Reseach Groups
General Information
Engaging in research and research-related activities offers numerous benefits to individuals, organizations, communities, and nations. It can allow researchers to be at the cutting-edge of developments in their fields, thereby contributing to their personal reputations and their university’s ranking. Active researchers can also help identify and address issues of national concern, and, in this way, can contribute to sustainable social and economic development. It is through research that the quality of life people experience in any given society can be enhanced, and that organizations in the private and public sectors can become more responsive to social issues and community needs.
Indicators of a university’s research activity are many and can be said to include the number of journal articles, book chapters, and books published by faculty, conference presentations made, patents filed, postgraduate students, research-based programs, research centres and chairs, completed dissertations, and so on. Another important indicator is the number and size of research groups and their levels of activity. A research group is normally formed in order to identify and co-ordinate a particular research activity within academic department(s) and, thereby, to promote that activity, solicit funding and facilitate communication among interested faculty members. Because they are often multi-disciplinary in nature, research groups can offer a variety of perspectives on a particular investigative issue and can be quite flexible and dynamic in their approaches. Moreover, as a collection of volunteers who are drawn together through mutual interest in their areas/fields, they often consist of highly motivated individuals who seek to be at the forefront of knowledge generation and renewal.
It is for these reasons that research groups can be a very effective means of promoting research within an institution. Given the importance of research for SQU and Oman, and the potential value of research groups in promoting increased levels of research activity within the university and across the sultanate, the Deanship of Research here proposes guidelines for establishing research groups at SQU in addition to an annual award for the most active research group among academic and non-academic staff.
Objectives
  • Increase research both within SQU and across Oman.
  • Raise awareness about the activities and functions of SQU’s research groups.
  • Promote research group membership and activity.
  • Encourage increased research output, in terms of publications, presentations, patents and so on, at SQU.
  • Encourage multi-disciplinary research studies and teams.
Vision and Mission

Vision : To enhance SQU’s standing as a regional leader in research and innovation.

Mission: To increase research activity at SQU by promoting participation in, and the levels of activity of, the university’s research groups.

Terms and Conditions
  • SQU encourages the formation of research groups within and among disciplines that aim to activate scientific research in various fields of research which contribute to social, economic and scientific development, and provide appropriate support for their continuity.
  • Research groups shall serve as a nucleus for future research centres that shall receive recommendations in accordance with the rules and regulations. 
  • Research groups shall be under the supervision of the Deanship of Research. They can be hosted by the academic colleges or research centres who shall provide them with the required support and facilities in order to carry out their duties. 
  • Research groups work under the direction of a coordinator who shall be from SQU. The coordinator is a reputed full or associate professor with a well-established track record of quality and leadership in the group’s research field. The coordinator will be the grant contact with the Deanship of Research and has overall responsibility for coordinating all research and administrative activities of the research group. 
  • A research group shall consist of a minimum of three faculty members/researchers. 
  • The group members shall be holders of doctorates. They can be from any organization with minimum of two members from SQU. 
  •  A faculty member/researcher can be a member of different research groups. 

The research group members shall commit to:

  1. Seek excellence and carry out fundamental, applied and/or interdisciplinary research of a high quality in key cluster areas of relevance to SQU and of importance to Oman and emerging fields of knowledge, and engage in research with a potentially high international impact. 
  2. Build research capacity and provide high quality training and a conducive research environment for promising young faculty members, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students. 
  3. Provide a high quality research environment for the development and enhancement of graduate programs as well as the enhancement of undergraduate teaching at SQU. 
  4. Develop links and collaboration with renowned national and international research groups and attract leading researchers.
     
Establishing Research Group

Applications for establishing research groups are open all year and shall be submitted according to the following steps:

  • The coordinator of the research group shall initiate a request for the establishment of the group by completing the Research Group Registration form (F34), having it signed by all group members, and submitting it with supporting documents (after getting the necessary approvals shown in the form) to the Deanship of Research for the approval of the initial 5-year term.. 
  • The approval shall be obtained from the unit to which the research group coordinator belongs even if the members of the group are from different units. 
  • On the 31st of December every year, the group coordinator shall submit a research group report (F35) to the Deanship of Research through the relevant Head of Department, Assistant Dean of Postgraduate Studies and Research and the Dean of the College or through the relevant Director of the unit summarizing the activities and achievements of the group. 
  • The coordinator of the group shall apply at least six months prior to the term expiry to renew the registration of the group for another 5 year-term by completing Research Group Registration form (F34) and following the same procedures outlined above
Awards

The Deanship of Research shall offer an annual award of 3,000 Omani Rials for the most active research group at SQU, which shall be equally distributed among the group members. In order to enter the competition, the group must be registered with the Deanship of Research. The group coordinator shall complete and submit the form (F36) with the required supporting documents to the Dean of Research no later than the last day of February. The Dean of Research shall report all the applications to the Research Board who shall evaluate the applications and decide upon one award winner. The winner shall be announced on the University Day by the DVC-PSR.


Research Group Award

The Deanship of Research shall offer an annual award of 3,000 Omani Rials for the most active research group at SQU, which shall be equally distributed among the group members. In order to enter the competition, the group must be registered with the Deanship of Research. The group coordinator shall complete and submit the form (F36) with the required supporting documents to the Dean of Research no later than the last day of February. The Dean of Research shall report all the applications to the Research Board who shall evaluate the applications and decide upon one award winner. The winner shall be announced on the University Day by the DVC-PSR.

 

Registered Groups
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