RIF Application Form

For the information of the Applicants –

Guiding Principles for the project to be supported under RIF – Innovation

Should benefit a large number of rural poor

Should be Replicable / Scalable
Funding support generally not exceeding Rs. 30 lakh
To be grounded in less than 3 years

ARE YOU LOOKING AT

Developing a New Product
Developing a New Process for an existing product
Adapting/replicating an existing product/process in a new location
Testing a New Concept and developing a prototype
Development of a prototype for a tested concept
Patenting for innovative technology/ designs/ products/ processes
Scaling up a concept, which has been prototyped
Any other (please specify)
Please ‘Tick’ {√} your choice.

Next Steps –
• If the applicant is an Organisation, please complete Annexures 1 & 3
• If the applicant is an individual innovator, please complete Annexures 2 & 3.

Certified that I/We have not defaulted/ blacklisted by any donor agencies/ financial institutions
for defaulting in repayment / any other reasons in the past.

Certified also that I/ We are not defaulter to any bank/ donor agencies in respect of any financial
assistance extended to me/ us in the past.

Signature:

Date:
ANNEXURE 1 – Applicable for Organisations only

1. ORGANIZATION DETAILS (INITIATOR OF THE PROPOSAL)

Name of the Organization
Complete Registered Address (With Pin code):

Business Phone Cell Phone

Email Address
Organization Website / Page /
Portal
Type of organization: Government NGO Research Academic Trust
Organisation Institution
(Please mark YES as applicable)

Briefly, describe the kind of work the organization does….

Geographical Coverage of
the organization (where the
organization is working
currently)
2. INNOVATION UNIT – the ‘CHAMPION’ of the proposal (the unit within the organisation that is
responsible for the innovation)
Name of the Champion
Designation of the person
named above
Business Phone Cell
Phone
Email Address
Does the ‘Champion’ have enough resources within the organisation to manage the project?
Resource availability 1 2 3
(limited) (sufficient) (Abundant)
People
Technology
Knowledge/ Skills
Others (please specify)

Management of the Project: Whether the model suggested for project implementation is supported by
the Organisation or does the innovator intend to solely manage it?
1 2 3
How strong is the Low (only innovator) Medium (a few more High (organisation
organisational support in people in his team) actively supports it)
managing the project?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
Also, give details of such support.

Past experience and capability of the ‘Champion’ in handling similar/ related projects or areas
1 2 3
Does the Champion have Very little experience of Familiar with similar Completed similar
relevant past experience? similar projects projects but not projects earlier
implemented
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

Also, give specific details on types of projects undertaken, competence in the given area, how successfully were
the projects implemented, support (if any) received from NABARD or any other Institution/ Body/ authority.

Extent of own involvement of Champion:

• Please furnish brief account of the extent of involvement of the Champion in the proposed project
implementation (non-financial)

• Financial stake in the proposal by the innovator -- item wise financial details, contribution of the
innovator, other partners/ stakeholders, their role and contribution, if any…

• Has the innovating unit/Organisation applied for financial support to any other institution/Body/Authority
for the project for which application is being submitted? If yes, please furnish details.

Enclosures to be sent with the Form:

Copy of the Registration Certificate,
The Annual Reports, and
Annual audited accounts for the last 2 years.
ANNEXURE 2 – Applicable only for Individual Innovators

INDIVIDUAL DETAILS – THE ‘CHAMPION’ (INITIATOR OF THE PROPOSAL)

Name
Qualification
Experience
Business Phone Cell Phone
Email Address
Postal Address

Past experience and capability of the innovator in handling similar/ related projects or areas
1 2 3
Does the Innovator have any Very little experience of Familiar with similar Completed similar
relevant experience in similar projects projects but not projects earlier
working on similar projects? implemented
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

Also, give specific details on types of projects undertaken; competence related to the project area, how
successfully were the projects implemented.

Management of the Project: Whether the model suggested for project implementation is participative in nature
(involving the people whom it is likely to benefit), or any other supporter, or does the innovator intend to solely
manage it?
1 2 3
How strong is the community Low (only innovator) Medium (others’ support High (community
support in managing the to some extent) supports it)
project?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
Also, give details of such support.

Does the Innovator have enough resources to manage the project, in terms of people, technology,
knowledge, skills etc.?
1 2 3
Resource availability Scarce Sufficient Abundant
People
Technology
Knowledge/ Skills
Any Others (please specify)
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
Also, give details of each ‘scarce’ resource, with expectations of support on these aspects.

Extent of own involvement of Champion --

• Please furnish brief account of the extent of involvement of the Champion in non-financial terms.(also
indicate whether he/she can engage himself/ herself with the project on full time basis)

• Please furnish brief account of Financial stake in the proposal by the innovator -- item wise financial details,
contribution of the innovator, other partners/ stakeholders, their role and contribution, if any.

• Has the innovator applied for financial support to any other Institution/Body/Authority for the project for which
application is being submitted? If yes, please furnish details.

Enclosures to be sent with the Form:

PAN Card details
Two References
 ANNEXURE 3 -- To be filled in by both individual and institutional innovators

DETAILS OF THE ‘CONCEPT’ -- PROJECT/ PROPOSAL

Project Title

Brief Description of the Project

What, according to you, is the innovation involved in your project?

How did the innovative idea come to you?

What is the specific problem that you are trying to address through your project?

How will your innovation resolve this problem? (Please enclose detailed write-up on the innovation and your strategy for
implementation/grounding the project and the duration of the project)
1 2 3
To what extent, according To some extent Largely Completely
to you, will your innovation
resolve this problem?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

What are the Financial costs involved? Give details, under different heads (Year-wise) –
Manpower (Composition, remuneration etc.)
Materials & equipment (item-wise quantity and rate, etc.)
Training (No. of programs, cost per program, No. of trainees, etc.)
Travel
Information dissemination/ communication
Evaluation/Documentation (please furnish details)
Any others

What part of these costs will be borne by the individual innovator/innovating organisation?

Estimates of Profitability/ break-even for the project --

# 1 2 3
By when will your project More than 2 years Between 1 to 2 years Less than 1 year
break even?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

Please furnish the assumptions and estimates in support of the above.

What other kind of inputs/ support will you need? For example, in terms of information on similar projects, training,
technical inputs etc.

UNIQUENESS OF THE PROPOSAL/ PROJECT -- How is the innovation unique?

There are different aspects of uniqueness. How does your proposal fare on some of these?
A. With respect to the idea --
1 2 3
How unique is your idea? Already existing idea , Adapted from existing Totally new idea
only replication idea/practices

Please mark “Yes” as

applicable
B. Geographic uniqueness --
1 2 3
How unique is your idea Unique to your Area Unique to your State Unique to the Country
geographically?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
C. Unique with respect to the problem resolution --
1 2 3
How unique is your idea in Providing alternative Providing first time Providing solutions to
resolving the problem? solution to an existing solution to an existing multiple problems
problem problem
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

IMPACT OF THE PROPOSAL-- How impactful is your proposal?

A. What is the percentage of targeted people (within your area of impact) likely to be impacted by the
project?
1 2 3
What is the % of targeted Less than one-third Between one-third and More than two-thirds
people in the project area two-thirds
impacted by this project?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
B. Impact with respect to the problem resolution --
1 2 3
To what extent does it Solves the problem Solves the problem Solves the problem +
solve the problem? partially completely open new possibilities
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable.
C. Impact in terms of the ‘criticality’ of the problem -
1 2 3
How ‘critical’ is the problem Low Medium High
to the end-beneficiary?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
D. Impact in terms of the ‘profitability’ to the ultimate beneficiaries –
In quantitative and qualitative terms – how much will they benefit?
• Quantitative benefit (for example, increase in income, employment, productivity, etc.)

• Qualitative benefit (for example, improvement in living standards, reduction in drudgery, effect on
environment, rural habitat, etc.) --

E. Impact in terms of the strata / segment of society impacted –

1 2 3
What is the segment of Upper and middle class All segments Exclusively poor
society impacted?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

F. Has the innovator interacted with the targeted group regarding the innovation? If yes, then impact in
terms of the ‘acceptability’ of the innovation by the people it is going to impact --
1 2 3
How acceptable will this Hesitant about it Open to it Excited about it
innovation be to the
people it impacts?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable.
G. Impact in terms of the time taken for accrual of the benefits from the project --
1 2 3
By what time will the More than 1 year 6 months to a year Less than 6 months
targeted group start
reaping benefits from the
project
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
H. Impact in terms of the social objectives served by the project – Please respond to as many factors as are
relevant to your proposal.
1 2 3
Likely impact in terms of Minimal Partial High
reducing poverty
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Likely impact in terms of Minimal Partial High
reducing drudgery
levels?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Likely effect on Negative No impact Positive
environment?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Likely effect on rural Low Medium High
habitat?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Likely effect on Low Medium High
Employment
generation?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Likely effect on Minimal Medium High
productivity and
profitability?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Likely impact on Low Medium High
improving literacy/
awareness levels
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

SUSTAINABILITY/ SCALABILITY OF THE PROJECT – How will the proposal be sustainable

beyond the funding under RIF / how scalable is the project?
When is the project likely to be sustainable?
1 2 3
When is it likely to be self-sustainable? More than 3 years In 1 to 3 years < 1 year
Please mark “Yes” as applicable
What will be the major challenges to sustainability? If the period to attain self-sustainability is over 3
years, how does the innovator propose to fund and implement the project? (NABARD support is
generally available for a period not exceeding 3 years).

Is there scope for scaling-up of the Project to --

a. New Locations?

b. New Groups of people (For example, from farmers to textile workers, construction workers
etc)?

c. Other related sectors/activities (For example, a concept based on cold chain for vegetables
can be used for milk chillers)?

If yes, please furnish details in respect of each of the above.

What will be the major challenges to scalability?

What kind of support (financial and non-financial) will you need to achieve your vision of
scalability?

What are your plans for documentation & learnings from the project? How do you plan to record
your experience for future use?

Are you looking for patenting? What is your level of knowledge in this area?

DETAILS OF THE ‘CONTEXT’

A. How does the political/ social/ economic/ environmental climate of the area impact the innovation? Is
each context positive, neutral, or negative as far as the proposal is concerned?
1 2 3
Political Environment Negative Neutral Positive
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Social Environment Negative Neutral Positive
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Economic Environment Negative Neutral Positive
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable
1 2 3
Environmental Factors Negative Neutral Positive
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

B. What kind of positive impact is the Project likely to make on the community, in terms of –
1. Economic benefits?

2. Social benefits?

3. Any others?

1 2 3
What is the likely overall Low Medium High
positive impact of the
project on the
community?
Please mark “Yes” as
applicable

C. What are the other factors in the given area, which can impact the Innovation and its implementation
in any way?