1. GENERAL
1.1 Definition and Acceptance
- “Company” means Ignite-National Technology Fund.
- “SPARK” funds idea-to-prototype research and innovation; “ELEVATE” funds prototype-to-market validation and commercialization.
- “SEGMS” means Ignite’s official SPARK & ELEVATE online grant portal (segms.ignite.org.pk).
- “Call” means a public call for proposals.
- “PIO/PDO” means the Principal Investigator’s / Project Director’s Organization.
- “Grant Agreement” means the separate agreement executed with successful applicants.
- “Successful Applicant” means applicant whose application for the SPARK and/or ELEVATE Program has been approved by Ignite for the award of a grant.
These Guidelines apply to account registration and the application process.
1.2 Official program documents and precedence
These Guidelines are for convenience and guidance only. In the event of any inconsistency, the relevant Call Announcement, and the Grant Agreement shall prevail. You are responsible for reading the full Call Announcement before applying.
2. ACCOUNT AND ELIGIBILITY
2.1 Account registration and security
Accounts are created on SEGMS using accurate applicant details (name, valid email, phone) and are activated via an email link. You are responsible for keeping your credentials secure and for all activity under your account; register one account per applicant, do not share or transfer access, use “Forgot Password” rather than creating duplicate accounts, and notify the Company of any unauthorized use or change of authorized representative.
2.2 Eligibility
Applicants must be Pakistan-based, legally registered entities; individuals without a registered entity may not apply. SPARK is open to a PIO (research organization, startup, SME, university, or research organization) that nominates a PI. ELEVATE is industry-led and must be led by a PDO (startup, SME, or large enterprise) acting as industry lead, nominating a PD and a Commercial Lead responsible for commercialization and market entry, and providing pilot-deployment/first-customer details. Proposals involving the Company employees, directors, or their immediate family are not eligible.
2.3 Consortium, partners and co-financing
A consortium is encouraged; national and international partners are welcomed where they add unique value (technology maturity, market access, scaling). List every member and their role, and attach a signed letter of support or consortium agreement for each; certain ELEVATE themes require a named partner. Co-financing (cash and/or in-kind) by industry partners is encouraged and viewed favorably in evaluation process, has no fixed minimum capping for co-financing, and where offered, it must be declared and evidenced by a letter of support.
2.4 Number of Proposals
A PI may submit up to two different proposals under SPARK; a PD may submit one proposal under ELEVATE. A PI submitting one proposal for SPARK and the same PI submitting another Proposal for ELEVATE as PD is allowed. However, it is recommended that the same proposal be not submitted to both Programs.
3. APPLICATION PROCESS
3.1 Calls, channel and deadlines
Applications are accepted only against a specific open Call and only through SEGMS; submissions by email, post, or hand, and rolling or unsolicited submissions, are not accepted. The Company does not guarantee resolution of technical issues raised within last 24 hours of the deadline. Submission of well before deadline. Report portal issues to [email protected] with your account email, CNIC, and screenshots.
3.2 Two-stage submission and revisions
Submission of applications for SPARK and ELEVATE is a two-stage process: Stage 1 is Project Concept (screened by the Company for fit, eligibility and quality); and Stage 2 is Full Proposal, enabled only upon approval of Stage 1. The form supports save-and-continue. A Stage 1 submission cannot be edited or withdrawn; at Stage 2, one revision may be permitted where recommended by evaluators.
3.3 Required documents and declarations
Applicant must provide the documents specified for each stage, which may include CVs of the PI/PD, Industry Lead, Commercial Lead and key personnel; letters of intent; signed letters of support / consortium agreements; the detailed budget on the official template; the project schedule / milestone chart; the AI Use Disclosure Statement; the signed Applicant Declaration of Originality from the PI/PD and every team member; the Conflict-of-Interest declaration; proof of the Competent Authority (VC/Rector/CEO) as authorized signatory; and any co-financing commitment letter. The Company may ask for submission of additional documents as and when required.
4. RESEARCH INTEGRITY
4.1 Originality and plagiarism
Every proposal may be screened with an industry-standard text-similarity tool (e.g. iThenticate). Thresholds are: overall similarity not exceeding 19% (excluding references, standard terminology and properly attributed quotations); similarity to any single source not exceeding 3%; and no verbatim run exceeding 15 consecutive words from a source without quotation and citation. Uncredited reuse of your own prior work is treated as self-plagiarism. Breaches are returned without evaluation, and qualitative appropriation may be disqualified even within numeric thresholds.
4.2 Responsible use of generative AI
The core content i.e., problem statement, novelty, methodology, technical approach, work plan, commercialisation/impact strategy and team description must be your original work; proposals substantially developed by generative AI are not accepted. AI is permitted only for auxiliary purposes (language/style editing, translation, formatting, reference management, and verified literature search). Every proposal must include an AI Use Disclosure Statement (max 150 words); undisclosed use is itself a breach. You are fully responsible for all AI-assisted content, including any fabricated citations or inaccurate claims.
4.3 Conflict of interest, anti-fraud and conduct
You must declare any relationship with the Company’s directors, managers, members or stakeholders that could bias decision-making, and any other conflict of interest. You must not engage in fraud, bribery, collusion, coercion or any corrupt practice. Consequences of integrity violations may include return without evaluation, disqualification from the Call, debarment from applying for one to three years, revocation of an award and recovery of disbursed funds, and referral to the relevant authorities; serious or repeated violations are recorded in the Company’s Integrity Register and considered in future applications.
5. EVALUATION AND AWARD
5.1 Evaluation, selection and no guarantee of funding
Selection is open, competitive and merit-based, using the Project Evaluation Ranking Matrix (PERM): concept screening, full-proposal desk evaluation by the Company, review by at least three independent external evaluators, ranking, financial review, and approval by the Company. Evaluators are matched by expertise, cannot see the personal details of the PI/PIO or PD/PDO, and may not be contacted by applicants; all communication is through the Company. Registration and submission create no entitlement to funding, which is awarded at the Company’s discretion subject to approvals and available budget; the Company does not reimburse application costs.
5.2 Funding, disbursement and milestones
SPARK grants are up to Rs. 100 million and ELEVATE up to Rs. 200 million, each over a duration of up to 18 months, administered through the lead organization (PIO/PDO). Every Grant Agreement includes an agreed milestone schedule. The grants are disbursed through a phased disbursement plan. The first tranche is released only on execution of the Grant Agreement, completion of legal formalities and submission of an approved work plan; subsequent tranches are milestone-linked and conditional on satisfactory achievement of the preceding milestone as assessed by the Company.
6. COSTS & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
6.1 Eligible costs and procurement
Funds may be used only for the approved budget under the Financial Rules. Personnel is billed on a time-cost basis, not honoraria (PI/Co-PI capped at 50% of time unless the institution certifies proportionately reduced duties and salary); only technical staff are billable, with administrative/secretarial staff and the project coordinator covered by overhead. The eligible budget heads include Project Personnel, Equipment and consumables, Institutional overhead, and contingency, travel and, any other relevant cost e.g., Audit cost by an A-rated firm.
6.2 Intellectual property
IP arising from a successful project vests with the PI/PIO (SPARK) or PD/PDO (ELEVATE) in accordance with the amended Research and Development Rules, 2006 (SRO 94(I)/2026) and the Grant Agreement. PI/PD is responsible for filing patent applications in Pakistan and/or internationally via PCT; filing costs are fundable, evidence of filing is required well before the project’s closure.