Sustainable Agriculture Institute
SAI-QMS-MO-004
Research
| Authorization Code: | SAI/ QMS/MO/004 |
| Title: | PROCEDURE FOR RESEARCH |
| Area: | CORPORATE |
| Version No.: | 01 |
| Revision No. : | 00 |
| Created by: | MANAGEMENT REPRESENTATIVE |
| Approved by: | CHANCELLOR |
| Date of version: | 1st MAY 2015 |
| Signature: | |
Distribution List
| Copy No. | Distributed to | Date | Signature | Returned | |
| Date | Signature | ||||
Change History
| Date | Version | Created by | Description of change |
Table of Contents
1.0 PURPOSE
This procedure is to provide guidelines for the approval and administration of funded research at the Sustainable Agriculture Institute.
2.0 SCOPE
This procedure covers research conducted by members of staff of the Institute from the proposal formulation to the publication of research findings.
3.0 REFERENCES
3.1 SAI Research Policy
3.2 ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System
3.4 SAI Statutes
4.0 ABBREVIATIONS / DEFINITIONS
4.1 ARG -Annual Research Grant
4.2 E&M – Evaluation and Monitoring Team
4.3 IREC – Institutional Research and Ethics Committee
4.4 Q-report – Quarterly Report
4.5 A-Report – Annual Report
4.6 R&I – Research and Innovations
4.7 SRC – School Research Committee
4.8 IRC – Institute Research Committee
4.9 IRF – Institute Research Fund
4.10 Collaborative Research
Research was jointly undertaken by institutions, departments, or individuals under specific contracts.
5.0 PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITY
The Chancellor shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to Research.
6.0 METHOD
PHASE I
6.1. Call for Proposals
The IRC shall select the relevant research themes for the year and place a call for proposals and give a four(4)-week application period.
The call for proposals shall be sent out one (1) week after funds have been received in the IRF account.
6.2. Submission of Proposals
6.2.1
The researcher or research teams shall submit an application in the recommended format through the appropriate School Research Committee (SRC) that shall review all proposals submitted and make recommendations to the Institute Research Committee within two (2) weeks of closure of the application period.
6.2.2
The Director R&I shall inform unsuccessful applicants with a detailed write-up on the weaknesses of their application.
6.3. Review of Proposals
6.3.1
The Institute Research Committee shall review recommendations from all Schools and make recommendations to the Institute Senate within four (4) weeks of the closure of the application period, provided that the Committee shall also nominate the monitoring and evaluation comprising of not more than 3 professors for the purpose of reviewing the progress of supported research and submitting biennial reports to the Committee.
6.3.2
The Institute Senate shall consider all the recommendations from the Schools and make recommendations to Institute Council within six (6) weeks of the closure of the application period, provided that any proposals that need IREC approval shall be reviewed by IREC within this period.
6.3.3
The Council shall consider and approve or vary recommendations from the Senate within eight (8) weeks from the closure of the application period.
6.4. Award and release of Grants
6.4.1
The Director R&I shall communicate in writing to notify the successful applicants one (1) week after the Council’s approval of their application.
6.4.2
The grants shall be awarded in a public ceremony to be held one (1) week after the communication to the successful applicants.
6.4.3
Funds shall be released to the successful proposals within two (2) weeks after the public award ceremony.
PHASE II
6.5. Financial and Technical Reports
6.5.1
Researchers shall submit quarterly financial and technical reports to the chairperson of the Institute Research Committee through the School Research Committee, provided that findings with significant intellectual property issues shall be put before the Director of Research in writing for advice.
6.5.2
The Institute Research Committee shall consider all research project reports received from the schools and make recommendations to the Senate within two (2) weeks after reception of such reports, provided that the reports shall include approval or disapproval of the progress and appropriate action to be taken where applicable.
6.5.3
Researchers shall submit annual research reports through the School Research Committee at the end of May of each year.
6.5.4
The School shall consider each report and make recommendations to the Institute Research Committee by mid-June.
6.5.5
The Institute Research Committee shall consider all the annual research reports and make recommendations to the Senate by the end of June.
6.6. Dissemination of the research results
6.6.1
The Directorate of Research & Innovations shall collate and publish the abstracts of all the submitted reports in the Institute Annual Research Report.
6.6.2
Individual authors may publish their full work in peer-reviewed journals of their choice, subject to other restrictions such as intellectual property rights and any other restrictions that may be imposed by the Institute as the funder of the research, provided that the draft paper for such publication shall be internally reviewed first by experts identified by the directorate of R&I, before submission to the journal of choice for manuscript quality purposes.