RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT POLICY
The Research Cell at Loreto College was established to foster a robust research culture among the faculty and students. Initially set up in 2013, the cell aims to enhance research capabilities within the institution by providing support for various research activities. By promoting collaboration and interdisciplinary research, the cell has significantly contributed to the academic growth of the institution. Its ongoing efforts in enhancing research impact and professional development continue to uphold Loreto College’s commitment to academic excellence and societal contribution.
1. Objectives of the Research Cell
- Promoting Research Culture: The Research Cell aims to cultivate a robust research culture within the institution. This involves encouraging faculty members, researchers, and students to engage in high-quality research across various disciplines.
- Supporting Research Collaboration: The Research Cell fosters collaboration among researchers within the institution. This collaboration enhances the quality and impact of research outputs.
- Providing Research Resources and Infrastructure: It is responsible for providing necessary resources and infrastructure to support research activities. Teachers and students have access to libraries, laboratories, computing facilities, required for research projects.
- Organizing Workshops, Seminars, and Conferences: The Research Cell organizes and supports workshops, seminars, conferences, and symposiums aimed at disseminating research findings, sharing knowledge, and fostering academic discourse.
- Promoting Interdisciplinary Research: Encouraging interdisciplinary research collaborations among different departments or faculties is increasingly important. The Research Cell encourages such initiatives to tackle complex problems that require diverse expertise.
- Enhancing Visibility and Impact: The Research Cell works towards enhancing the visibility and impact of the institution's research outputs. Publication of Journals has been planned and is being implemented.
Overall, the Research Cell acts as a pivotal unit within our institution, playing a crucial role in advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and contributing to societal development through research excellence.
2. Structure and Governance
- Research Cell Composition: The Research Cell will have a committee consisting of 7 faculty members one of whom will be the Coordinator/Convenor of the Cell. The Cell must be reconstituted after every five years. The method of reconstitution will have to be decided by the Cell in consultation with the Head of the Institution and the IQAC Coordinator.
- Advisors to the Cell: The Head of the Institution and the IQAC coordinator will be the advisors to the Cell to guide the policy, funding decisions, and strategic direction.
3. Research Funding and Grants
- External Funding Sources: Faculty will be encouraged to apply for external research grants from government agencies (e.g., UGC, AICTE, DST), private foundations, and industry collaborations. List of external organizations and agencies that provide grants will be made available to the faculty.
- Institutional Grants: The college will allocate a certain percentage of its budget as decided by the Finance Committee led by the Head of the Institution to support research initiatives, seed grants, and faculty research projects, including the amount, terms, and conditions. This should be made known to the Cell at the beginning of the financial year for it to plan and allocate to the best possible productive manner. Every five years after this, the fund needs to be revised and increased according to the progress of the research work under the Cell.
4. Ethical Use of Research Funds
- Research Fund Management: The Research Cell will be responsible for overseeing the allocation and proper use of research funds, ensuring that funds are used in accordance with approved budgets.
- Transparency: Researchers will be required to submit regular reports detailing the use of funds and achievements related to funded projects.
5. Ethical Standards and Research Integrity
- Ethical Approval: Procedures for ensuring that research, particularly involving human subjects or sensitive data, is ethically conducted. This may include setting up an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee.
- Research Integrity: All research conducted at Loreto College must adhere to ethical guidelines regarding data collection, analysis, and reporting. This includes ensuring that research is free from plagiarism, falsification, and manipulation of data.
- Plagiarism and Citation: Researchers must ensure proper citation of sources and adhere to academic integrity standards.
6. Student and Faculty Involvement
- Research Opportunities for Students: Undergraduate and postgraduate students are to be encouraged to participate in research projects. Each Department will need to apply for at least one student research project every year under the expert guidance of the department professors.
- Faculty Research Initiatives: Special Study Leave needs to be planned for the Faculty to publish high-quality research and participate in conferences, depending upon the status of the project undertaken and the conference to be attended on a national and international scale and apply for research grants. If the research is of very high standard as decided by the Cell according to the existing national and international standard, then the Department will have to be provided with special support in the teaching capacity by the College authority covering the tenure of the leave given to the faculty concerned, so as to safeguard the academic interests of the students in the present semester system.
- Workshops and Training: The Research Cell will organize workshops and training sessions on research methodologies, academic writing, and securing research funding.
7. Monitoring and Evaluation
- Annual Review: The Research Cell will conduct annual reviews of research activities, producing reports on achievements, challenges, and future directions.
- Progress Tracking: Researchers will submit progress reports on their projects at regular intervals, detailing outcomes and impact.
- Recognition and Rewards: Outstanding Research contributions by students and faculty need to be acknowledged by the Cell in consultation with the Head of the Institution and the IQAC Coordinator which may include special awards and certificates. Such contributions should be reflected in the Annual Academic Documentation of the College.
8. Infrastructure and Resources
- Research Databases and Libraries: The Cell needs to create a Database of research materials and journals, and provide access to the researching students and faculty. For this, funds need to be created for the Cell from College and other domains.
- Collaborative Networks: The Cell will work to create collaborative networks with other Research Institutes, Colleges, Universities, Industries and any other Organisation facilitating research.
- Equipment: The Cell needs to provide the Researchers with access to Desktops, Laptops, Printer and various software to support research activities. These resources will be made available to faculty and students working on relevant projects.
9. Dissemination of Research and Documentation
- Publication of Research: Faculty and students will be encouraged to publish their research findings in peer-reviewed journals, books, and conference proceedings. The Researcher will need to submit the final copy of the Project (both Hard and Soft copy) to the Cell and in case the researcher would publish it elsewhere, the permission of the Cell will need to be taken in writing. The Researcher would further have to acknowledge the Research Cell in their publication.
- Conferences and Seminars: The Research Cell will organize faculty and student presentations to disseminate research findings and foster collaboration among researchers.
10. Policy Review and Revision
The Policy of the Cell will be reviewed every 3 years to ensure that it remains up-to-date with the evolving landscape of research and higher education.
