RESPOND (Sponsored Research) Program: ISRO 2291 views

RESPOND (Sponsored Research) program by ISRO

Overview

ISRO started RESPOND (Sponsored Research) program in 1970s, with the objective of encouraging academicians to participate and contribute in various Space related research activities. Under RESPOND, projects are taken up by Universities/Academic Institutions in the areas of relevance to Space Program. ISRO has evolved the RESPOND program through which necessary financial and technical support is provided to academia in India for conducting research and development activities related to Space Science, Space Technology and Space Applications.

Program details

This is the flagship program of ISRO to promote the extra-mural research in emerging areas of Space at Academia. To enable the faculty of Universities/ Institutes to prepare suitable proposals of relevance to space program, a detailed list of R&D areas/sub areas /topics have been evolved as per major programs of ISRO, by the various centres of ISRO and published annually. RESPOND program is mutually beneficial to ISRO and Academia, wherein the rich talent of Academia/ faculty is being harnessed to support the Nation’s Space program.

Apart from this, ISRO has also set up Space Technology Cells (STC) at premier institutions like the following:

1. Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) – Bombay, Kanpur, Kharagpur and Madras,
2. Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru and
3. Joint Research Program with Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU)

Additionally, conferences, workshops and publications, which are of relevance to Space program, are also being supported. RESPOND is also participating in the National Missions like IMPRINT (IMPacting Research INnovation and Technology) program and Uchhatar Avishkar Yojana (UAY).

Features

1. ISRO Research Fellowships, Research Associateships and Research Scientists are awarded for specific projects or Education/Research Schemes approved by ISRO. Change of level of Research Fellow, subsequent to the approval of the project will not be permitted.
2. Recipients of these Fellowships are expected to conduct research work whole time under the Principal Investigator of the ISRO sponsored project.
3. In special cases of individual Research Fellows/Associates, the candidates could be governed by the conditions of Research work as specified by the projects/ programs/ schemes for which the Fellowships have been offered by ISRO.
4. ISRO may nominate a member in the committee(s) appointed by the institution in connection with the approved project.
5. The Fellows/ Associates/ Scientists, appointed for ISRO project, shall not be transferred from one institution to another.
6. The award of ISRO Fellowships does not imply any assurance or guarantee by or from ISRO or any kind of employment to the beneficiaries.
7. Generally the upper limit for the period of Fellowships Scientists will be the same as that of the project. However, in exceptional cases, mainly to enable the Fellow to complete all formalities required for submission of doctoral thesis, ISRO may consider extension of the fellowship purely based on the merit on case by case basis. However, such extensions cannot be claimed as right by either fellow or PI.

Emoluments: Monthly emoluments of the Fellowships/ Associateship/ Scientists will be paid by the concerned institution by utilizing the project grant.