substitute Project Director:

A. At the request of a university/institute, the ICSSR may permit the appointment of a Substitute Project Director in exceptional circumstances.

B. The ICSSR may also appoint a Substitute Project Director if it is convinced that the project's original awardee will not be able to carry out the study successfully.

C. The ICSSR may transfer the place of the Project from one affiliating institution to another subject to submission of the following:

● Satisfactory progress report (s);

● No objection certificate from both the previous and the new university/institute;

● Audited statement of account, utilisation certificate, and unspent balance, if any.

● However, no transfer of project / Project director 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.

E. In case of superannuation of the Project Director and if the institution's rules require, the project transfer to a serving faculty member may be done with prior approval of the ICSSR. The Project's credit 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 is not responsible for postal delays or losses.

10.11 Incomplete applications will not be considered in any respect.

10.12 The ICSSR has the final authority regarding the interpretation of these guidelines or any other issue.

10.13 The ICSSR will not entertain queries until the final declaration of results against a call. 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. ICSSR shall hold copyright for the final report and outcomes of the project. Any publication or dissemination of research findings shall solely be at the discretion of ICSSR.

Call for Proposals for Collaborative Empirical Research on Solar Energy and Sustainability