TREND Setter Program 2025

Objective:

Support scaled technology demonstrators in high-priority domains with potential for industry adoption and follow-on funding. 1 or 2 projects will be selected under this Track from the proposals received

Project Duration:

Up to 1.5 years
12 months: Build phase
6 months: Demonstration phase

Focus Areas:

• Carbon Capture, Utilisation & Storage (CCUS)
• Alternate Fuels
  
  

Expected Output:

• One functional demonstrator unit with performance parameters clearly defined by the PI(s)
• Proposal must demonstrate scalability and a clear pathway to commercial or public deployment
  
  

Proposal Must Address:

• Alignment with at least one of the above domains
• Budget, TRL (Technology Readiness Level)* at start and end, CRL (Commercial Readiness Level), ARL (Adoption Readiness Level)
  • Starting technology readiness level (TRL) should be at least at 4/5 and end of project TRL should have advanced to 6 and preferably 7
  • Equipment spends to be minimal and allowed only for Track 1

*further details available in Assessment criteria

• Stakeholder interest: Identify member companies from the Energy Consortium who are likely to support/benefit from this project. Three or more founding members to endorse the proposed outcomes and the intended benefits, with optional co-funding. PIs are encouraged to work with Industry Advisory Board members in developing strong proposals
• A plan to pursue follow-on funding via ministries, CSR, or private investment
• Team composition: Principal Investigators need to form a cross-disciplinary team (involving multiple departments and faculty groups) and propose deliverables that bring meaningful contributions from all to the outcome of the project. One PI must consolidate inputs and submit a single proposal.
  
  

Objective:

Encourage PIs to develop deeper collaboration with founding members of the consortium.  Award can be considered as ‘seed grant’ to work on new bold, high-risk research ideas within the proposed areas of interest. Up to 2 projects will be awarded, each funded at 10 Lakhs, under this track.

Project Duration: 1 year

Eligibility:

Open to all early career faculty members at IITM (AP and ASP, up to 10 Years at the institute/university)

Proposal Must Include:

• A novel research question or hypothesis
• Technical approach, expected outcomes, milestones
• Budget, TRL (start and expected), team (if any)
  • Emphasis is on providing funding for human resources and consumables, while leveraging existing facilities and projects within the institute/university
  • Equipment spends to be minimal and allowed only for Track 1. Operational expenses and any add-on for enhancements can be considered on a case-to-case basis
  • Expected TRL after project completion is 3
    
    

Assessment panel:

1) IITM Panel: Faculty-in-charge for Energy Consortium and experts identified

2) Industry Advisory Board members (total of ten)

Please note: The individual comments collected from Industry Advisory Board members who represent the founding members of the Energy Consortium will be considered for final evaluation. Decisions from the IITM Panel are final.

Assessment criteria

• All proposals will be assessed by the industry founding members individually via their appointed Industry Advisory Board members on four criteria as below
  • Alignment: Alignment of the proposed research work with your company’s long-range research and technology goals.
  • Impact: the proposed project proposal’s potential to generate significant impact in moving the needle while accomplishing global ‘net-zero’ goals
  • Approach: Is the proposed methodology/scientific approach appropriate and does it have the potential to become a game-changer
  • Budget: Are the requested budgets and the timelines proposed realistic
  • Technology Readiness Level
  • Commercial Readiness Level (Track 1)
  • Adoption Readiness Level (Track 1)
  • Strength and complementarity of the team (Track 1)
• All proposals will be assessed by the Energy Consortium’s appointee(s) from IIT Madras on the same four criteria.
• All assessments will be collectively finalized in consultation with the Industry Advisory Board to select the strongest proposals from amongst all those received.
  
  

Guidance on what would be successful proposals

Successful proposals would be those that possess high potential in terms of generating long term solutions to energy transition problems, and as adjudged in the near term based on possibility of developing intellectual property as well as attracting additional funding. The funding can ideally from within the industry founding members of the Energy Consortium or by extension from an industry partner or any relevant stakeholder that is willing to fund work further for maturing the TRLs (and CRLs). Energy Consortium is a willing partner in this endeavour and runs other flagship programs, other than TREND Setter to enable this.

Eligible applicants would be those who

• are faculty of IITM
• possess proven track record and expertise in the field of their application to the program
• are able to meet all the necessary guidelines as outlined above for the program
• are able to provide all information in their proposal that satisfies all the assessment criteria of the program
• are able to respond within the stipulated timeframes of the program
  
  

All decisions by the Energy Consortium Industry Advisory Board will be deemed final.

Announcement of award:

• Grant awardees will be informed around mid-June by intimation to lead PI of the final decision from the assessment panel including review committee comments.
• Formal public announcement of the TREND setter grants will be at the Energy Consortium’s Industry Day planned on 27 Jun and to be held at IIT Madras
  
  

Contact Information

• For further queries and information needed, please write to Deepa Maria Alexander gmops_ec@icsrpis.iitm.ac.in