Policies And Procedures For External Research Grants

Policies:

  1. All faculty members are encouraged to seek external research funds. Such grants shall be recognized in the annual assessment of faculty members.
  2. AU will facilitate the process of obtaining research funds from external agencies or other sources through the DGSR and other offices.
  3. The DGSR will establish and develop ties with various national, regional, and international funding agencies and organizations.
  4. The DGSR will inform faculty members about forthcoming research grant opportunities and their deadlines. It will also provide administrative support to interested faculty members to apply for the research grants in accordance with University rules and regulations as well as the requirements of the corresponding funding agency.
  5. For externally-funded projects, the researchers are eligible to include, if permitted by the funding agency, compensation for their time and effort spent during weekends and in the evenings of working days. The compensation amount can then be included in the proposed budget submitted to the DGSR.
  6. The researcher(s) can get release time of 3 credit hours in their teaching load per semester, for one academic year, by paying the University, through an external research grant, an amount corresponding to the teaching load, as determined by the University. This amount shall be based on the ratio of required release time and the full-time teaching load per semester year for the concerned faculty member.
  7. AU has the right to receive compensation to cover direct and indirect expenses related to the project. Such expenses include, but not limited to, the overhead cost for its human resources and facilities. As such, the University can add overhead charges up to maximum 20% of the project budget proposed by the Principal Investigator. This amount will be added in the proposed budget and the final budget will be then submitted to the funding agency.
  8. The DGSR will be responsible for signing the agreement in accordance with all relevant University policies including intellectual property rights.
  9. The DGSR shall maintain close links with all relevant centers in AU in order to provide opportunities for faculty members to obtain externally-funded research projects.

Procedures:

  1. The DGSR will develop detailed criteria regarding externally-funded projects. Such criteria will ensure that the individual faculty member or a research group seeking external funds has the necessary expertise and access to required facilities and resources to undertake the project and successfully complete it. It will also ensure that the project under consideration is consistent with the mission and goals of the University and has secured the approval of the Research Ethics Committee (REC), if so required.
  2. The DGSR will prepare appropriate documents and proposal approval forms and provide them to all College Research Committees along with procedures for proposal submission and its evaluation.
  3. Accepted proposals will be subsequently completed by the researcher or research group in all aspects taking into account the specific requirements of the funding agency and following the financial guidelines of the DGSR. The DGSR, after adding the overhead charges in the proposed budget and carrying out final internal review, will submit the proposal to funding agency prior to the specified deadline.
  4. The DGSR will initiate and contribute in negotiations between the Principal Investigator and the funding agency.
  5. Upon award of external funding for proposed project, the DGSR will inform the Principal Investigator, the Head of the Department, College Dean, and all concerned departments.
  6. A University Research Account (URA) shall be established for all externally-funded research projects. For each project, a separate sub-account will be opened. The sub-accounts will be managed by the DGSR in cooperation with the Principal Investigator (PI) for each project.
  7. The DGSR will ensure that the project is started on time and funds are readily available to the Principal Investigator as and when required in accordance with the pre-defined timeline.
  8. The DGSR, through the relevant CRC, will monitor the progress of the project comparing it with the specified targets defined in the project proposal.
    At the completion of the project, the Principal Investigator will submit the final report to the DGSR that shall be forwarded to the funding agency.

External Grant Agencies List