Research Funding Rules

Grants  for  Foreign  Travel and  Maintenance  Abroad  and for  visit  of  Foreign  Scholars

1. Cost of travel and of maintenance abroad may be provided to a citizen of India wishing to study at archives, museums, libraries or private collections abroad for collection of source material, or to take part in a workshop, seminar or conference abroad for presenting a paper related to History, or to receive training in a specialised branch of History.
   
   
2. (a)   Anyone wishing to make use of a grant under Clause 1 should apply at least three months before the proposed date of departure. The application on plain paper should contain particulars according to the proforma given in Annexure VI.
   (b)   A scholar seeking subsidy for collection of source material in foreign countries should broadly identify the source material and records and certify that the material and records are not available in India.
   (c)   Anyone seeking subsidy for attending a seminar or conference should submit either the paper he proposes to present there, or a very detailed synopsis thereof.
   
   
3. All applications made under clause 2 shall be placed before the Research Projects Committee or during the interval between any two meetings of the said committee, before the Foreign Travel Committee, either of which committee may decide whether any grant or subsidy should be given, and, if given, to what extent.
   Provided that—
   (a)   The ICHR may refer to one or more consultants for an assessment of the value or practicability of the proposal and the applicant’s competence in the field, in order to assist the Research Projects Committee or the Foreign Travel Committee in taking a decision;
   (b)   All decisions of the Foreign Travel Committee shall be reported to the meeting of the Research Projects Committee which shall be free to modify or alter any of its decisions, provided action has not already been taken thereon;
   (c)   No award by either of the said committees can be made post facto, that is, after the trip proposed to be funded has been completed; and
   (d)   The reference to the Research Projects Committee in proviso (4) to sub-clause (c) (iii) of Clause 4 of Chapter I as well as in sub-clause (q) of the same Clause shall be construed to be references also to the Foreign Travel Committee.
   
   
4. Anyone granted support or subsidy under Clause 3 shall,
   (a)   If he proposes to undertake research or study documents at archival repositories abroad or to attend a training programme, submit, on his return, a detailed report to the ICHR, so that it may be considered for publication in the Indian Historical Review or any other publication or the ICHR; or
   (b)   If he proposes to attend a seminar or conference or workshop in order to present a paper there, submit the final version of the paper to the ICHR within a month of his return and give the ICHR the first right to publish it in the Indian Historical Review or in any other of its publications.
   Provided that the Research Projects Committee, or, in a special case, the Chairman, may waive the ICHR’s right to publish.
   
   
5. A grant or subsidy awarded under provisions of Clause 3 shall be limited to
   (a)   (i)  Payment of a part of the excursion air-fare, travel to be undertaken by Air India; or
   (ii)  Purchase of a return excursion air ticket from Air India, and/or cost of bus/rail travel abroad, where part of the approved journey; and
   (b)   Payment of a daily maintenance allowance equal to $100 (one hundred US dollars) a day, if the period of stay abroad is of seven days or less, or $80 (eighty US dollars), if the said period is of more than seven days; but lower rates, to be determined by the Research Projects Committee or the Chairman, may apply for visits to South Asian countries
   Provided that—
   (i)  Ordinarily (a) above shall not be combined with (b) while awarding a grant or subsidy for the same trip abroad;
   (ii)  As far as possible, the ICHR itself shall purchase the air ticket, and when an excursion ticket is not available from Air India, the ICHR may purchase an excursion ticket from another airline, preferably a pool-partner of Air India, and, only failing that, a full economy ticket. Deviation from the above may be permitted only in cases where direct connection are not available with the National carriers, the passage cost is less or there is an appreciable saving on transit time, thus saving on per diem; and
   (iv)  The amount paid in maintenance allowance under (b) above shall be in rupees equal to the sanctioned amount in US dollars, calculated according to the rate at which the recipient of the allowance is able to obtain US dollars for rupees for the purpose of travel abroad, a certified statement of the actual conversion to be submitted by the recipient, though not necessarily in advance.
   
   
6. In cases where the ICHR is to meet full excursion air-fare under Clause 5, the airport tax and/or foreign travel tax in India, and the prescribed travelling allowance for the journey between the travellers’ station and the international airport in India, along with the due halting allowance shall also be paid by the ICHR.
   
   
7. No one may normally be considered for a foreign travel grant for more than once in three years, but funding for a foreign trip provided for under Clause 8 shall not be counted as a foreign travel grant for the purpose of this clause.
   
   
8. (a)   Notwithstanding anything contained in Clause 2, the ICHR, depending on its own requirements for appropriate representation, may, at its volition, nominate a scholar to represent it at an international congress, seminar, conference, or meeting, or proceed under Cultural Exchange Programmes, such nomination to be made by the Research Projects Committee or the Foreign Travel Committee.
   (b)   In cases of such nomination both the fare and maintenance may be provided if local hospitality is not available or only partly available; but except for this modification, the provisions for both fare and subsistence shall be in accordance with those set out in Clause 5 and 6.
   (c)   The restriction imposed in clause 7 shall not apply to cases covered under this clause.
   
   
9. The period for which maintenance allowance abroad (outside South Asian countries) is granted under Clause 5 and 8, shall not normally exceed fifteen days.
   
   
10. Upon a decision of the Research Projects Committee or, subject to the same procedure as prescribed in Clause 3 (b) above, of the Foreign Travel Committee, the ICHR may invite to India a non-Indian scholar to deliver lectures, or undertake research, on any subject of History, or to present a paper at a seminar, conference or workshop organized or funded by the ICHR. The ICHR may thereupon meet the cost of air travel (international) in the same manner as prescribed in proviso (ii) to Clause 5 above, together with airport and/or foreign travel tax, as well as the cost of domestic travel, and also meet hospitality costs and/or pay allowance for maintenance at rates approved by the Research Projects Committee or Foreign Travel Committee or by the Chairman on behalf of either committee.
    Provided that lump-sum payments, not exceeding Rupees twenty-five thousand (Rs. 25,000) in each case, may be made to scholars invited from a South Asian country, in lieu of payments for travel costs and hospitality/maintenance for specific periods of stay, the precise amounts to be determined by the Research Projects Committee or Foreign Travel Committee.