3rd INSF - RSF Joint Call Announced

Call Description

The third joint call between the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) and the Russian Science Foundation (RSF) has been launched with the aim of supporting up to 20 research projects. In this call, researchers are encouraged to pay special attention to establishing scientific networks among institutions, organizations, universities, and specialists in relevant fields when designing and implementing their research proposals. Proposals that leverage these capacities to create scientific synergy and inter‑institutional collaboration, and which demonstrate significant achievements toward research objectives, will receive funding priority.

It should be noted that in the previous joint call with the Russian Science Foundation, 15 joint projects were selected out of 115 joint proposals submitted by Iranian and Russian researchers.

Priority Areas

• Socio‑Economic Challenges (SEC) 
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): Basics, Fundamentals and Development (Trustworthy AI, Reinforced Deep Learning, Recognition Models, etc.) 
• Advanced and Clean Energy Systems (Hydrogen and helium production, hydrogen and CO₂ storage, etc.) 
• Smart Transport, Telecommunications, and Robotics 
• Safe Food 
• Agricultural Biotechnology 
• Smart Healthcare and Medicine 

Eligibility

Full-time faculty members of Iranian universities and educational/research institutions who have either:

• At least one completed research project funded by INSF, or 
• Two completed doctoral thesis or postdoctoral projects funded by INSF

are eligible to participate in this call (this requirement is mandatory).

Eligible Iranian researchers are required to complete the commitment forms and the joint English proposal together with their Russian collaborators and upload them to the INSF Research Management System.

In this system, in addition to uploading the aforementioned documents, applicants must also:

• Complete the step‑by‑step Persian online form in the system 
• Upload the required documents, including CVs of both the Iranian and Russian principal investigators, as well as the applicant’s updated employment decree (for fiscal years of 1404 and 1405)

Iranian researchers are strongly advised to carefully review the general call conditions and eligibility requirements before taking any action.

Attachments

• English proposal template  
• Terms and conditions for proposal submission  
• Commitment form (Iranian and Russian researchers must prepare this form jointly, obtain approval and signatures from the host university or research institute where the project will be implemented, and submit it along with the proposal to both INSF and RSF)

Call Timeline

• Deadline for submission of research proposals: June 6, 2026
• Announcement of final results:  September–October 2026 
• Start of research projects: Early 2027

Funding Amount

The maximum funding for each joint research project for the Iranian side is 40 billion IRR, for a period of up to three years. Payments to the Iranian principal investigator will be made according to project progress and within INSF regulations.

Financial support for the Russian principal investigator will be provided according to the rules of the Russian Science Foundation (RSF).

Application and Submission Process

Applicants should register through the INSF Research Management System via the “Applicants/Researchers” section. If the applicant does not already have a profile in the system, they must first complete the registration process, and then log in using their email (username) and password.

After logging in, proposals can be submitted through “Submit New Proposal” in the “International Projects / Russian Science Foundation Call” section.

Contact Information

After carefully reviewing the call description and relevant regulations on the foundation’s portal, researchers with questions about the submission process, eligibility conditions, or scientific aspects of the call can submit a ticket through their profile  via INSF Research Management System to the Office of International Affairs (Dr. Moradhaseli).