Research Policy

RESEARCH POLICY

(Revised-2020)

 

 

Gurukul Marg Campus, SFS, Agarwal Farm, Mansarovar, Jaipur-302020

 

IIS (DEEMED TO BE UNIVERSITY), JAIPUR

RESEARCH POLICY

1. Preamble

 

Research leading to creation of new knowledge is one of the central objectives the University. Research can be valorised and used for economic development.  At the same time, it is a means for social well-being and the advancement of society.  Research can flourish only when proper eco-system is provided, like academic freedom, facilities, mentorship and environment of scholarship.  In the present-day society, with interdependent interests and influences, the conduct of research comes with lot of responsibility and accountability.  It demands attributes like creativity, honesty, integrity, trust and collegiality.  As individual researcher is responsible for the selection and conduct of research, he/she must be to be aware of both the manner in which the Research activity is being conducted and the consequences of such activity, rather the researcher must know intricate relationship of the potential benefits against the possible harmful effects of the work being carried out.

 

The IIS (Deemed to be University) is committed to foster the research culture and increase the output of quality research.  It is, therefore, essential to develop and promote scientific temper and research aptitude among our teachers, staff and students. The University Research Policy which will guide the researchers in the University in all the matters related to the research they are pursuing.  It will establish a general framework for the conduct of research. It also aims at ensuring that the research activities in the University are conducted with common norms, conforming to all applicable rules and regulations as prescribed by the Regulatory Bodies from time to time and those framed/adopted by the University, such as IISU M.Phil./Ph.D. Bye-laws and the recently developed IISU D.Litt./D.Sc. Bye-laws, to be adopted shortly and conducted as per the established standards and norms relating to safe and ethical conduct of research.  The policy may best be interpreted in a manner that is consistent with the vision and mission of the University. This policy does not replace the regulations and guidelines of the State/National regulatory bodies or the agencies sponsoring research or which regulate particular research activities.

 

1. Short title and Commencement

(1)      This Policy shall be called "IIS (Deemed to be University) Research Policy          2020".

 

(2)      The policy shall come into force with effect from the date of its approval by           the Board of Management.

 

2. Amendment of Policy

The policy shall be amended, as and when required so as to keep it in consonance with the Regulations and Guidelines of the Regulatory Bodies, by the Board of Management, on the recommendation of the Research Promotion Committee (RPC), the Research Board and the Academic Council as per the MoA and Rules of the University.  

 

3. Scope

The policy shall be applicable within the jurisdiction of the University and shall apply to all the faculty - regular, part time or adjunct; all other persons involved in research; and all the research scholars in the University.

 

4. Power to interpret

The power to interpret the Policy lies with the Vice-Chancellor, whose interpretation arrived at in consultation with the Chancellor shall be deemed as final.

 

5. Definitions

For purposes of this Policy, unless otherwise stated, the following definitions shall apply:      

  1. "Author" means a student or a faculty member or a researcher or staff of the IIS University who claims to be the creator of the work under consideration;
  2. “Bye-laws” means the Bye-laws of IIS (Deemed to be University);
  3. “Chancellor” means the Chancellor of the IIS (Deemed to be University), Jaipur
  4. “Data” means the recorded factual information and material, both physical and electronic, commonly accepted in the relevant scientific community as necessary to validate research findings including, but not limited to, research proposals, laboratory records, progress reports, internal reports, and presentations;
  5. "Faculty member" means a person who is teaching and / or guiding students enrolled in the IIS University in any capacity whatsoever i.e. regular, ad-hoc, guest, temporary, visiting etc;
  6. “Policy” means the Research Policy 2020 of the IIS (Deemed to be University);
  7. “Principal Investigator” means the Researcher who is so identified for a research project, provided that in the absence of such identification, the Researcher who has primary responsibility for the design, conduct and supervision of the Research project;
  8. “Regulatory Bodies” means the Central Bodies regulating research in different universities/ colleges and research institutions and in the context of the IIS (Deemed to be University) such bodies are UGC, AICTE and NCTE;
  9. “Research” includes all forms of funded and unfunded scholarly, scientific and professional work and related activities based on intellectual investigation aimed at discovering, interpreting, revising, disseminating or publishing the so created knowledge;
  10.  “Researcher” means a person conducting academic/scientific research in the IIS (Deemed to be University);
  11. “University” means the IIS (Deemed to be University), Jaipur;
  12. “Vice-Chancellor” means the Vice-Chancellor of the IIS (Deemed to be University), Jaipur.

Notes:

  1. The words used in the Policy denoting masculine gender, shall also include the feminine gender except for the purposes where specifically provided for otherwise.
  2. The words used in the Policy denoting singular shall imply plural wherever relevant or vice-versa.

6. Objectives

The objectives of the Policy shall be:

  1. To provide an overarching policy for regulating the research activities in all faculties in the IIS (Deemed to be University);
  2. To create and foster research culture in the University and align the research with - the vision and mission of the University; set up priorities for conducting research in the national and global frontier areas; and in line with the national priorities;
  3. To improve the quality and output of research in the University and benchmark it;
  4. To promote the appropriate values in the conduct and management of research, such as ethics, rigour, relevance, transparency, respect, impartiality, independence and accountability;
  5. To create awareness about Intellectual Property and valorise it;
  6. To  create awareness of the various norms under which research is to be conducted ;
  7. To  determine the responsibilities of the researchers at various stages;
  8. To promote collaborative research;
  9. To promote interdisciplinary research and encourage researchers to undertake joint research projects covering more than one research area and involving external agencies/experts;
  10. To encourage researchers to undertake sponsored and collaborative research projects from Government agencies, NGOs, private organizations, and Industry;
  11. To encourage and facilitate the presentation and publication of the research work, translation of the outcome of research into applications and claiming IPR wherever deemed necessary;
  12. To create a University Database of research work done in the University and monitor and analyse the progress made from year to year;
  13. To ensure that the research output conforms to the standards of quality prescribed, through a research quality assurance mechanism;  

7. Research Promotion Committee (RPC)

The University shall have a Research Promotion Committee (RPC) to monitor the research activities in the University

(1) Constitution:   The RPC shall be composed of the following members

  1. The Vice-Chancellor - Chairperson
  2. The Deans of Faculty – Members
  3. Dean  & Director, CRIT – Advisor
  4. Dean – Centre for Innovation in Science Teaching (CIST)
  5. Two senior faculty members from each faculty, nominated by the Vice-Chancellor as per seniority by rotation
  6. Registrar- Member-Secretary

(2) Tenure and meetings of RPC:  The tenure of the RPC shall be three years. There shall be at least 2 meetings of the committee in a year

(3) Powers and Duties of RPC: 

The RPC shall have the following powers and duties:

  1. To promote research culture, research activities, and research integrity in the University and suggest measures to improve the quality and output of research;
  2. To encourage multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research;
  3. To suggest possible national and international research collaborations;
  4. To  mobilize funds to support the research activities;
  5. To arrange periodic training programmes for the researchers
  6. To develop and monitor University Code of Research and monitor its implementation;
  7. To provide support and structure for creating and sustaining a culture of honesty and ethical research practice;
  8. To develop mechanisms to translate the outcomes of research into suitable applications;
  9. To deploy research management and monitoring systems to keep track of grant
  10. proposals, research projects, publications, and other research activities and products;
  11. To maintain the databases of completed and ongoing research work and monitor the progress and quality of research;
  12. To develop platforms to offer services, facilities and knowhows from the University;
  13. To develop new and frontier research areas suitable for the University and encourage the faculty to carry out research in such areas;
  14. To recognize and maintain the IPR data of the University; and ensure ownership and exploitation of the IPR;
  15. To support the development of university incubators and start-ups;
  16. To do all such things as may be necessary, incidental or conducive to the attainment of all or any of the objectives of the Policy.  

 8. Responsibility of the University

The University will have the following responsibilities:

  1. The University will strive to create a conducive environment for research and promote research;
  2. The University shall develop a comprehensive Research Framework, amend it from time to time, and make it public;
  3. The University, to the extent feasible, support the research activities, by providing the space, infrastructure, facilities and other resources;
  4. The University shall take due measures to improve the quality of research;     
  5. The University shall ensure that all the researchers are aware of the Research Policy of the University and all the Rules and Regulations pertaining to the conduct of research in the University;
  6. The University will maintain the records and databases pertaining to various issues related to research, such as funding, publications, IPR documents, research students’ information, etc.
  7. The University will encourage and assist researchers in finding the funding sources, applying for funding/ collaboration/ sponsorship, publications, procuring IPR, etc
  8. The University will provide financial support, to the extent possible and deemed fit, to – initiate new areas of research, young faculty members to initiate research (start-up grant), submit and defend research project, publish the research results, procure IPR, help research students to pursue research, etc.
  9. The University will acknowledge and give incentives to well performing researchers;
  10. The University will encourage its faculty members to conduct collaborative research, in the areas of common interest, with researchers from reputed national and international Universities and Organizations/Institutions and Industry; and for such purpose may sign Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the latter.
  11. Research Centres:  The University may establish Research centres to initiate research in thrust areas, to focus strengths in areas which the University wishes to develop, to pool resources across the Departments, to maximise external Research funding and to raise the Research profile and reputation of the University. Such centres will also serve as vehicles for engaging with other Research institutions and industry and facilitate interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research. The centres shall be governed by rules and regulations prescribed by the University.
  12. The University will encourage the researchers to offer services to Government bodies, professional organizations, and Industry;
  13. The University will publicize the research expertise and consultancy capabilities available in the University.

9. Responsibility of the researchers

The researchers will –

  1. have freedom to select research topic of their interest and within his/her expertise, and conduct of Research as per the norms prescribed; provided that the research work satisfies the conditions stipulated;
  2. carry out research with scholarly rigor in a highly professional manner, meeting the standards expected by the funding agencies and the University, with the accepted norms of the discipline; ensuring validity, reproducibility, accuracy, and objectivity in the collection, interpretation and reporting of the data, at all stages of the research process.
  3. be accountable for the various stages of his/her research from idea to publication.
  4. apply to the appropriate funding agencies for sponsoring and supporting the research; through the Head of Department and the University;
  5. publish the findings of their research in reputed journals and other media by following the stipulated norms, and make them available for constructive criticism of peers;
  6. maintain the highest standards of honesty, integrity and ethical behaviour in Research and not indulge in any research misconduct;
  7. adhere to the Code of Ethics in Research of the University and any established norms of professional ethics;
  8. abide by the relevant Regulatory Frameworks and the regulations, policies and guidelines of any Agency relevant to his/her Research;
  9. be aware of and follow the legal, ethical, regulatory, health, environmental, privacy, safety and other requirements relevant to the area of research and comply with the conditions stipulated by the state and national regulatory authorities in the relevant areas;
  10. provided that the specific responsibilities may be delegated within a group provided that it is made clear at the beginning of the work.
  11. obtain necessary approvals before engaging in the Research activity for which such prior approvals are necessary;
  12. refrain from publishing any research outcome which is not duly verified by the peers;
  13. refrain from presenting the results of their research work on media without prior permission from the University.
  14. should be aware of, prior to commencing research, the potential harms, risks, and misuse of the research results and take due steps in advance;
  15. shall not make or attempt to make unlawful profits from their participation in or knowledge of research being/has been conducted within the University, beyond what is permitted;
  16. shall respect fellow researchers, society, environment, and the cultural heritage;
  17. shall use any confidential information only for the purpose for which it was generated and shall maintain confidentiality of any information which they access on confidential basis;
  18. participate only in those research activities whose sponsorship is fully disclosed and disclose the nature of research associations, whenever and wherever required, to the University.
  19. seek the conditions of confidentiality involved in any sponsored work, before the actual work begins and shall decline to make their services available when such conditions are unnecessarily restrictive.
  20. avoid situations that may involve inappropriate/unethical use of the University  assets and resources in research,
  21. have a responsibility, individually and collectively, to try to foresee, and to keep themselves aware of, the developing applications of their work, and to choose or redirect it accordingly; recognizing further that actions designed narrowly to benefit humankind may in fact threaten the survival of all species.
  22. not enter into or participate in any arrangement whereby an Agency or Person with a vested interest in the findings of Research may suppress any findings of the Research; or withhold information that may have a bearing on the interpretation of the findings.
  23. should make efforts to translate the outcomes of research into applications; wherever possible,

10. Collaborative research

  1. Researchers should make efforts to engage in collaborative research involving government, non-government, and private agencies and Industry; in order to share the expertise, facilities, and resources and undertake meaningful and relevant research work;
  2. Before commencing a collaborative work a suitable memorandum of understanding (MoU) shall be signed between the external agency and the University, and the MoU must contain all the important clauses under which the research will be undertaken; such as, but not limited to, sharing of facilities and resources, sharing of the responsibilities, publications, sharing of Intellectual Property Rights, action against damages and losses incurred, financial implications, settlement of disputes how the collaboration can be changed and when it will come to an end;
  • provided that such an MoU is not in contrast to overarching norms of the University and those of the relevant Regulatory and Sponsoring bodies, if  any;
  • provided further that there is no conflict of interest involved in the collaboration;
  • provided also that in the absence of such an MoU the facilities and data  generated shall be the property of the University.

11. Research Output, Facilities and Data

  1. The research facilities generated/procured for any research project through external funding, and meant for such a project, such as  instruments, apparatus, dedicated facilities, books, devices, etc; shall be used for the successful completion of the project as per the conditions stipulated by the respective funding agency and after the completion of the project they shall be the property of the University; provided that even if the Principal Investigator leaves the University or is not available for guiding the project the facilities shall be the property of the University
  2. Researcher shall take utmost care to safeguard the facilities at his/her disposal and keep them well organized, for easy access, use, and verification;
  3. Research data and records generated shall be the property of the University and shall be preserved by the Principal Investigator/respective Department in safe manner and shall be preserved in a suitable protected, durable, appropriately referenced and easily accessible format, suitably available to other researchers; for specified period; unless confidentiality provisions apply; for the time stipulated by the University/ Agency supporting the Research and in conformity with best practice in his or her discipline;
  • provided that any researcher leaving the University shall hand over all data collected to the Head of Department/person appointed for the purpose before  leaving the University;
  • provided further that it may be shared under any third-party agreement;       
  • provided also that the researchers are responsible for ensuring proper security  of any confidential material.
  • provided further that in the absence of any time limit specified for preservation of the data, the data shall be retained for a period of ten (10) years from the publication/generation of the data;

12. Research Publications

  1. Researcher should publish the results of his/her research work in an open, honest, transparent and accurate manner, in peer reviewed journals of repute (included in UGC approved CARE list of journals or indexed in databases like SCOPUS/ Google Scholar / Web of Science or Indian Citation Index) and Research journals published by the University. Further, the work should be presented in the form of research articles in National / International conferences and generate intellectual property with potential for application. 
  2. The publications emanating from the work carried out in the University shall carry the address of the University as the place of work and for correspondence.
  3. Authorship of a publication is based on a significant contribution to the design of the research, relevant data collection, or the analysis or interpretation of the results, as against the collection of data and other routine work, and all authors shall be fully responsible for the content of a publication; and all the authors shall agree on the sequence of authorship.  
  4. Honorary/obligatory authorship shall not be given if there is no task that can reasonably be attributed to a such an individual, 
  5. Authors must acknowledge important work and intellectual contribution of others, and the sponsoring agency in an appropriate manner.  
  6. All authors must avoid any Conflicts of Interest. 
  7. Due recognition should be given to published work relating to the work presented.  If other people’s material is to be used, permission must be sought by the authors in accordance with copyright law.
  8. A Researcher who is no longer a member of the University community shall cease to indicate in publications, other than those resulting from Research performed while a member of the University community, his or her affiliation with the University in the absence of prior written approval of the University.  

13. Research funds

  1. A Researcher shall ensure that all research funds at his/her disposal are used with honesty, integrity and accountability; and economically and judiciously.
  2. A Researcher and also anyone associated with the funds shall comply with the regulatory framework and norms of the funding agencies.
  3. A Researcher shall acknowledge, in all the published works resulting from his/ her Research, all the funding agencies which supported the Research.

14. Research involving human subjects and animals

A Researcher conducting Research involving human subjects and animal subjects shall -

  1. conduct such Research in accordance with the highest ethical standards and comply with the –
  1. National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research involving Human Participants, by Indian Council of Medical Research
  2. guidelines issued by the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA), under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Changes, Government of India
  3. the Guidelines prescribed by the Institutional Biosafety Committees (IBSCs), Department of Biotechnology, Government of India; and any other legal and moral norms in force;
  1. not recruit in any manner a member of the University community as a participant in medical testing or in clinical trials involving human subjects related to non-University Research projects;
  2. obtain the necessary prior approvals before engaging in self-experimentation involving any element of risk to the Researcher whether or not the Researcher is the sole or one of the human subject participants.

15. Hazardous research

A Researcher proposing to conduct Research work that pose a recognizable inherent risk of accidental injury to persons or property shall:

  1. comply with the norms governing the conduct of such research;
  2. obtain the necessary approvals before initiating the work; and
  3. prior to the commencement of the activities, notify those who are likely to be placed at risk.

Provided that if such a researcher believes that injury to a person or property has occurred or is imminent, he/she shall take appropriate measures to address the situation in accordance with the guidelines; immediately report the incident or potential threat to the persons concerned.

16. Conflict of Interest

  1. "Conflict of Interest" (CI) is a situation in which potential rewards, financial or otherwise, or other personal considerations may lead to compromise, or appear to be compromising the objectivity in academic, professional and research activities of a person and causes deviation from its actual or absolute form. . Mere appearance of a conflict of interest may be just as serious and potentially damaging as an actual effect of CI.
  2. A researcher shall avoid all known CIs with the University and any outside agency and shall not undertake any assignment which would knowingly create a potential conflict of interest between himself and his clients or the University.  In such a case, he/she should promptly inform to the University and the outside agency, the interests or circumstances which could influence the quality of research work/services.
  3. Profession-related outside activities should be done in such a way that there will be no CI relating to an individual’s distribution of efforts between obligations to his/her academic appointment and his commitment to "outside" activities.
  4. A researcher shall not accept compensation/remuneration/reward, financial or otherwise, from more than one party for services pertaining to the same project, unless the circumstances are fully disclosed to, and agreed to, by all the interested parties.
  5. A researcher shall not solicit nor accept financial or other valuable considerations, from material or equipment suppliers for any deal involving the University or specifying their products.
  6. A researcher shall not solicit nor accept gratuities, directly or indirectly, which is not due, from contractors/suppliers or their agents or other parties in connection with the work for which he is responsible.
  7. A researcher shall not solicit nor accept any consultancy/advisory assignment from a governmental body on which any employee of the University is serving as a member.
  8. In case of any Conflict of Interest the matter shall be dealt by the Disciplinary Committee. 

 17. Consultancy and Advisory Services

  1. The University will encourage its faculty to undertake consultancy/advisory services to Government bodies/non-Government Organizations and Industry, domestic as well as overseas, and facilitate such services.
  2. The consultancy/advisory assignments shall be undertaken as per the Consultancy Policy of the University.
  3. Such services shall be undertaken without any conflict of interest.

18. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

  1. Any intellectual property arising out of sponsored research will be owned jointly by the University and the sponsor.
  2. The PI should recognize the IP created by the researchers working with him and the colleagues involved in the work and stipulate equitable returns to the originators of intellectual property as well as to the Institute and any other stakeholder.
  3. Researchers are required to comply with the University’s Intellectual Property Policy. Filing of Copyrights/ patents by the researchers may be supported by the IPR cell of the University. https://iisuniv.ac.in/ip-policy

19. Prevention and Control of Plagiarism/ Policy Guidelines on Prevention of Plagiarism

The University is committed to enhance awareness about responsible conduct of research and academic activities, to promote academic integrity and to prevent plagiarism.

  1. The University shall follow the UGC Policy for prevention of plagiarism given under the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions) Regulations, 2018.
  2. The University will use plagiarism detection software tool like Turnitin to ensure that documents such as thesis, dissertation, publications or any other such documents are free of plagiarism at the time of their submission.
  3. All Faculty/ Research Scholars/ Students are required to comply with the University’s Policy on prevention of Plagiarism (as stated in UGC notification).

20. Research related agreements

  1. All Research Related Agreements must be approved by the authority concerned and signed and executed by the Registrar of the University on behalf of the University.

21. Saving clauses & remedial provisions

  1. If any of the provisions of this Policy are found to be inconsistent with the Bye-Laws of the University or the Regulations prescribed by the Regulatory authorities, the Vice-Chancellor in consultation with the Chancellor shall be competent to modify such provisions to such extent that the said contradiction is done away and the matter shall be reported to the Research Board, Academic Council and the Board of Management.
  2. Any doubt or dispute about the interpretation of the provisions in the Policy shall be referred to the Vice-Chancellor, whose decision, in his capacity as the Chairman, Academic Council, shall be final.
  3. The Vice-Chancellor shall in consultation with the Chancellor have power to relax any of the provisions laid in these Bye-laws for handling the circumstances not covered by these Bye-laws.
  4. No provision in the policy shall be construed as a provision to claim remission in regular workload of a researcher.
  5. The University may withhold or embargo the publication of research outputs where “good reason” exists.

 

Policy related documents

  1. UGC, Guidance Document, Good Academic Research Practices, September 2020.
  2. Research Policy Framework Document, AICTE and Clarivate Analytics, 2017.
  3. ICMR Policy on Research Integrity and Publication Ethics, 2019.
  4. University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of M.Phil./Ph.D. Degrees) Regulations, 5th May 2016.
  5. Notifications of University Grants Commission (UGC), Consortium for Research Ethics (CARE).
  6. UGC Notification, University Grants Commission (promotion of academic integrity and prevention of plagiarism in higher educational institutions) regulations, New Delhi, 23rd July 2018.
  7. Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, The Impacting Research, Innovation and Technology (IMPRINT) initiative, (https://imprint-india.org/)
  8. A Policy Statement on “Dissemination and Evaluation of Research Output in India” by the Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi, Chaddah, P. and Lakhotia S.C, Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy, 84(2), 319-329, 2018.
  9. The European Code of Conduct for Research, European Science Foundation, Integrity, 2011.
  10. Indian Academy of Sciences, 2018. Scientific Values: Ethical guidelines and procedures.
  11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Responsible Conduct of Research, 2020.
  12. Responsible Conduct of Research, Shamoo, A.E. and Resnik, D.B., Oxford University Press, 2009.
  13. University Grants Commission (UGC), 2019.Public Notice on Academic Integrity.
  14. University of Cambridge, Research Integrity
  15. University of Delhi, Research
  16. Conflict of Interest, University of Oxford policy
  17. Conflicts of Interest, Novartis Policy, 2015

 

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