Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) provides financial assistance to Indian scientists working outside ICMR institutes to conduct research in the fields of medicine, public health, and allied disciplines aimed at improving the health of Indians under its Extramural Research Programme.
The Investigator initiated Intermediate Grant projects are expected to result in finding solutions to priority health problems for the country by validation or evaluation of interventions that have already been shown to have proof of concept. Thus, the proposed study should stem from a well-documented proof of concept study and designed to achieve impact. The project should lead to significant contributions in generating effective interventions for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or rehabilitation of those disease conditions. Potential deliverables from these projects should include patent/commercial products, or impactful publications to influence clinical or public health practice. Multi-site, multi-disciplinary studies are encouraged under this call.
I. Discovery Research aimed at finding novel interventions, novel targets (basic research) and validation of leads in in-vivo models. It includes those proposals where proof-of-concept studies are already done, and further research is required. For example, if there is proof -of- concept of a biomarker which is to be taken for further research, is an example of such a study. It also includes drug discovery and drug delivery systems, non-animal and animal models, organoids, organ on-chip, biomaterials and personalized medicine including immuno-therapeutics and genomic medicine. The scope also includes AI-ML algorithms for drug and biomarker discovery. II. Development Research aimed at developing interventions for screening, diagnosis, prevention, treatment of diseases/conditions or make existing interventions simpler, safer, more efficacious, or more affordable. Examples of such research includes development of Point of care tests, molecular diagnostic tests, medical devices, health technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning predictive tools/models to solve health problems, phase-1 and phase 2/3 (or equivalent phase) clinical trials of vaccine and therapeutics etc.
III. Delivery Research or implementation research aimed at learning how to overcome barriers in delivering effective interventions to the people who need them. This will include health system-based interventions to scale-up access, and to successfully implement national health programmes or schemes, reducing inequity and improving quality of health care. Some examples include learning how to achieve single digit neonatal mortality rate in a district, how to integrate newer technological interventions into primary health care system to improve health and wellbeing of the population, how to optimize functioning of Ayushman Arogya Mandir (Health & Wellness Centres) or how we can reduce treatment gaps for mental health conditions. When submitting a delivery research proposal, it is essential for project investigators to possess a thorough understanding of delivery research and its various phases. The proposed intervention must be clearly articulated, and investigators should demonstrate a commitment to engaging stakeholders throughout the process. It is crucial to show the necessity of implementing the selected intervention in the specified settings, including the support from relevant parties and the alignment of the intervention with local needs.
IV. Description Research aimed to understand the disease or condition including its burden, risk factors and determinants and pathogenesis. Description projects will be funded if it generates information required for decision making on health problems where it is lacking. Some examples include study the relationship between long-term indoor and outdoor air pollution exposure and pregnancy outcomes, possible impact of PCV vaccination and pneumococcal diversity, etc.
Duration of the project and funding : The budget for the project must range between Rs. 2 crores to less than Rs. 8 Crores. The project duration will be up to a maximum period of four years. An additional period of up to 6 months for preparatory activities (with no additional costs) can be incorporated in the project proposal.
How to apply
A proposal can be submitted for financial support through ONLINE MODE ONLY (epms.icmr.org.in)by one Principal Investigator on behalf of the proposed team of Scientists/ professionals who have a regular employment in any Indian Medical Institutes/ Research Institutes/ Universities/ Colleges/ recognized Research & Development laboratories/ Government and semi-government organizations and NGOs (documentary evidence of their recognition including DSIR certificate, as applicable should be enclosed with every proposal). The research team should have the credentials for relevant skills, and experience and have demonstrated the ability to solve health problems under consideration.
Proposal Review Process
Two independent experts will review and score each project proposal. The scoring criteria are as follows :
Domain and Maximum score
Background & rationale of the project – is it likely to solve a priority problem? : 20
Possible impact – is it likely to have an impact on health outcomes? : 20
Novelty/innovation – is the study developing or testing a new idea? : 15
Methodology – are study methods appropriate to achieve the objectives? : 30
Implementation strategy and milestones to be achieved – is the study feasible in a timely manner? : 15
• The Project Selection Committee will give final scores taking into account reviewer’s scores and comments of all committee members.
• The committee may also provide comments for further improvement of the project.
• Top ranked proposals in each priority area will be funded.
• The proposed Budget will be reviewed by experienced researchers and justification/modifications may be asked from the PI, if required.
Points to keep in mind
• If similar projects are submitted for both intermediate and small grants by same PI/research team, the intermediate grant proposal will NOT be reviewed.
• If the same research team submits multiple similar projects in the same call, the last submitted proposal will be considered for reviewing, and the others will be rejected without review.
• The PI must not have more than five ongoing research proposals funded by ICMR or the sum of grant amount of more than Rs. 25 crores from the ongoing research projects funded by ICMR.
• ICMR scientists/institutes are not eligible to apply in this call. ICMR scientists may be named as co-investigators in these projects, but no funds will be given to ICMR institutions or scientists.
Timelines
Submission of proposal : From 7 January 2025 (Tuesday) 10:00hrs to 8 April 2025 (Tuesday) 17:00hrs
Review and selection : Mid-July 2025
Proposal improvement & final submission of documents : Mid-September 2025
Approval and release of funds : End of October 2025
ICMR e-PMS portal will accept proposals against Extramural Research Programme: Investigator Initiated Projects-Intermediate Grant between 7 January 2025 10:00 hrs IST to 8 April 2025, 17:00 hrs IST.
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