UBT Research Policy and Regulation
UBT Research Policy sets the framework for the development and implementation of research policy at UBT within which academic staff carry out their required research obligations, and in which graduate students can engage and be supported in their research. This policy applies to all Faculties of the UBT.
For purposes of this policy ‘academic staff’ includes staff who have a contractual obligation to carry out research and does not include staff whose obligations are limited to administration or teaching and would not normally include staff on limited term contracts where the employment is not primarily for the purposes of research
Policy Content and Guidelines
Requirement to Undertake Research
- All Academic staff have the right and are required to conduct research and engage in scholarship and to publish their findings.
- All academic staff have the right to and should, where appropriate, seek research funds in support of their research
- The requirement to undertake research is a career expectation and over time will be balanced as appropriate with the other obligations of academic staff including significant administrative responsibilities.
- Nothing in this policy is to be construed to prevent Deans from allocating teaching and other responsibilities in the light of the research record of academic staff.
Research Management
Advice and policy in research matters is coordinated through a number of bodies and committees:
- The Research Department, chaired by Director of Research, is the College senior management body. It advises the academic council on research strategies to be pursued, develops policy and reviews progress in these areas. The Research Department manages the research funds, the internal administration of the performance-based Research Fund, and externally funded research from government agencies.
- Departments are required to support the research activities of their staff and postgraduate thesis students by appointing a Research Programme Officer
- Research Programme Officer coordinates the activities research centres and supports the monitoring of the external research.
- Private sector research contracts, consultancy services, intellectual property management and commercialisation are concluded and managed by the Vice-Rector on behalf of departments’ research centres.
Resources in Support of Research
UBT Supports Research through its Research Fund, Research Training and Support to External Research Applications. Research fund supports research that is aligned closely with College strategic priorities. The general principle governing the allocation of all research funding in the College is that it should be seen as an investment that will maximise the range of outcomes that the Institute expects to result from staff and student research.
A portion of RF supports early career researchers and is allocated by the Research Department.
All applications for external funding are to be submitted through Research Department. Applications made will be managed by RD. It will liaise with the applicant (s), Deans, Centre Directors and the funder.
Academic leave is allocated at the department level. Academic staff are eligible to apply for leave in support of their research including: Research and Study Leave, International Conference Leave.
Research Planning, Evaluation and Monitoring of performance
Each department/centre is to draw and implement its research plan. These plans are to be drawn up by the Heads of Departments in consultation with Programme Boar
- The Director of Research will monitor the Departments performance against their research plans on the basis of agreed criteria and will advice the Academic Council on the outcome of the process and appropriate actions.
- The research performance of individual staff is monitored and evaluated as part of the staff development planning process.
- Staff are required to participate in the assessment of internal and external performance measures such as Performance-Based Research Fund.
- Staff are required to supply full and accurate details of their research outputs on an annual basis to their Heads of Departments who will supply the information to the Research Department. It will publish an annual list of staff and student publications.
Research Staff Development
- When new staff are recruited, their research record or potential must have a high priority during the appointments process.
- Academic and research staff members are required as part of the development planning process to prepare a research plan and to review that plan annually in consultation with their Heads of Departments. This plan should include such issues as research objectives, opportunities for collaboration, timetables and expected outputs. It should also reflect any special agreements reached regarding the apportioning of teaching, administration and research duties and research training and/or development opportunities for research according to the career stage of the staff member.
- Heads of Departments are required to consider workload issues in the distribution of supervisory responsibilities before approving enrolment proposals by postgraduate research students. Heads of Departments must included supervision responsibilities’ and workloads according to an agreed formula.
- Heads of Departments should ensure that newly appointed staff are familiar with research evaluations, research training and funding opportunities and the importance of publishing in suitable venues, both within and external to it.
Research Ethics
Academic staff is required to carry out their research in compliance with all statutory, ethical and contractual obligations.
- Research is to published in a publicly available form, exceptions only with the approval of Deans
- Such considerations include the need to observe any contractual, confidentiality or privacy obligations entered into in respect to the research or the need to ensure the protection of any intellectual property arising out of the research
- Staff is required to comply with Institute’s Intellectual Property Policy.
Research Centres
The College establishes research centres to raise the research profile of the Institute, focus strengths in areas where there is a concentration of research excellence. As such they help position and promote the College’s areas of research and build Institute’s reputation. They also serve as vehicles for engaging with other research institutions and industry and facilitate interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary relationships.
- Centres have the following characteristics:
- Consistent with the strategic interests of the College
- Central to Institute’s research strategy
- Aligned to the priorities of research funders and competitive with other bidders for that funding
- High quality
- Substantial
- Research groups should use the identifiers such as ‘project’ or ‘unit’