POLICY FOR PROMOTION OF RESEARCH & INNOVATION

Background

SASTRA Deemed University has earnestly endeavoured to be recognised as a world class research university that constantly encourage new ideas & solutions through research and innovation. The pursuit of research & innovation is interwoven in the university’s various processes that are products of its research & innovation policy. This Policy for Promotion of Research & Innovation (PPRI) serves as the guidance for SASTRA’s varied practises that is aligned towards its main objective of becoming a world class research university.

SASTRA’s policy reflects its ambition to undertake research and development activities for the benefit of all its stakeholders and the society at large. SASTRA believes that ‘Quality Education’ and ‘Research & Development’ are non-negotiable and thus they form the pillars of its guiding model. The research policy of SASTRA provides a comprehensive direction to the members of faculty and students across various disciplines for creation of new knowledge. The policy framework covers research initiatives, research opportunities, intramural funding support, execution of extramural projects, prioritization of research activities, promotion of inter- & multi-disciplinary and translational research, enhancing the quality of research outcomes (publications, patents, products), collaborative research with national and international peers, awards & incentives, startup support through TBI, regulation for research data handling, safety & research ethics, consultancy mechanism, regulations for doctoral research and conduct of research dissemination events.

Objectives of PPRI

• To promote research & innovation amongst faculty & students to substantially enhance the research outcome of SASTRA on an annual basis
• To focus various dimensions of research & innovation and achieve a balanced growth in each dimension to maximise the research diversity & efficiency
• To mentor & monitor research progress of SASTRA through internal & external committees
• To create, augment and maintain research infrastructure congenial for the conduct of research on campus in all forms – focal, interdisciplinary & transdisciplinary modes
• To collaborate with national/global universities/research organisations and individuals for joint conduct of research
• To create facilities that can nurture faculty & students to incubate their ideas for scalability
• To create a mechanism that encourages both faculty & students to pursue research & innovation at all levels
• To create research competent human resource capable of providing research leadership to not only internal stakeholders but also external stakeholders
• To use research & innovation as a tool for socio-economic growth

The PPRI believes in providing the playground for research and innovation through various schemes, measures performance through periodical appraisals and rewards achievement of faculty & students. This trinocular vision of PPRI is a comprehensive framework that promotes research & innovation.

RESEARCH SCHEMES

Research & Innovation Schemes for Faculty

• Periodic research consultation meetings & discussions and sharing of various research funding schemes available at national, bi-lateral and global levels – Dean Research & Dean Sponsored Research shall periodically sensitise all faculty with the research proposal announcements issued by various agencies
• Research & Modernisation Fund to modernise existing infrastructure to promote on-campus research through competitive internal selection. Each R&M fund shall be competitively selected from proposals received from schools and shall receive a one-time grant of Rs.50 Lakhs
• Creation of special faculty positions with focus on research projects and faculty sabbaticals for upgradation or acquisition of research competence - Assistant Professor (Research) and Faculty Abroad Programme
• Seed money for research to encourage bold ideas for preliminary studies – Prof.T.R.Rajagopalan Research Fund with a seed money of Rs.2 Lakhs to try new ideas leading to publication or funding for a larger research project
• Collaborative research pathways with industry/universities/research organisations located within & outside India – Dean (P&D) shall be the coordinating resource person in consultation with the Dean – Sponsored Research or Dean – research to ensure the necessary NDA/MoU are signed appropriately
• Annual lab workshops to promote higher order skills for improved research & innovation – Registrar shall convene the lab workshop every semester
• Technology Business Incubation space for faculty to promote on-campus incubation & start-up ecosystem – the CEO of the Foundation for Innovation & Research at SASTRA TBI (FIRST) shall be the coordinating resource person to implement the various activities
• Patent filing system with encouragement for both national & international patents – The Vice-Chancellor on the recommendation of the concerned Dean shall sanction the financial support for all patent filing charges
• Book or book chapter publication scheme by faculty

 

Research & Innovation Scheme for Students/Scholars

• Robust and strongly funded full-time Ph.D./Post-Doctoral programme with financial assistance by SASTRA by way of monthly stipend/salary – Monthly research stipend of Rs.16,000 for all full-time Ph.D. candidates outside the funding agency ambit
• Innovation fund to promote innovation & research amongst students – Vice-Chancellor shall on the recommendation of the concerned Dean sanction financial support appropriately based on the student proposals
• Semester Abroad Programme, Summer & winter schools and industry defined research internship for students – Monthly stipend of USD 200 and round trip economy class air-fare for students selected for Semester Abroad Programme with partner universities
• Technology Business Incubation space for students to promote on-campus incubation & start-up ecosystem - the CEO of the Foundation for Innovation & Research at SASTRA TBI (FIRST) shall be the coordinating resource person to implement the various activities
• Participation in reputed events at global and national levels that promotes research and innovation and conduct of events on campus that promotes research and innovation amongst students from all parts of the country
• On-campus research projects for students integrated with on-going research by faculty

PERIODIC RESEARCH APPRAISAL

• Annual research appraisal of faculty on the following research metrics calculated with specific scores with modular gradation:
• Research Publications as first/corresponding or other authors – 30 Points
• Book/Book chapters – 10 Points
• Extramural Research Grants – 10 Points
• Research supervision – 10 Points
• National/International Patent – 10 Points
• Consultancy – 10 Points

• Periodic review of the Research & Modernisation (R&M) projects undertaken by faculty by Deans or other authorised experts
• Research Advisory Council audits research progress and also provides key inputs on the future directions
• Research Advisory Sub-Committee to review progress of Ph.D. candidates
• Governing Body & Advisory Committee review of incubation and start-up initiatives of faculty/students
• Submission of annual research reports to competent authorities

RESEARCH AWARDS & INCENTIVES

• Annual SAPHIRE Award – SASTRA Anukul Puraskar for Higher Involvement in Research & Education – Overseas trip to competitively selected Top 3 research faculty along with their spouse
• Annual Incentive to faculty amounting to 10% of extramural research grant received by faculty
• Annual publication incentive to faculty with modular gradation based on publication index
• Faculty members who pursue & complete Ph.D. in addition to their regular teaching load shall be given a special incentive of Rs 1 lakh
• Full financial support for patent filing
• Founder-Chancellor Award for Best Doctoral Dissertation
• Travel & Development Support for Conferences, Seminars, Product development, etc. for faculty & students
• Any notable recognition received by faculty members / staff / students shall be appreciated by the Institution by means incentive / commendation / certificate / plaque / award with mention in the website & newsletter / social media.

RESEARCH ETHICS & DATA HANDLING

SASTRA shall periodically conduct exclusive Workshops on research ethics and organize lectures as a part of Research Methodology course. SASTRA has “Zero Tolerance” on any kind of misconduct in carrying out research as well in disseminating in various platforms and this shall be conveyed to all stakeholders.  SASTRA shall subscribe to anti-plagiarism software to check all the documents to be uploaded prior to publication.

All faculty members shall ensure that there is no conflict of interest in executing or disseminating the findings while undertaking research / consultancy projects

All experiments involving biological resources / animals / human samples shall be carried out only with the approval from the respective committee. 

All research publications shall acknowledge the source of funding and research infrastructure.

SAFETY REGULATIONS

The laboratory environment can be a hazardous place to work. Students and researchers working in the laboratory are exposed to numerous potential hazards including chemical, biological, physical and radioactive means, as well as musculoskeletal stresses.  Therefore, it is imperative to ensure the safety of all personnel working in the laboratories. Laboratory safety manual shall be compiled to be used as a binding document for all personnel working in laboratories to ensure safe work conduct and practices. The document shall be a compilation of the best practices and guidelines that are promulgated by US EPA, OSHA among others. This manual shall provide general guidelines for lab safety. It shall provide a framework of how lab personnel should work in scientific laboratories. The avoidance of safety risks for the personnel at the Institutional level requires knowledge of possible hazards in our environment; chemicals, biological agents or radioactivity. In this regard, staff, students and personnel of SASTRA shall be required to familiarize themselves with safe practices for applied laboratory operations. The manual shall be amended as and when required.

RESEARCH ADMINISTRATION

Understanding the need for a focussed approach towards implementing the various research & innovation policies, the Research Activities need to be administered in a two-pronged approach – Sponsored Research & Academic Research.

Dean – Sponsored Research is responsible for various extra-mural or intra-mural funded research & consultancy activities.

Dean – Research is responsible for all the activities related to Ph.D. programmes of SASTRA

Wherever there is overlap, both the Deans shall jointly undertake to work towards the objectives of the research & innovation policy. The Dean – Planning & Development shall be responsible for the smooth functioning of both the tracks by extending all possible resource support.

The Vice-Chancellor is authorised to exercise discretion on the advice & recommendation of the Dean(s) of Schools(s) in matters involving finances for Awards, specific monetary assistance and support like conferences, seminars, etc. For all other issues, existing rules pertaining to implementation of the policy shall be binding and the Vice-Chancellor is authorised to notify new rules as and when applicable.

REGISTRAR