Research Catalyst Grants 2025-2026

Call for proposals for research with Indian partners  

Submission Deadline: February 15, 2025, at 11:59 pm EST 

The University of Toronto (U of T) together with U of T’s School of Cities India and the U of T India Foundation (UTIF) are providing seed funds to support collaborative research initiatives through a call for proposals. U of T and UTIF are committed to the positive impact that universities can have through international partnerships and co-creation, and through this Call for Proposals are supporting new or existing collaborations that: 

• Objectives:  Support the sustainability and resilience of Indian cities and city-regions, addressing issues that might include (but are not limited to) air quality, water and sanitation, infrastructure and construction, energy, mobility, urban planning, housing, and waste. The funders recognize that urban India is diverse, encompassing the spectrum from small towns to megapolises and their peripheries, and therefore welcome proposals focused on building sustainable cities and towns of all sizes. 
• Impact: Facilitate high-impact research and solutions resulting in evidence-based recommendations, joint publications, and/or enhanced capacity to increase the sustainability of Indian cities and city-regions. 
• Partnership model: Develop collaborative partnerships between U of T researchers and Indian academic, research, non-profit, or government entities to co-create impactful research that yields evidence, insights, and solutions for sustainable Indian cities. 

The U of T India Foundation was established in 2023 and is the University of Toronto’s research and entrepreneurship centre in India. Based in Mumbai, UTIF facilitates collaboration between U of T and India-based partners, with a focus on creating more sustainable Indian urban areas. A Section 8 (charitable) company under the Companies Act of India, UTIF is an impact-focused organization.  

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1. Eligibility

The U of T India Foundation, in partnership with the University of Toronto and its School of Cities, invites proposals from U of T researchers and their Indian partners to develop solutions that will support the creation of more sustainable Indian urban areas, from small towns to megapolises and their peripheries. 

Eligibility to submit proposals: 

1. A proposal must include at least one co-Principal Investigator (PI) from U of T and at least one co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) from an Indian partner organization.  
2. The U of T co-PI must meet the University’s definition of a Principal Investigator (PI) and must hold an appointment for the full duration of the grant’s funding period.  
3. The Indian co-PI must be employed by the Indian partner organization. The partner organization could be a university, research center, NGO, civil society organization, foundation, or government body.  For-profit or industry co-PIs are not eligible to act as co-PIs or hold grant funds. The Indian research partner must be based in and operate in India. 
4. The application must include a letter of support signed by a designated signatory of the Indian partner organization. Further, it should describe the Indian partner organization’s proposed involvement in the project; their desired outcomes and how these would contribute to their organization’s objectives; and a brief overview of the organization’s experience with financial management of grants. The letter must be on the Indian institution’s letterhead.  
5. Both the U of T co-PI and the Indian co-PI must have demonstrated experience of working and/or engaging with the problem they aim to address in the research. 

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2. Proposals  

We welcome proposals from a wide range of academic disciplines, and interdisciplinary collaboration is encouraged but not required. Collaborative proposals that bring together researchers from various organizational sectors are also welcome. The potential for proposals to have a tangible impact on increasing the sustainability of Indian cities will be a core feature of assessment. 

• The proposal must clearly outline the urban sustainability issue that it wishes to address and demonstrate a need/rationale for investigating the problem.  
• The proposal must demonstrate an equitable partnership between the Indian and U of T researchers in designing and undertaking the project. 
• Proposals that demonstrate additional committed funding or potential for additional funding are encouraged but not required. 
• The proposal must outline measurable outputs, which could include peer-reviewed publications; knowledge translation, capacity-building, and dissemination; spatial or design-based interventions; policy briefs or white papers; or technological products/design prototypes.  
• Proposals must comply with U of T’s policies on ethics, health, safety, and international travel, and with U of T and UTIF financial policies.  

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3. Value, duration, and disbursement 

Grant funds will be awarded by UTIF to the successful Indian co-PI’s organization of employment in INR. Funds will not be transferred to individual co-PIs or other team members. Between 3 and 5 successful proposals will be selected for support valued between INR 9 lakhs to 15 lakhs (approximately CAD $15,000 and CAD $25,000), to be used over the period of one year.  

The grant will be disbursed in tranches. The Indian partner organization will be expected to fund reasonable costs associated with the U of T PI’s economy-level travel using the disbursed funds, and travel arrangements will be made using India-based travel agencies. Grant funds cannot be used to cover any expenses incurred outside of India.  

The proposed project budget should be submitted using the itemized budget sheet (links to templates below), incorporating eligible costs only: 

Eligible Costs

Ineligible Costs

Costs of field work (including consumables; field allowance for Indian research assistants; honoraria for research participants; fees for data collection platform/analytical software; local IRB sitting fees; equipment rental) Additional India-based investigator/staffing costs to facilitate research process (not exceeding 25% of overall budget) Economy-class travel costs, such as economy flights (‘basic’ economy only; ‘premium economy’ flight class will not be covered) and hotels for U of T faculty and local Indian partners within India  Costs of capacity-building activities  Publication and dissemination costs Equipment associated with the project (capped at 5% of overall budget costs)

Costs incurred outside India Replacement research/teaching costs  Costs associated with applicants’/co-PI’s time  Scholarships  Conference attendance  Tuition fees  Grant administration and management costs

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4. Project timeline and commitments

Date	Activity
December 6, 2024	Call for proposals opens
December 11, 2024	Webinar for India-based partners on building partnerships with U of T PIs
February 15, 2025	Proposal package due
Approx. March 17, 2025	Results announced
April 15, 2025	UTIF to finalize project and grant disbursement plan with Indian partner
April 30, 2025	Grant period begins
March 20, 2026	Grant period ends

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5. Webinar for India-based partners 

A webinar will be held for India-based organizations and partners on December 11, 2024, at 6:30 PM IST (8:00 AM ET) focusing in part on forming partnerships with U of T PIs. U of T faculty may anticipate being approached between December 2024 and February 2025 by India-based partners who are interested in partnering on a proposal. Registration for the webinar is at the link here.    

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6. Submission of proposals 

All applications must be sent as one email to catalystgrant@uoftindiafoundation.com by the deadline with the subject Application of interest: Catalyst Grant 2025-2026 and should contain the following two files as attachments: 

• A single .pdf file with the research proposal; CVs of all principal investigators; and a letter of support from Indian Partner Organization 
• Budget sheet in .xlsx file format 
• Please indicate proposals as “revised” in the subject line and add “_revised” to both file names for any subsequent revisions 

Links to the application form and the budget template can be found at the end of this call.  

1. Initiative overview: brief overview of the proposed initiative; co-PI’s titles and organizations of employment. 
2. Initiative description that includes:  
   • Background and rationale: in plain language, suitable for public use, describe the research question, goals, and anticipated contribution of this initiative (150 words). 
   • Methodology/activity plan: this section should detail the methodology/research approach/activities; sampling and/or participant mobilization strategy; data storage; analysis strategy; and dissemination plan. Where applicable, proposals should also provide information on participant confidentiality and ethical compliance (1,000 words). 
   • Outputs and potential impact: this section should outline proposed outputs (publications; knowledge translation, capacity-building, and dissemination; spatial or design-based interventions; policy briefs or white papers; or technological products/design prototypes.) In addition, this section should also describe anticipated impact aligned with the grant’s focus of fostering sustainable Indian cities (300 words). 
   • Collaborative team (300 words):  
     • Describe the roles, responsibilities, and contributions of the co-PIs, as well as any other key participants.
     • Include an abbreviated Curriculum Vitae (5 pages max) of each of the co-PIs. Note: Curriculum Vitae are not included in the word-count limit.  
     • Include a signed letter of support on organizational letterhead for the Indian partner organization. Note: letters are not included in the word-count-limit. 
     • Project sustainability (300 words): The sustainability of the project will be considered, although it is not a mandatory requirement for proposals. List any sources of external funding that the research team holds or intends to apply for to sustain and build upon the research with a focus on upscaling/cross-adaptation. Describe how the partnership could evolve over time and the potential for long-term sustainability or scaling-up of the project. 
     • Proposed timeline: A project timeline that outlines project activities; travel, if any; and key project milestones.  
     • Budget: The amount of funding requested for one year, including a breakdown of the activities and amounts requested using the budget sheet template provided. 

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7. Valuation criteria 

Proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

1. Partnership (equitable nature of the collaboration, team member expertise and complementary skills, implementation capacity) 
2. Clarity, relevance, and focus of research problem (innovation/critical thinking, relevance to the theme, and justification) 
3. Potential impact and outcomes of the project 
4. Research approach (study design, rigor, ethics, analysis plan, participant mobilization/engagement strategy, and feasibility) 
5. Timeline and workplan (clear milestones and appropriate budget projections) 
6. Advantageous, but not a required criterion: Proposals that can demonstrate potential for long-term sustainability and scalability of the project are particularly encouraged.  

The review committee will select 3-5 final proposals. 

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8. Communication of results 

Results will be announced via email to all applicants.  

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9. Reporting 

All awardees must, as a condition of receiving an award, submit project progress reports six- and nine months after commencement of the grant, followed by a final report within two months of grant closure describing the outcomes, impact, and opportunities for future collaboration that evolved from the initiative. 

Questions regarding this call for proposals can be directed to shruta.rawat@uoftindiafoundation.com. 

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10. FAQs

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Submission files