Policies

Aims to make the university a regional and global leader in producing rigorous, innovative research that supports a knowledge economy.

• Objectives: excellence and Q1 publication, innovation with community impact, capacity building, local and international partnerships, diversified funding.
• Governance: research support office (grant writing), intellectual property and technology transfer, research ethics committee, technology incubator.
• Priorities (set every five years): energy and environment; health and medical sciences; artificial intelligence and digital transformation; social sciences and humanities.
• Funding: annual internal grants for individuals and for interdisciplinary teams, contract research with the public and private sectors, publication and patent incentives.
• Integrity: no plagiarism, fabrication or duplication; ethical approvals for human or animal research; disclosure of funding and conflicts of interest.
• Dissemination: open access, an institutional research repository, patent registration and technology licensing.
• Reviewed every three years by the Research and Innovation Council.

Allocates 25% of the annual budget to research, scholarships, conferences and other scientific activity, on merit-based, outcome-oriented and transparent terms.

• Where the money goes: laboratory infrastructure and equipment, publication rewards by journal category, patents serving the labour market, and approved items such as consumables, research assistants, specialised testing, publication fees and scientific consultancy.
• How it is awarded: an annual open call, evaluation by neutral internal and external committees, approval by the Research and Innovation Council.
• Scholarships: faculty seeking a doctorate, postdoctoral fellowships or sabbaticals; researchers and postgraduate students at partner universities ranked in the world top 200 for the field; a commitment to return and serve for twice the scholarship period; tuition, stipend, travel, insurance and book allowances.
• Conferences: support for accepted presentations or posters at reputable international conferences, and budgets for organising conferences and workshops hosted by the university.
• Accountability: electronic application, semi-annual and final financial and technical reports, published success measures, recovery of funds and suspension of support for misuse.

Turns research from an exceptional individual activity into a permanent institutional culture, with five-year targets.

• Targets: 40% more Q1 papers, 70% of faculty research-active, double the external grants attracted, three leading international research groups, five research products or patents marketed each year.
• Incentives: tiered publication rewards, an annual distinguished researcher award, full funding of high-fee prestigious journals, media recognition.
• Leadership accountability: deans and heads are evaluated on their unit’s research output, with extra operating budgets for units that meet ambitious targets.
• Early-career programme: up to 50% teaching relief for the first two years, a senior mentor, and an automatic seed grant.
• Infrastructure: one research services platform for grants, shared laboratories, language editing, statistics and databases; “equipment for papers” funding; international and industrial partnerships; a biannual research forum and research market.
• Innovative funding: a research endowment, matching funds for external grants, and 30% of the internal grant budget reserved for projects with an industry partner contributing 20% of the cost.
• Reviewed every two years against headline indicators.

Treats research as an investment and commercialisation as its return, balancing freedom of research with the rights of inventors, the university and society.

• Ownership: the university holds the rights to IP produced with its resources or funding unless a written agreement says otherwise; inventors must disclose before any public publication.
• Pathway: innovation disclosure, assessment of legal protectability and market viability, legal protection at the university’s expense, then licensing to an existing company, a spin-off, or a joint development contract.
• Revenue sharing of net income: 40% to the inventor or team, 40% to support research in their department or college, 20% to a central fund for high-risk projects and seed grants.
• Spin-offs: founding teams may hold 20–50% of shares depending on contribution, commitment and investment; the university provides incubation, mentoring, networks and may invest for extra equity.
• External partners: IP terms and NDAs are agreed before work starts, and conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
• An IP and commercialisation committee resolves ownership and share disputes, approves major marketing plans and reviews the policy every three years.

Binds all faculty, researchers, students, support staff and outside parties using university resources to honesty, responsibility, respect and fairness throughout research.

• Defined misconduct: plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, authorship misconduct and undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Human participants: documented voluntary informed consent, privacy and confidentiality, minimised risk, and extra protection for children, people with disabilities, prisoners, refugees, critically ill patients and subordinate staff.
• Animals: used only when no alternative exists, with the smallest number, least suffering, proper housing and veterinary care, trained staff and prior approval.
• Environment and society: biosafety protocols, environmental compliance and attention to wider social and cultural effects.
• Publication integrity: proper attribution and citation, raw data kept safely for at least five years after publication, authorship limited to real intellectual contributors with agreed order, and conflict-of-interest statements in every publication and grant application.
• Governance: an ethics committee (REC/IRB) approves human or sensitive-data research, a research integrity office investigates alleged misconduct, and reporting is confidential with proportionate sanctions.
• Mandatory ethics training before starting any project; policy reviewed every three years.

Directs research capacity towards understanding ecosystems, mitigating climate change, rationalising resource use and building resilient, sustainable communities.

• Seven priority axes: climate change and adaptation; water resources; clean energy and energy transition; circular economy and waste; ecosystems and biodiversity; urban environment and settlements; environmental policy and governance.
• Guiding principles: transdisciplinarity, stakeholder participation, applied and experimental research, local context, open data, and environmental research ethics.
• Implementation: a sustainability and environment centre of excellence, joint research groups across colleges, a campus sustainability committee, at least 30% of the internal grant fund for environment projects, green start-up funding, living labs, and a permanent environmental monitoring station.
• Measurement: publication, grant, patent and policy-impact indicators, plus an annual public sustainability report including the university’s carbon emissions.
• Supporting policies: green procurement, mandatory environmental impact assessment, sustainable travel and sustainability across the curriculum.
• Reviewed every three years.

Builds long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships with leading academic institutions to produce research of global impact.

• Objectives: scientific excellence, localising advanced technologies, international visibility, internationalisation of research, and institutional reputation.
• Principles: mutual benefit, sustainability, strategic fit with research priorities, and respect for institutional culture.
• Forms of cooperation: joint projects, researcher exchange, co-supervision of doctoral students, joint degrees, shared laboratories and technology transfer.
• Agreements: every partnership passes through the international relations office before signature, using a standard agreement covering objectives, contributions, governance, dispute resolution, background and foreground IP, publication and authorship, and termination; large partnerships get a joint steering committee.
• Assessment: indicators on active agreements, joint Q1 publications, international grants, co-supervised doctorates and transferred technologies, with each major partnership reviewed every three years and an annual public report.
• Supporting policies: administrative flexibility for travel and procurement, recognition of international work in promotion, and open access to joint results.

Commits the university to the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability, and rejects all forms of fraud and corruption.

• Defined terms: corruption, fraud, collusion, bribery, nepotism, extortion and misuse of assets.
• Scope: the Board of Trustees and senior management, faculty and researchers, administrative and technical staff, students, and contractors, suppliers and consultants.
• Risk areas: procurement and tenders, recruitment and promotion, finance, academic affairs (certificates, grades, exams), contract management, grants and research, and use of university property.
• Governance: an independent integrity committee chaired by an external transparency expert, an internal audit and compliance unit as the executive arm, clear responsibilities for managers and for every individual.
• Prevention and detection: a confidential reporting channel, risk management and internal control, conflict-of-interest disclosure, and public disclosure of financial and procurement policies.
• Investigation: preliminary assessment, a neutral investigation committee, proportionate sanctions from written warning to dismissal and grant recovery, and institutional remediation.
• Mandatory awareness training, especially for high-risk units; policy reviewed every three years.

Sets the research directions for 2024–2026 within the 2024–2028 strategic plan, linking research to community and industry needs and to the Sustainable Development Goals.

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning: adaptive e-learning, predictive cybersecurity, big-data decisions in health and industry.
• Applied research and quantum technology: quantum computing, advanced simulation for engineering and medicine, quantum algorithms for transport, energy and communications.
• Renewable energy and storage: integrated solar systems, green hydrogen, smart batteries and new materials.
• Sustainability and environment: clean-tech water and air treatment, smart agriculture and food security, climate adaptation.
• Digital health: telemedicine, wearable monitoring, AI-assisted early diagnosis.
• Dental technology: biocompatible restorative materials, 3D-printed prosthetics and instruments, stem-cell and regenerative research.
• Technology and cultural change: digital media and cultural identity, digital transformation of education, technology and civic participation.
• Nanotechnology: precision medical devices, chemical and materials applications, energy efficiency and desalination.
• Other specialised fields: humanities and social sciences tied to the local reality, nationally prioritised medical and engineering research, and interdisciplinary studies.

Gives every employee, student and client a trusted channel: proposals are valued and every complaint is handled fairly and on time.

• Principles: fairness and impartiality, confidentiality, respect, transparency about steps and deadlines, effectiveness, and continuous improvement.
• Scope: staff relations, student–staff relations, academic decisions (grades, admission), administrative decisions (recruitment, promotion, penalties), services and facilities, discrimination or harassment, and health and safety.
• Channels: a secure online portal with tracking, the official email, locked paper boxes at the library, administration building and student centre, a hotline during working hours, and an appointment with a complaints officer.
• Process: registration within 24 working hours with an acknowledgement, triage within 3 working days to the responsible body, investigation within 15–30 working days with a written decision, at most 45 working days for complex cases, then follow-up and closure.
• Rights: respectful treatment, confidentiality on request, protection from retaliation, a written reply, and information on progress; the respondent has the right to know the complaint and to reply.
• Retaliation against anyone filing a suggestion or complaint is a serious violation subject to disciplinary action up to dismissal.
• Best implemented suggestions are rewarded by the innovation committee; the policy is published and reviewed every three years.