Grant for Organizing Conference (GOC)

What is the Grant for Organizing Conference (GOC)?

Grant for Organizing Conference (GOC) is a scheme of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), a statutory body under the Ministry of Education's Department of Higher Education. According to AICTE scheme material, GOC provides financial assistance to AICTE-approved institutions for organising conferences, seminars and symposia in various fields of technical education, so that academicians and experts from across the country and abroad can share knowledge, experience and research findings.

According to the scheme description, GOC reimburses an approved conference up to Rs 3 lakh, and AICTE supports roughly 100 conferences a year across science, technology, engineering and management. Both onsite and online conferences can be considered.

Key objectives

• Bring academicians and domain experts together to share research and practice.
• Strengthen the research and academic culture of technical institutions.
• Expose faculty and students to current developments in their fields through events hosted on their own campuses.

Both onsite and online conferences can be considered under GOC, which lets institutions in smaller towns host or join national-level academic events without the full cost of a physical gathering. AICTE scheme material indicates support extends to around 100 conferences a year across science, technology, engineering and management domains, so the scheme is deliberately spread thin across many institutions rather than concentrated on a few large events.

Who is eligible for GOC?

An institution can apply if:

• It is an AICTE-approved institution that meets the minimum period of existence in the scheme guidelines.
• It proposes a technical conference, seminar or symposium with a clear theme, programme and budget.
• Its organising team meets AICTE's experience expectations and, where required, has a track record of organising such events.

You cannot apply if:

• You are an individual faculty member or student. GOC has no individual application route; the institution applies and a faculty member serves as convener within that application.
• The institution is not AICTE-approved or does not meet the eligibility conditions.
• The event is outside the scope of technical education that AICTE funds.

Because the grant is sanctioned to the institution and paid against documented expenditure, an individual cannot receive GOC money as a personal benefit.

What documents are required for GOC?

How to apply for the Grant for Organizing Conference

GOC is an institutional scheme. These steps are for the institution's nodal officer or the faculty convener applying on the institution's behalf.

1. Confirm the institution is AICTE-approved and meets the eligibility conditions in the current GOC guidelines on aicte.gov.in.
2. Prepare a conference proposal; theme, dates, list of speakers, expected participants and a detailed budget within the Rs 3 lakh ceiling.
3. Log in to the AICTE web portal with institutional credentials and open the GOC / faculty-development scheme module when the call is open.
4. Fill in the online application, upload the concept note and budget, and submit before the deadline.
5. After AICTE sanctions the grant, hold the conference as approved and keep full records of expenditure.
6. Submit the closure documents — event report, accounts and utilisation certificate, within the stipulated time to claim the reimbursement.

How much benefit does GOC provide?

GOC reimburses up to Rs 3 lakh per approved conference against actual, documented spending. Since it is a reimbursement, the institution first meets the costs and then recovers them up to the ceiling. AICTE material notes that failure to file closure and utilisation documents on time can lead to AICTE withholding funds under other AICTE schemes to the same institution, so timely reporting matters.

Help and contact

• GOC is administered by AICTE under the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education.
• Institutions should use the AICTE web portal (aicte.gov.in) and its scheme-specific contact points, and the AICTE helpline 011-29581000 during working hours, for queries.

GOC is a narrow institutional grant. For a faculty member who wants to host a conference, the practical route is to work through the institution's AICTE nodal officer and apply during an open GOC call rather than seeking any individual grant.