Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant (Agricultural Sciences)

Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant (Agricultural Sciences) is sponsored by Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation (SreePVF). This grant supports translational research in the agriculture sector to achieve last-mile accomplishment. It focuses on science-based innovative solutions with the scope of immediate deployment, curated towards the needs of small and marginal farmers.

Agricultural Science – SreePVF Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation In 2021, SreePVF expanded the Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant to include the agricultural sciences. The grant aims to provide last-mile funding for novel and sustainable solutions that benefit small and marginal farmers in India.

This program provides a 50-lakh grant over two years to individuals and institutions whose work aligns with our mission to improve agriculture practices and promote sustainable solutions in the field. At SreePVF, we believe that through research and innovation, we can help drive progress and make a positive impact on society. The 6th edition of the grant call is currently closed for applications.

Grant Name : Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant Type of Research: Agricultural Level of Funding: Upto Rs. 50 lakh Duration of Funding: 2 years The proposed projects for Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grants in Agriculture shall focus on the following major criteria: Science-based innovative solutions in any branch of Agricultural Sciences through translational research with the scope of immediate deployment.

Curated towards the needs of small and marginal farmers. The objective of these grants is to support translational research, based on excellent science, in the agriculture sector to achieve last-mile accomplishment. The research outcome shall support the generation of a better livelihood and enable the empowerment of the rural farming community in India with an emphasis on small and marginal farmers.

Wherever applicable, all grantees will also be provided, free of cost at a location in Andhra Pradesh, access to agricultural land with workshop facilities to validate their ideas and demonstrate the same to farmers. SreePVF is currently accepting applications under this call.

Please refer below for indicative timelines for this competition: Preliminary Application Evaluation for remit, eligibility and competitiveness Short-listed candidates will be requested to submit a full application Review and Interviews of short-listed candidates for the final award Ambit of the grant and focus areas Applications for two-year grants are invited from interested individuals and teams from recognized universities, Government research institutes and not-for-profit research organizations.

The grant is envisaged as an enabler to deliver ready-to-deploy solutions for small and marginal farming communities. The outcome of the research, while based on advanced scientific knowledge, shall be readily translated into a fully sustainable solution featuring innovation, relevant to the farming community, cost-effective and easily accessible.

The applicant shall emphasize the immediate deployment of the technology or research solution to the benefit of farmers.

Possible focus areas, although not limited to, of the grant are listed below: Climate resilient cropping/agriculture systems, post-harvest technologies, Agri wastes to wealth for farmers, safety of workers during farm operations, Crop management, Agronomy, Plant protection, Crop improvement, Novel variety/hybrid field trial, Food compositional analysis, Food safety study, Soil management, Water management, Organic farming, Sustainable agriculture, Precision farming, Seed processing and storage, Agriculture biotechnology, Artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, Internet of Things (IoT) in agriculture, Big data analytics in Agriculture, Farm machinery, Agro forestry, etc. Eligibility and Suitability Institutional Eligibility Individuals and teams from recognized universities, R&D institutions, and recognized non-profit research organizations in India are eligible to apply.

Proposals can come from a single institution or multiple institutions. International Collaborations International collaborations are eligible, but the lead organization must be based in India, and the funds will only be provided to the Indian side of the expenditure.

You’ll need to provide a strong justification for why the collaboration is essential for the execution of the project, what value it will add to the proposal, and why the work cannot be carried out in India. Highlight any regulatory approvals needed from the Indian government for the collaboration, as well as material transfer.

Principal Investigator Requirements The Principal Investigator should be below 50 years of age as on 22 April 2026. The upper age limit for a woman PI can be up to 55 years as on 22 April 2026. Grants cannot be used for the salary of investigators.

You’ll need to have already secured a salaried job and space and support from the host institution before applying. Sree PVF grants are not intended to duplicate support available from the Indian government or other sources.

If you’ve already received substantial funding for your core activities or similar work, you’ll only be eligible if you can demonstrate that the activity for which funding is sought is additional to the work for which you had already received funding from other sources. All successful awards are contingent upon acceptance of our non-negotiable Terms and Conditions.

To avoid delays in accepting the award and initiating the projects, we advise applicants to consult and review these terms with the appropriate departments in their institution early on in the process. The maximum budget for each grant is Rs. 50 lakh.

Grants will be disbursed in two tranches, with each tranche no more than Rs. 25 lakh per year.

Eligible costs for funding include capital expenditure (equipment), manpower, consumables, travel (no international travel) and local hospitality, contingency, overheads, field trials, safety studies, outsourcing, and others, such as training and awareness, workshops, publications, review meetings, etc., based on the requirement of the project.

Flexibility in Utilizing Budget Sree PVF offers flexibility to the applicant in how they wish to utilize the budget as long as the requested costs are commensurate with the proposed research and are strongly justified. However, it’s important to note that the salary for investigators is not included in the grant. The host institution is expected to provide salary and research support for the duration of the grant period.

Budget indicated will be inclusive of all applicable taxes (GST and TDS included) and Institutional overheads. Scientific Novelty and Innovation: What innovative and novel solutions are proposed? Relevance to Farming Community: How will the proposed solutions benefit small and marginal farming communities?

Sustainable solutions: Are the proposed solutions sustainable and easily accessible? Cost-effectiveness: Does the proposal showcase cost-effectiveness? The expertise of Applicants: What is the expertise of the applicant in fulfilling project objectives?

Readiness to Deploy: Is the proposed technology or research solution at a reasonable readiness level for deployment upon project completion? Green Technology: Does the proposed project adhere to green technology principles? Responsibility: Is the timeline and budget for the project on completion reasonable?

Click here to download the format for the preliminary application. Soft copies of the duly filled-in application must be emailed as a single consolidated PDF file to sreepvf. agriculture@gmail.

com before 22 April 2026. The file name of the submitted application must be the full name of the lead applicant in the format “first name last name. pdf” with the email subject/title “Preliminary application for Sree PVF Research Grant for Agriculture 2026_PI name”.

Hard copies are not required. Short-listed candidates will be required to submit a full proposal (format will be shared only with those selected) and present the research proposal before a selection committee through an online presentation. Six eminent scientists from the field of Agriculture in India constitute the review committee.

International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biology, New Delhi Members of the Committee (2025 Onwards) Professor L S Shashidhara, TIFR-NCBS, Bangalore; IISER, Pune; Ashoka University, Sonepat Dr M. Sujatha, ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad Dr Alok Kalra, Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, P. O.

(CIMAP), Lucknow Professor Sheshshayee Sreeman, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore Professor V Sudharani, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad (Retired) Members of the Committee (2021-2024) Professor L S Shashidhara, TIFR-NCBS, Bangalore; IISER, Pune; Ashoka University, Sonepat Dr Alok Kalra, Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants, P. O. (CIMAP), Lucknow Dr M.

Sujatha, ICAR-Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Hyderabad Dr Navin Sharma, International Agriculture Consulting Group Dr Alok Krishna Sinha National Institute of Plant Genome Research Grants Manager - SreePVF Foundation Coordinator and communication – Startup Cofounder, former Scientist at DuPont Knowledge Center, Hyderabad Grants and Communications Associate, 2025 : Dr. Arindam Chakrabarty, from CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad, for developing Degradable Coated Kraft Paper for Mulching.

2025 : Dr. Senthil-Kumar Muthappa, from BRIC- National Institute of Plant Genome Research, New Delhi, for Evaluating the potential of rhizospheric engineering using a microbial consortium for chickpea protection against dry root rot-associated disease complex under drought, and for enhanced yield under field conditions. 2024 : Dr B.

Sailaja, ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, Telangana and her collaborators for developing “RAISE – Rice AI Stress Evaluator” 2024 : Dr Himanshi Jangir, University of Petroleum Energy Studies (UPES), Dehradun, Uttarakhand for development of a Novel Eco-Friendly Nano-Agriculture Strategy for Small-Marginal Farmers of Higher Himalayas: A Nano-Pyrite Based Seed/Root/Shoot Treatment Approach for Improving Potato Yield and Dairy Green Fodder Production 2024 : Dr Shahid Rasool, CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu for Development and Demonstration of a Novel Production Model Integrating Lavender in High Density Apple Production Systems for Enhanced Farm Profitability from Resource Use Optimization and Environmental Sustainability through Improved Agro-ecology of the Farming Systems 2023 : Dr. Sachin A Mandavgane, Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, and his collaborators for Valorization of post-harvest agro waste (with C/N >50) using indigenous fibrinolytic enzymes.

2023 : Dr. Srinivas Kiran Ambatipudi, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, and his collaborator for building a Virtual Cow Care System Using Cow Infra Red Imaging Analytical (CIRAN) System.

2023 : Dr. Sunny Dhir, Maharishi Markandeshwar, Mullana, Ambala and his collaborators for Development of ASSURRED (affordable, sensitive, specific, user friendly, robust, reusable, equipment-free, deliverable) Biosensor for the detection and management of major apple viruses. 2022 : Dr. P. Lavanya Kumari, S.

V. Agricultural College, Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University, and her collaborators for building an Artificial Intelligence based modeling of major pests in Rice crop to promote Forewarning advisory services in Andhra Pradesh.

2022: Dr. Koushik Mazumder, National Agri-Food Biotechnology Institute, and his collaborators for developing a novel edible coating material for the postharvest quality improvement of perishable fruit crops 2021 : Dr Jagadis Gupta Kapuganti, National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) for his work on developing a novel and cost-effective technology to prevent post-harvest losses of fruits sreepvf. agriculture@gmail.

com At SreePVF, we are committed to promoting translational research in the fields of Biomedical Sciences and Agriculture through our flagship Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Research Grant 40-3-13, GUMMADI RAJA GOPALA RAO STREET, M. G. ROAD, VIJAYAWADA-520 010, ANDHRA PRADESH,INDIA.

E-mail: sreepvfkrishna@gmail. com Website: https://sreepvf. org/ Designed by Right Click Solutions.

<p class="bodytext" style="text-align: justify;">India is rapidly transforming into a dynamic hub of intellectual innovation and discovery. To support the science and technology ecosystem in the country, the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation has created peer- reviewed funding programs that recognize exceptional researchers with the potential to achieve ground-breaking results in areas of critical national importance.

Our foundation provides these researchers with generous funding and empowering mentorship to generate knowledge and develop sustainable solutions of the highest quality, particularly in the fields of biomedical and agricultural research. We also work on projects to deploy advanced knowledge and improve the income of small and marginal farmers.

We believe that by working together, we can create sustainable solutions that will benefit not only India but also the world. </p> India is rapidly transforming into a dynamic hub of intellectual innovation and discovery.

To support the science and technology ecosystem in the country, the Sree Padmavathi Venkateswara Foundation has created peer- reviewed funding programs that recognize exceptional researchers with the potential to achieve ground-breaking results in areas of critical national importance.

Our foundation provides these researchers with generous funding and empowering mentorship to generate knowledge and develop sustainable solutions of the highest quality, particularly in the fields of biomedical and agricultural research. We also work on projects to deploy advanced knowledge and improve the income of small and marginal farmers.

We believe that by working together, we can create sustainable solutions that will benefit not only India but also the world. This will close in 20 seconds