Q: Who is eligible to be a principal investigator?
A: A regular faculty member (PhD or FCPS/MCPS/FRCS) in the Higher Education Institutions (public and private) or hold a contract equivalent to the length of project duration
Q: Is it mandatory for industrial partner to financially contribute in proposed RTTG project?
A: Yes, minimum 15% in cash contribution along with additional in-kind contribution by the industrial/sectoral partner is mandatory.
Q: Do I need to submit letters of commitment from Industry/sectoral collaborator?
A: Yes, The letter must describe how, and at what level, the collaborator will finance their participation in the proposed RTTG project.
Q. What is the total duration in which the project should be completed?
A. 6 months
Q. Is there any template to apply for RTTG?
A. Yes, Project Proposal template is available in download section which needs to be filled and uploaded in pdf format along with Budget Template and other required attachments via online portal https://research.hec.gov.pk
Q. Is there any budget guidelines?
A. Yes, the Budget guidelines and other relevant details are available in download section. Please fill the Budget Template in accordance with the budget guidelines.
Q: Is it possible to edit the application after submission, if the deadline is not passed?
A: No, Applications once submitted cannot be edited/resubmitted. You are required carefully review the application before submission.
Q. I am a full time contractual faculty member in a university, I am not a permanent faculty member. Can I apply for RTTG grant?
A. Yes if contract is at least equal to length of the proposed project.
Q. How many co-PIs can be added in one project? In how many projects a person can acts as Co-PI?
A. It depends upon the scope of project, a project can have more than one Co-PIs as per project requirements. Furthermore there is no restriction for a person to be Co-PI in one project only.
Q. Can a PI apply for RTTG grant, if he/she is already executing any research project i.e. NRPU, TDF, etc?
A. Yes
Q. Can PI and Co-PI be from different universities?
A. Yes they can be from different universities.
Q. If Co-PI is from different University, do we need to add his/her details against the "Academic Collaborators" too?
A. Yes all desired details are required and must be incorporated with endorsement.
Q: Can I submit multiple proposals for the same grant opportunity?
A: An applicant can submit only one application for the same grant opportunity.
Q. Can a faculty member working in Pakistani university with foreign citizenship are eligible to apply under this grant?
A. All of our grant programs are open to faculty members as PI or Co-PI who are currently employed at Pakistani universities irrespective of their citizenship. In case they are not employed at Pakistani universities, they can still join the project as Co-PI but we will not be funding their participation.
Q: Can a collaborator be from a foreign university?
A: yes.
Q. Is ERC certificate mandatory for all disciplines? Or certain disciplines (e.g. Management Sciences, Engineering & IT etc.) are exempted from ERC certificate submission?
A. It is not mandatory for all disciplines. Research Projects which involves research on living organisms/personal data requires ethical certificate.
Q: What is required if a proposed project involves human/animals subjects research?
A: The proposal should have a description of ethical considerations relating to the study. This section should document the issues that are likely to raise ethical concerns. It should also describe how the Principal Investigator is planning to address it and how he/she plans to obtain informed consent from the research participants (the informed consent process). Ethical Certificate duly signed by Ethical Research Committee of Institute is required at submission of full proposal.
Q: How does HEC decide which applications to fund?
A: All proposals are reviewed by independent peer review panels consisting of researchers and practitioners. This is followed by an in-depth evaluation by the Scientific Review Panels.
Q: Can two people from different universities be PIs for the same project?
A: No, there will be one PI for the project.
