• The Indian Project Coordinator (IPC) company applying for the project must be incorporated in India under the Companies Act 1956/2013.
• At least 51% stake of the IPC Company must be owned by Indian citizens.
• The IPC should have the required expertise and team capacity to manage the proposed project[1].

• Sole proprietors and partnership firms are not eligible for support under this programme.
• Companies headquartered and owned outside India and their subsidiaries in India, or vice versa, are not eligible to receive funding from DST under this programme.

• Indian companies having partnership with government-funded Indian academic and R&D institutions.
• Indian companies having in-house R&D Centre recognised by DSIR. For details, please refer to:http://www.dsir.gov.in/forms/irdpp/Application%20for%20R&D.pdf.
• Companies that fall under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) category, as defined by the Government of India. For definition of MSME, please refer to: http://www.dcmsme.gov.in/ssiindia/defination msme.htm.

• The Singapore Project Coordinator (SPC) must be a commercial company. The SPC is responsible for the application submission in Singapore and towards EnterpriseSG;
• Be a business entity that is registered and physically present in Singapore;
• ≥ 30% local equity held directly or indirectly by Singaporean(s) / Singapore PR(s), determined by the ultimate individual ownership;
• Be financially able to see a project through to completion; and
• Not placed under the blacklist of EnterpriseSG.

• DST will support up to a maximum limit of INR 1.5 crore per project of the total Indian Project Cost, as a Grant in Aid, for a maximum project period of 24 months.
• Indian industry may receive up to 50% of their part of the eligible costs on a “Reimbursement Basis”, for costs already incurred on a proportionate basis.
• Indian R&D organization/academic institution may receive up to 100% of their costs (within the applicable range specified above and as per the proposal) on a reimbursement basis.
• Funding from other public sector sources will be taken into account when awarding grant, and applicants will be asked to declare funding from other sources in the application.

• EnterpriseSG will provide funding to Singapore organisations up to 70% of total qualifying project costs on a reimbursement basis.
• The grant funds qualifying project costs namely third party consultancy fees, software and equipment, and internal manpower cost.

• – Registration is a two-stage process.
• – Stage I – Registrant needs to provide basic information.
• – Stage II – The system will send a Login ID and Password to the email ID provided and ask for completion of registration.

• IPC needs to submit the Application online (no other mode of submission will be accepted) by 29th February 2024, 5:30 pm Indian Standard Time.
• Login with the same ID and password.
• Complete and submit the desired Application Form, along with the required supporting documents, as listed on DST’s website, by the deadline.
• Upon Application submission, the system will send an auto-generated email acknowledgement to IPC, along with application reference number.

• Singapore companies will be required to fill in a Preliminary Interest Form here. Companies will also be required to attach their latest ACRA Bizfile with the form.
• Upon confirmation by Enterprise SG, Singapore companies must submit a joint proposal document, which will be provided by Enterprise SG.
• Thereafter, Singapore companies must submit an Enterprise Development Grant (Co-Innovation Programme) Application Form, along with the joint proposal and budget templates by 29th February 2024, 7:30pm Singapore Time. The application form and templates will be provided by Enterprise SG.

• The Participants in a project shall ensure appropriate protection of Intellectual Property Rights (“IPR”) generated from cooperating pursuant to the joint project approved under the India-Singapore Request for Proposals (RFP) consistent with their respective laws, rules and regulations.
• “Background IP” means any data, know-how or information whatever its from or nature, tangible or intangible, including any rights such as IPR, which is:
  • held by each of the Participants prior to their accession to the action,
  • needed for carrying out the action or for exploiting the results of the action, and
  • identified by the Participants.
• Each Participant is and shall remain owner of its Background IP. 
  The Participants shall declare that, to the best of their knowledge and belief, the use of the Background IP or Foreground IP in connection with the cooperation does not infringe any third party’s valid Patent Right/Intellectual Property Rights. The validation and verification in context of the project, is to be carried out with much sensitivity and precaution by the Participants to avoid all kinds of infringements of rights. The Participants will be jointly responsible for the Joint Foreground IP and each Participant is responsible for their own respective Background IP and/or the jointly created Foreground IP. Each participant is responsible for any kind of legal implications emanating from infringement by it of the IPR, as set forth in the Project Agreement.
• A Participant that holds Background IP is, until the signing of the Project Agreement, or by special agreement with the Participants, entitled to exclude Background IP from a Participant’s right pursuant to this section as per mutual agreement.
• “Foreground IP” means any tangible or intangible output of the action, such as data, knowledge or information, that is generated in the action, whatever its form or nature, whether or not it can be protected, as well as any rights attached to it, including IPR, as a result of performing the activities under the Project Agreement.
• If, for the implementation of the project, a Participant needs access to or use of the jointly created Foreground IP, that Participant shall be entitled thereto to the extent necessary without paying compensation. If, for the implementation of the project, a Participant needs access to or use of another Participant’s Background IP, that Participant shall be entitled thereto to the extent necessary and the conditions for this are to be set out on the Project Agreement.
• Unless otherwise agreed, if a Participant, in order to use the jointly owned Foreground IP, needs access to or use of another Participant’s Background IP, that Participant shall be granted such rights to the extent necessary in the Project Agreement.

• Unless otherwise agreed, Foreground IP shall be owned by the Participant generating it. Where Participants in an action have jointly generated Foreground, and where their respective contribution to the joint Foreground cannot be ascertained, or where it is not possible to separate such joint Foreground for the purpose of applying for, obtaining or maintaining the relevant IPR protection, they shall have joint ownership of that Foreground. In case of Joint Foreground, the Participants should apply as co-applicants, unless otherwise agreed, for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Project Agreement and in accordance with their obligations under Grant/Funding Agreements with the respective funding organisations. 
  The non-exclusive licenses to third parties to exploit the jointly owned Foreground, without any rights to sub-license, can be granted subject to the following conditions:

  • agreement between the joint owners,
  • prior notice shall be given to the other joint owners,
  • fair and reasonable compensation shall be provided to the other joint owners. If employees or any party working for a Participant are entitled to claim rights to the Foreground generated, the Participants concerned shall ensure that it is possible for those rights to be exercised in a manner compatible with its obligations under the Grant/Funding Agreement with the respective funding organisation. The Participants shall use the Foreground in accordance with a plan for use. Use means, for example, commercialization, licensing, and publication. In case of publication, consideration shall be taken to a Participant’s need of protecting intellectual property and trade secrets.
• Commercialisation: The Participants shall agree in advance on the ownership, management and commercialisation strategy. License rights, manufacturing rights, marketing responsibilities, ownership of technology and other related commercial strategies for the outcome of this joint project.

Confidential Information:

• All information and documents exchanged between the Participants shall be kept confidential by the Participants and shall be used subject to such terms as each Participant may specify, subject to the Participants’ respective applicable laws, regulations, rules, and procedures.
• The Participants shall not use the information for purposes other than those specified, without the prior written consent of the other Participant.

• How well the suggested project corresponds to the defined theme of the call
• If there is a clear future market need for the intended technology, product or service
• Novelty of technology in relation to state of the art
• Novelty of process/functionality/integration/service in relation to state of the art
• Technology maturity stage/proof of concept
• Technical capability (team, infrastructure etc.)
• Ability to deliver/complete the project
• Financial capability/health of the project, including possible ways to fund the project to market entry
• Project balance in terms of costs and efforts between the IPC and SPC
• Commercialisation potential
• The intended product, service or process has the potential to contribute to one or more of the Global Sustainable Development Goals in Agenda 2030^[2]

• perform future R&D projects
• develop the human resource capability within the business
• take technologies that are being developed to market
• develop new intellectual property, and
• enhance the ecosystem of Indian technology-based companies.