Workshop/Presentation on how universities can raise external funding for research and their capability development

1. RAISING EXTERNAL RESEARCH GRANT:
UNIVERSITIESWITH ENTREPRENEURIAL
MINDSET
(FOCUS ON BUSINESS, FINANCE AND MANAGEMENT)
1
Anirudh Agrawal
Researcher Copenhagen Business School
Associate Professor Flame University
Former Assistant Professor Jindal GlobalUniversity
FormerVisiting Assistant Professor Bennett University
Former Researcher/Consultant Frankfurt School of Finance and Management
Former Research Associate SharedValue Institute

2. Contents
■ Strategy to Attract Funding
■ Team Skill Set
■ Organizational Structure
■ Services Offered
■ Research Proposal
■ GOI Funding Opportunities
■ International FundingOpportunities
■ Events
■ National/International Funding for Research
■ Private Developmental Companies
■ Foundations/Fellowship
■ ImportantWebsites
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3. Strategy to Attract Funding
■ Networking and Constant Engagement
– Networking in national and international events
– Constant engagement through news-letters and event invitations
– Key events ( GOI Sustainability Events, Sankalp Forum,TIE CON)
■ Long term planning for a strategic research institute
■ Demonstration of Applied research capability and publication
■ Universities *Joint research project* -- focus on research production, data and publication credits
■ In order to attract international funding, it is important to partner with international institution
– Institutions focused on specific problem ( ex. innovation and IP protection); partner with research institution
based out of Indian Institution and approach together for research funding
– Issues to keep in mind
■ Data
■ Credit sharing ( who gets the credit? how are the credits shared for publications?)
■ In my opinion, the focus should be both client interest and academic publication
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4. Strategy to Attract Funding
■ Team Work
– Sharing information
– Reference and project completion certificates
– CVs
■ Incentive Structure (Individual and knowledge
driven work, incentive structure must be
competitive)
– Incentive for those who publish, who attract
funding ( all written so that it is not disputed)
– Keep the staff involved in fund generation
motivated
■ Focus on major problem areas ( which draws
national and international organizations)
– Unemployment
– Women in Business
– Microfinance
– CSR
– Social Entrepreneurship
– MSMEs
■ OR :- Focus on niche areas
– IP laws and business in India
– Industry 4.0
– German – India business research center
– Real Estate Sector
– Corruption
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5. Team Skillset/ResearchCenter Skillset
■ Create a team of applied researchers ( 3-4) having shared research interests and
experience in report writing ( in addition to academic writing)
■ Ideally have someone at a director level experience with major consulting firm (
including client acquisition and engagement level)
■ Ideally one member must have experience in project management
■ Ideally one member must have experience in qualitative and quantitative data
collection ( primary data)
■ Develop a pool of CVs inWorldbank, EU,ADP Format
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6. Activity
■ Think of a strategic research field where your business school has a core-competency,
would like to offer applied research services?
■ Think of core fields where this business school would like to be known globally and
would like to offer its services?
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7. Organization Structure
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University
Schools Research Centers
• Think of it as an independent firm (or Non-Profit),
with its own budget (external funds) and team
• Flexible accounting to deal with FCRA act
( to be decide with the university)
• Involvement of Students (PaidWork)
• Invoicing Management
• Proper IT system for Knowledge management
• Engagement/Project Management/Professor
• Student Researchers for data collection and analysis
Incentive pay for faculty
and research assistants
who get external funding (
as is common in most
other places) ( teaching
breaks, research leave,
extra research funding,
study abroad)

8. Creating a Non-Profit Research
Organization ( like ORF orVIF)
■ Do research on pressing problems of India ( and Provide possible policy roadmaps)…few more interesting problems
– IP and Copyrights
– Unemployment
– Climate Change
– Sustainable Development
– NPAs
– Strategic Problems
– Measuring policy impact
■ Register NGO under Government of India act, companies Act
■ 80G registration ( for Domestic CSR funding)
■ Get FCRA ( for foreign funding) (https://www.thebetterindia.com/143922/ngo-india-foreign-funding-foreign-contribution-regulation-act/)
■ Use NGO as a medium to attract findings
■ Create best in class Knowledge management systems within this organization develop research project and attract greater international/national funding
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9. Services Offered
■ Primary Research ( sector research, industry research, market research, risk analysis)
– Data collection
– Data Analysis
– ReportWriting and Presentation
– Experiments (RCTs) for Policy design ( Business level and Government level) (Ex. Mosquito net GatesMelinda foundation)
■ Service Design ( ex: Designing Microfinance program from Scratch)
■ Organization Process Design (MFIs, Cooperative Banks, Cooperatives, Social Enterprises)
■ Project implementation, project impact measurement, project management
■ EmployeeTraining Programs and Leadership Programs
– GovernmentOfficials
– Private Firms
– PSUs
– International firms
■ Sustainable finance ( Solar, Microfinance)
– Managing end to end fund
– Impact assessment of a running fund
■ Global/UN Sustainable Development Goals ( Entrepreneurship incubation, training, value proposition)
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10. Research/Project Proposal
■ What is the project why it is important and why your
team/firm is important and best suited to implement
the project?
■ Where is the call from?Which funding agency?What
is their template? Can we get consultant to help us
out?
■ Introduction
– General Problem ( Backed by data)
– Specific Problem ( Backed by data)
– Intendent solution (Banked by data)
■ Proposal Solution/Approach
– Method proposed ( each step of the process need
to be mentioned)
– Time line
– Human Resources Involved
– Deliverables
– Work Packages (Break the project into
independent modules)
■ Timeline of the project
– Human resources involved; activities actualized
by each member
– Details of the deliverables at each step
– Project management team and accountability
■ Financials of the proposal project
– According to the timeline, individuals involved
and deliverables
■ CV of Project members ( ideally with past
experience) ..it can be a mix of university professors
and professionals of the field (WorldBank/ADB
format) ..Can be from outside ( collaborators)
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11. Indian/International Corporate Funding
Opportunities
■ Corporate Foundations
■ CSR Budget
– Focused programs ( Sustainability,
Community development,Women in
Business, Microfinance)
■ Consulting firms
– Indian consulting firms sub-contract data
gathering and data analysis, an
autonomous research institute ( within a
university) should collaborate in both data
gathering and data analysis
– Bank Fraud/Microfinance credit issues
■ Training (Training Budget)
– Most corporates are looking for executing
training and upskilling, focused sales pitch
to corporates on upskilling and trainings in
the latest management programs
■ Banks on credit training, risk analysis
■ MSMEs on marketing, business model,
hiring and management development
■ Big-Data
■ CorporateTraining
■ Corporate Research
■ Indian Market Research/Consumer Research
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12. Collaboration with the Government
■ Look at the government as a legitimacy giver ( working with government increases legitimacy among
various aid organizations, international institutions which later collaborate
■ Do high quality primary study for the government of India ( for free)
■ Do not fuzz for money – Unless government agrees for it – ( the GOI helps in multiple ways)
■ Work with Senior Bureaucrats/State and central ministers/MPs and do research for them (involving
students) – specially on policy development, implementation, process design and policy impact
measurement
■ Help (volunteering) in pressing problems like:-
– Public schooling system
– Public Finance
– Corruption
– Mid day meal
– Policing, Police training
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13. Incentive Structure
■ Incentive for staff and faculty who get the funding
– Consulting fees as specified in the funding proposal
– Time off from the university for conducting the study
– Paid study leave abroad ( if no direct monetary allowance available)
■ Differentiate and reward those who are fulltime involved in research grant generation
but not in academic publication
■ Those who generate both research grant and academic publication must be incentivized
through pay and seniority
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14. Reaching Out Strategy/ Communication
Strategy
■ Making small videos and putting them on standard social medial platforms like Linkedin, Facebook,
Twitter andYoutube where public agencies also share their activities ( and tag them)
■ Networking during events ( public sector events, conferences)
■ Partnerships with specific research institutes ( focus on 2/3 core sectors)
■ Free coaching/workshops for big ticket sponsors and government agencies ( and develop a centralized
CRM system)
■ Use CSR to engage with every past and present individuals of some strategic importance
■ Have a centralized database of reports, research papers, CRM, masters thesis, phd thesis
■ Have templates of application for EU proposal, US proposal,UN proposal ready
■ Have CVs ready
■ Have a small team of project managers
■ Have a secretary/Project manager who can coordination and manage project by issuing wips
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15. Networking Events in India
■ Sankalp Global Forum
■ TERI DSDS
■ FICCI Events
■ Events by Organised International Embassy's in India
■ CSR related Events
■ India Economic Forum or similar events
■ Indian government events
■ Events by European UnionAffiliated firms
■ Invite public sector institutions ( Indian and international) to the campus for networking, teaching, seminars and
conferences
■ Hosting corporate events within University
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Seek collaborations and research associations

16. Private Developmental Companies
■ Network and Development partnerships ( Focus on making
partnerships)
– IAS at FrankfurtSchool of Finance and Management
– DIA
– PEM
– NIRAS
– https://www.pem-consult.de/
– Other private institutions in a specific/specialized area
– ThinkThrough Consulting – Delhi Office
– DahlbergConsulting
– KPMG/EY/Parthenon
– BCG/Bain/Mckinsy
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Collaborate, Partner with them
• Consulting fees
• Revenue sharing
• Legal documents
• CVs
• Power of Attorney ready
• References
• Project Completion certificates

17. International Funding Opportunities
■ European Commission
– EC organizations
■ British/UK based development
organizations
■ US based developmental organizations
■ United Nations
■ ADB
■ EBRD
■ WorldBank
■ International Foundations
■ WorldVision
■ Unicef
■ German GIZ, KFW, BMZ, DIE
■ UNDP
■ Scandinavian Institutions
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18. National/International Funding for Research
■ DAAD
■ Curie Fellowships
■ Erasmus Research Fellowships
■ European University Scholarships for
international collaboration ( professor
centric, rather research center centric)
– Professor should be encouraged for
international study leaves ( pay or
without pay (higher seniority))
■ ISB/IISC/IIMA
■ Government of India deputations for
research/management
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19. GOI Funding Opportunities
■ Central Government/Central Ministries
– Ministry of small business development (MSME
finance)
– Ministry of corporate affairs
– Ministry of Finance
– Ministry of sustainable development
– Ministry of tourism
– Ministry ofWomen empowerment
– Ministry of minority development / affairs
■ State government/State Ministries
– Same as above
– Budgets on unemployment's
■ Indian Private Players/Indian Foundations/Banks
■ Indian Military/CAPFs
– Military veterans training
– Military schools, colleges training
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20. Indian/International Private Players
■ PSUs ( other than banks)
■ Banks
■ NBFCs
■ FMCG firms
■ Emerging firms
■ IT Firms
■ Telecom firms
■ Military firms
■ Agriculture focused firm
■ Automobile sector
■ Aviation sector
■ Ecommerce and Operations firms
■ Clusters/SEZs
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 Tailor made approach to each of the sectors and industries
 Constant Engagement (Invitations/Dinners/Lunches/Meetings/CXO)
 Tailor Made Programs
 Budget Focus
 StaffTraining
 CSR budget
 Corporate Research

21. Foundations/Fellowships
■ Gates-Belinda
Foundation
■ Dell Foundation
■ Acumen Fellowships
■ Ashoka Fellowships
■ Azim-Premji
Foundation
■ TataTrusts
■ Central Square
Foundation
■ Reliance Foundation
■ Adani Foundation
■ ICICI Foundation
■ Yes Bank Foundation
■ Intel/Qualcom/Infosys/
TCS/Microsoft
foundation
■ AXA Foundation
■ Bharat Foundation
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22. Websites/Names
■ https://www.devex.com/
■ https://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/
■ http://ida.worldbank.org/
■ https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-
innovation/projects/project-databases_en
■ https://cordis.europa.eu/projects/de
■ https://www.dai.com/
■ USAid
■ Norfund
■ SIDA
■ DANIDA
■ GIZ
■ KWF
■ AFD/Proparco
■ British Commission
(https://ngosindia.com/british-high-
commission-small-grant-scheme/)
■ https://www.ebrd.com/work-with-us/project-
finance/project-summary-documents.html
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23. Thank you
Questions?
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