Everything You Need to Know About Multiplier Grants Scheme

India is a place of opportunities, especially for trade and business. With the right instruments, there is a lot of untapped potential that can be realized. The Indian government has established around 50 startup programmes. With its efforts aimed at young entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses, the Indian government hopes to boost the country’s start-up goal. The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) is moving in the right direction. The Multiplier Grants Scheme was established by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY). The goal of the programme is to close the gap between research and development and commercialization.

What is the Multiplier Grants Scheme?

The Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) is implementing the Multiplier Grants Scheme (MGS). MGS wants to encourage collaborative R&D between industry, academics, and R&D institutions to develop products and packages. If the industry contributes to R&D for the creation of things that can be commercialized at the institution level, the programme will be successful. In addition, the government will match the industry’s contribution. Under the plan, industry and institutions must submit joint bids for financial assistance.

The scheme’s purpose is to encourage companies to collaborate on product development with leading academic and government research and development groups.

Objectives of the Multiplier Grants Scheme

The Multiplier Grants Scheme has the following aims:

• Establish, nurture, and deepen industry-research institute collaborations.
• To encourage institutes to conduct research and development that is relevant to the industry.
• Encourage the growth of indigenous goods and services and make it happen faster.
• Close the gap between research and development and proof-of-concept, as well as between commercialization and globalization.

Benefits of the Multiplier Grants Scheme

The Government of India anticipates the Multiplier Grants Scheme to provide the following benefits:

• Market-oriented R&D would be prioritized in academic and government R&D institutions. Additionally, this would increase the importance of education and training in meeting market demands. The industry’s ability to mobilize technological know-how and capabilities would be enhanced.
• The sector would be able to respond quickly to market demands in terms of cost-competitive indigenous new products.
• Incentives in the form of royalty sharing could help universities and government R&D labs recruit and retain talented staff.
• A surge in the number of entrepreneurs may result from close collaboration between industry, academia, and R&D labs.

Benefits of the Multiplier Grants Scheme

The Multiplier Grants Scheme has the following broad eligibility criteria:

• Industrial, industry consortiums and academic institution(s) or R&D agencies doing industry-specific research should come up with the proposal for collaborative research. In conjunction with industry, these R&D labs will submit a project proposal to DeitY under the MGS programme.
• E&IT innovation in modules, goods, packages, or services should be the focus of the application. The MGS may also be used to evaluate projects that incorporate prototypes and packaging for commercialization.
• Under the Multiplier Grants Scheme, the application should be focused on the industry’s principal business.
• In the recommended field, the chosen institute or project investigator should have the requisite abilities and experience. The R&D capabilities of institutions engaging in joint research under MGS will be assessed by such scientists. In terms of the investigators, the following elements must be considered: I the number of professional courses offered (B.Tech, M.Tech, PhD); ii) previous research work/projects done; iii) the number of papers published; v) any industry partnership, and v) the institution’s existence for at least 5 years.
• The outcome of the proposed invention should be technically and financially viable. Market research data for the modules, goods, packages, and services to be created should be included in all submissions.
• The industry should have the necessary i) staff for technology absorption; and ii) infrastructure for production in-house or detailed definite plans to procure it from elsewhere. If necessary, a subcommittee of the WG may be formed to determine the industry’s position.

Implementation Process under the Multiplier Grants Scheme

The Multiplier Grants Scheme recommends the following implementation process for a successful and efficient implementation:

• Under the MGS plan, academic institutions or R&D organizations should submit project ideas. For this objective, academic institutions or R&D firms may work with industry or industrial consortiums. The idea for joint research should come from industry or industry consortiums.
• Proposals could be requested up to three times each year, depending on funding availability.
• A Working Group will be formed by the Department to analyse and assess the proposals. The Working Group could offer recommendations to the Department for budgetary assistance. The WG may invite additional Domain Experts based on the concepts under consideration.
• Regularly, a Project Review & Steering Group (PRSG) will monitor and review the project’s technical and financial progress. Grant release may be recommended by the Project Review & Steering Group (PRSG). In addition, the PRSG may recommend continuation, extension, or short-closure, as well as a project. In the PRSG, the industrial partner should be properly represented.
• The existing project approval, PRSG, and project closure methods might be used in this approach.
• Grants under the proposed system would be subject to the terms and restrictions outlined.
• The details of the project, including its current state, can be found on the official website.