Call for Indo-Danish proposals for strategic research collaborations in food, feed and bioenergy
- a collaboration between the Indian Department of Biotechnology and the Danish Council for Strategic Research.
Background
Pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding of October 25 2004, the Indian Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MSTI) have decided to further develop and strengthen the Danish-Indian research collaboration within the biotechnological area.
This call is managed by the Indian Department of Biotechnology (DBT) and the Programme Commission on Health, Food and Welfare (PCHFW) under the Danish Council for Strategic Research (DCSR).
The Call for Proposals
Hereby, the DCSR and DBT invite researchers from universities, research institutions and private companies in Denmark and India conducting research within the biotechnological area to apply for funding of Danish-Indian strategic research collaborations.
Projects for a period of 3 to 5 years
The DCSR and the DBT will support strategic research projects for a period of 3 to 5 years covering direct project costs e.g. research activities, research training (PhDs and post docs), courses and international conferences. The DCSR will support the Danish research groups and the DBT will support the Indian research groups. The economical frame from each of the DCSR and the DBT is about € 1 mio.
Objective
The challenge of providing enough – and the right type of food, feed and fuel in a sustainable way is of major importance for the two countries. The objective is thus to strengthen and intensify the research effort within sustainable food, feed and bioenergy production through the present strategic research programme with the headline: New methods for better use of crops and agro industrial waste.
Biorefinery of agro industrial waste and crops can optimize the use of the biomass for food, feed and biofuel as it is important to think in optimizing plant production for both food/feed and biofuel at the same time. One example is the use of cell wall enzymes optimizing the feed value (digestibility) of crops and at the same time improving the value of the crop for biofuel.
The lignocelluloses part from e.g. jojoba, rice, sorghum, millet, corn and banana can after use of the edible part be used for biofuel using the right enzymes. Proposals may include, as examples:
- New enzymes for optimizing the food and biofuel production in relation to both process and product
- Breeding of Sweet Sorghum to improve sugar and starch content in the stem for biofuel
- Enhancing biomass for food, feed and biofuel production by use of growth promoting bacteria (endophytes), which will outcompete pathogen bacteria
- Enhancing biomass and securing healthy grains for food and feed by making crops more resistant towards pathogen attack avoiding chemical treatment
- Conversion of biomass to new products, e.g. prebiotics or nutraceuticals
Development of new biological methods to preserve food products allowing a better utilization of perishable products from Indian agriculture - Development of methods to increase the nutritional value of food in order to reduce deficiencies of minerals, vitamins and protein in the Indian diet
- Food supply in India is undergoing a rapid transition in production and logistics. Research is needed in order to develop products and processes adapted to Indian markets.
Selection Criteria and Evaluation
The project proposal must be written by an Indian or a Danish research group and specify unison and close collaboration by the responsible principal investigator (PI) and the Indian or Danish partner. The projects seen by the PCHFW and the DBT as the most promising ones are invited to submit a more thorough application jointly between the Indian and Danish sides as represented by the principal investigators.
Funding decision will be made by the PCHFW and the DBT. The PCHFW and the DBT will separately evaluate the submitted proposals in accordance with national procedures.
- For Danish applicants - see specific guidelines
Henceforth ranked Danish and Indian lists of proposals will result in agreement on what project(s) that will be funded.
When selecting proposals for funding the DCSR and the DBT will focus on (not in any order of priority):
- The relevance of the project (societal as well as commercial relevance), the project’s effect and the quality of research, as well as the correlation between relevance, effect and research quality as three, equally weighted criteria
- The strength of the Danish and Indian research groups involved and their potential for providing added-value deliverables in a joint collaborative research project
- Managerial and scientific qualifications and experience of the principal applicants, head of research and other key team members
- Feasibility of the research project (including management and organisation, timetable, milestones, resources and risk and contingency plans)
- The research project’s strategic significance for the participating parties
Form and Content of the Proposal
Danish applicants must follow Danish Council for Strategic Research procedures. See Phase 1 guidelines for Danish applicants applying for support of Indo-Danish research collaborations here
Form and general information for Danish proposals can be found on this website
And for Indian proposals at the DBT website
Deadline
The project proposals must be completed in English, and the downloaded application form must be electronically submitted as a PDF document by Indian PIs to DBT:
E-mail:
By Danish PI to the DCSR
E-mail:
No later than June 15 2009. The final decision on which proposals to support will be made public simultaneous by the DCSR and the DBT December 15 2009. The research projects are expected to start in the beginning of 2010.
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Further information
Indian side
Dr. Shailja V. Gupta, Joint Director, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Block – 2 ,CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi – 110 003, INDIA. Tel : 2436 3748; Fax : 2436 2884; E-mail :
Danish side
Head of Section Morten Andreasen at , tel.: +45 3544 6230 or Head of Section Jeppe Søndergaard Petersen at , tel.: +45 3392 9389.
