The Science and Technology (S&T) Institutions, Organisations and Professional Bodies play an essential role in fostering cohesion within the scientific community by organising technical meetings, seminars, conferences and workshops. These events enable researchers to stay updated on recent developments in their respective fields and provide valuable platforms for establishing long-term professional linkages and collaborative networks.

To support such initiatives, the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF) provides selective partial financial assistance for national and international scientific events. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, research laboratories, professional bodies and other non-profit organisations dedicated to advancing scientific research.

The scheme gives priority to events with strong research relevance across the S&T spectrum. Activities primarily centred on social sciences, management or policy generally fall outside the core scope, unless they demonstrate a significant interface with mainstream scientific domains. Support decisions are based on key factors such as scientific and technical merit, thematic alignment, contextual significance and the scale and quality of participation.

Objectives

• Promote high-quality scientific discourse through seminars, symposia, conferences, summer/winter schools and focused group meetings.
• Build national research capacity building through structured high-end workshops, thematic schools, skill-development camps and short-term research immersion opportunities.
• Enhance access and equity by enabling Tier-2/3 institutions and early-career researchers/students to participate in advanced scientific events.
• Support scientific social responsibility (SSR) through outreach and community-engagement activities.
• Strengthen scientific communication and visibility through enhanced dissemination and media engagement strategies, democratizing access for stakeholders and leveraging ANRF’s social media channels and platforms to amplify reach.

Scope of Support

1)   Academic & Scientific Meetings

Support for seminars, symposia, conferences, national/international gatherings, bilateral/multilateral events, and focused thematic discussions to foster scientific exchange and collaboration.

2)   ANRF Research Capacity Development Workshop

a.   Scientific Outreach, Engagement & Research Capacity Building: Support for scientific social responsibility (SSR) activities, and networking/handholding initiatives to strengthen particularly low-resource and emerging institutions, etc.

Research capacity development may encompass, but is not limited to, the following areas:

• Research grant writing
• End-to-end understanding of the research lifecycle
• Industry–academia collaboration and consortium building for larger mission-oriented programmes
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Technology transfer
• Research grant management
• Expertise requirement

b.   Advanced Research Immersion Program: Short-term high-end workshops providing hands-on exposure to modern tools, techniques, and laboratory environments, thematic learning schools, summer/winter science research camps/schools, faculty development programs, student–mentor enrichment programs to broaden scientific awareness and nurture early research interest, etc.

Note: Only a limited number of events will be supported in this category (ANRF Research Capacity Development Workshop), with due consideration for a balanced geographical distribution across the country.

Call information and Timelines

• Applications (in online mode only) must be submitted no earlier than 150 days and no later than 30 days before the start date of the event.
• The events seeking support under the Scope of Support - Category 1 should be at least2 days long and no more than 7 consecutive days.
• The events seeking support under the Scope of Support - Category 2 (a) should be at least2 days long and no more than 3 consecutive days.
• The events seeking support under the Scope of Support - Category 2 (b) should be at least1 week long (7 working days) and no more than 2 weeks(14 working days).

Eligibility

• The applicant must be an Indian citizen residing in India.
• The applicant must hold a regular position in a recognised academic institution, national laboratory, or accredited R&D organisation.
• Committed individuals may collaborate with academic or R&D institutions when applying.
• For Scope of Support – Category 2(a) & (b), faculty members or scientists from recognised institutions of higher learning and research are eligible to apply. Applicants should have an established record of excellence in research and academic contributions, such as demonstrated by national or international recognition, including fellowship of reputed science academies or equivalent professional distinction.
• A maximum of two events may be sanctioned to an individual in a calendar year.

Nature of Support

^*Actual as per the recommendation of the Expert Committee after evaluation of the applications.

For successful/selected applications, sanctioned funds may be used for thefollowing categories of expenditure:

• Student support, e.g. travel, accommodation, stationery, etc., for eligibleresearch capacity development, immersion, and capacity-building programs
• Domestic travel for participants (with a priority to the students and earlycareer researchers), invited speakers, and resource persons
• Hospitality, venue charges, and essential logistical arrangements
• Honoraria, best thesis award, best paper award, best poster award, etc.
• Consumables, laboratory supplies, and training materials required forworkshops, schools, and hands-on sessions
• Printing brochures, meeting materials, event handouts, publicity, andoutreach-related materials
• Audio–visual arrangements, including event recording, live-streaming,and necessary technical services
• Contingencies within the prescribed limits as approved in the financial sanction

Note: Support may be provided in a consolidated budgethead, such as the Event Grant.

The following expenditures shall not be supported under this scheme:

• Purchase of major equipment or capital assets
• Foreign travel of any kind
• Overheads
• Any expenditure not directly related to the conduct of the sanctioned event

Additional Guidelines for the Approved Events

Reporting, Dissemination & Impact

• Organisers should document (as per the defined format available in the ANRFONLINE portal / Annexure-A) both expected and actual impact, using suitable qualitative and quantitative indicators.
• Event materials are advised to be uploaded to institutional websites and/or social media platforms to enhance visibility.
• Organisers are encouraged to share recordings, summaries, or other educational content generated from the event wherever feasible. For international events, sharing lead lectures from training workshops is mandatory.
• Open-access dissemination is promoted to ensure wider public benefit.
• Organisers of approved events are required to submit a brief, structured post-event report using the recommended template.
• The report should include participant feedback, key outcomes, and anymeasurable outputs or deliverables.
• Livestreaming/recording of sessions is recommended.

Media Outreach

• On the inauguration day, Organisers are encouraged to release a social media announcement highlighting the event title, required acknowledgements, a short description, relevant photographs, and tags to ANRF’s official handles.
• Post-event, a concise write-up and curated photographs should be submitted to ANRF for official posting and for tagging the host institution.
• Organisers are encouraged to seek coverage in local and regional newspapers; national outreach is advisable for high-impact events.
• Exceptionally high-quality talks or lectures may be invited to be feat under the ANRF+ program / Playlist in ANRF Media Channels.
• For Type A category events, livestreaming is mandatory in addition to all other requirements. For Type B events, recording of lectures and talks is mandatory, while livestreaming is recommended. For Type C events, both recording and livestreaming are recommended but not mandatory.
• It is recommended that selected papers be converted using SARAL AI ( https://saral.democratiseresearch.in ) to promote the democratisation of research.

Disclaimer: ANRF shall not bear any legal or institutional responsibility for content published. The responsibility remains with the respective institution. ANRF retains the right to amplify the content through its own official social media channels.

Contact person Details:

The contact details of Programme Officers are given below:
Dr. Pankaj Kumar Rawat, Scientist 'E'
Tel: 011-26552194
Email: seminar[dot]symposia[at]anrf[dot]gov[dot]in

Frequently Asked Questions: