Applied Education and Training

The Public AuthorityFor

Applied Education And Training

Research Support Application

Research Sector

PREFACE

The Research Support Applicationis the latest package of Research Application with Descriptive Guidelines for the Faculty members to facilitate the preparation of proposals for research grants.

The projects are funded through the allocation of a specific budget granted by the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET) for supporting the faculties diverse research interests in different disciplines. For this purpose, the Research Sector has developed a system of Research Support for funding projects through the application of standard procedure that facilitate the review and evaluation of proposals for originality and scientific merit. The approved projects are granted resource support in terms of fiscal, human and technical requirements to facilitate project implementation. The entire research support procedures are services are rendered through the Research Sector, Office of the Deputy Director General For Applied Education & Research, details of which are presented in the new edition of the manual of Research Support Manual -- a document that explains the fundamentals of PAAET Research Support System. The provisions of Research Support are based on PAAET regulations, which constitute the essence of the entire process and procedure of project review, evaluation and monitoring, as part of the Research Sector Sponsored Research Program.

The Research Support Application package includes a standard Application Form for the Principal Investigators to apply for research grants through the preparation and submission of research proposals, and general Instructions as guidelines to facilitate the entry of relevant information at appropriate sections/columns of the Application. The basic format standardizes the uniform application of procedures for processing the proposals for grant support, and expedites the review and evaluation of projects leading to the approval of grants.

All those Faculty members who require additional information or clarification as regards the program or procedures for Research Support must refer to the Research Support Manual, or alternatively, contact the Office of the Academic Vice Dean.

Deputy Director General December, 2003

For Applied Education & Research

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Public Authority For Applied Education And Training (PAAET) Research Support System constitutes the fundamental basis through which the Research Sector grants the PAAET funds for supporting and sustaining the faculty research interest in an effort to facilitate the pursuit of scientific creativity by full time Faculty members. These funds are provided in the form of grants or contracts for the purpose of research endeavors in accordance to PAAET regulations and procedures to enable the grantee to pursue the approved research, and the PAAET to commit institutional resources to promote, support and encourage faculty participation in creative pursuits for achieving excellence in scientific research.

All projects are subjected to standard review and evaluation procedures by the Research Sector. For this purpose the Research Sector maintains a well developed system of research review which includes a panel of referees and specialized committees, to ensure that the proposed research in scientifically sound and would lead to the advancement of knowledge. This system constitutes the fundamental basis for the approval of the proposed research for funding. For facilitating the preparation of research proposals, the Research Sector has developed a standardized package of Research Support Application for the researchers, so that they could specify and organize all relevant information necessary for the submission and approval of the research project. It is imperative that the Principal Investigators explicitly state the importance of their research by completing the relevant pages of the Research Support Application to avoid inadvertent processing.

The research support requirements necessitate that the Principal Investigators must acquire essential knowledge of the procedures and guidelines governing Research Support once they decide to participate in the Research Sector Sponsored Program by preparing and submitting their research proposal. Essential information for this purpose is available in the latest issue of the Manual of Research Support Rules & Regulations, released by the Research Administration, which the researcher's are advised to consult prior to proceeding with the task of filling the Research Support Application. For further elaboration or clarification on the research support regulations or procedures, they may either consult the Department Chairman, or the Academic Vice Dean.

While preparing the Research Support Application, the Principal Investigator must clearly state the project objectives, and the intended plan of research, for convincing the technical reviewers and other readers about the significance of their research, including competence in pursuing the research. In addition, the researcher's ability in planning the research budget and resource requirements also enhances the project's chances of approval, as these directly reflect on the subsequent implementation of the project.

Please Note:

Though, the project's technical merit is the main criterion for the proposal's support, other factors may also be considered, such as balance of support among disciplines, priority areas within the PAAET, multidisciplinary or group research, and Kuwait's research program, as well as the emphasis on new frontier areas of research.

PREPARATION OF THE RESEARCH SUPPORT APPLICATION

The Research Support Application is available to all Faculty members in the form of a package of Research Support Forms & Instructions to prepare proposals for grant support, which could be obtained from the Academic Vice Dean Office. The Application is also available on a diskette which works on Microsoft Word system in Arabic and English. For facilitating data entry, the Research Support Application is organized as follows:

Part I - Research Plan

1.Research Category(First Page)

The First Page of the Application is meant for the summary of research proposal, required for administrative purposes. It includes the Project Title, which should be clearly defined to give the readers a general idea about the project's purpose, scope and contents. Other requirements for essential information on this page are self-explanatory. It is important that the Principal Investigators specify the Subject Code(s) relevant to the area(s) of specialization(s) of the proposed research to facilitate the selection of referees. Please note, the Subject Codes have been revised and the new Codes are documented in the latest issue of the 'Guide to Subject Areas', a copy of which could be acquired from the Academic Vice Dean.

2.Previous Approved Funding

The second page requires the Principal Investigator to provide a list of previously approved project in a summarized form. Self explanatory

3.Project Abstract

The Research Plan requires the Principal Investigator to provide the Abstract of his/her proposed research in English and Arabic. Essentially, the research Abstract focuses on the nature, purpose and scope of the research, the methodology to be followed, the expected output, importance of results to be obtained, their applicability to practical problems, and contributions and significance to the advancement of knowledge in the field, including recommendation, if any. The Abstract should be followed by the Keywords. An Arabic/English version of the abstract must be provided in the second page depending upon whether the research proposal is prepared in English or Arabic. On approval of the Application, the Abstract in both languages (Arabic/English), will be documented in the Research Sector's publications released annually.

4.Research Objectives

The researcher should state the principal objectives of the proposed research, clearly stating the need for selecting the research problem, the expected significance of results, and the problems, or issues, that are intended to be addressed by his/her project. The significance of research results must be demonstrated in relation to the wider context, providing answers to unknown phenomena, resolving problems, yielding significant new or patentable discovery, generating results of potential benefit to Kuwait and the Region, and contributing to scientific and technological advancement, etc. More explicitly, while the research output reflects the achievement of project's objectives, the importance of results goes beyond the accomplishment of immediate objectives relating the significance of findings to wider scientific concerns and issues.

5.Literature Review

This section presents the specific theme of the intended research and builds the theoretical framework of the issue or problem that the study primarily aims at investigating or addressing. The researcher must explain the relevance or need for research in the proposed area based on similar studies conducted elsewhere or in Kuwait including those that are in progress, to demonstrate the need for investigating the proposed problem or issue. The relevant literature cited by the Principal Investigator in building his/her proposal must give full details of the research quoted, including the exact title and other bibliographic details to be placed under References Category. Selection of the citations should show that the researcher is familiar with the most relevant and recent research studies in the field.

6.Research Plan & Methodology

This section is meant for convincing the technical reviewers that the research methods, intended to be used in this research, are valid in yielding the requisite information. Hence, the Principal Investigator must clearly specify the research methodology, including a description of the main research activities with an estimated time schedule for accomplishing each activity concerning his/her research.

It is understood that detailed plans may require modification during the course of project implementation, in spite of the care with which the plans have been developed. For all such changes, which are deemed essential for the project outcome, its management or results, the College Research Committee prior approval is mandatory.

7.Research Productivity

This section is meant for indicating the expected scientific output from the proposed research in terms of published papers, conference presentations, training, and patents. Since research output is the tangible outcome of the project's objectives, the results should have direct relevance to the stated objectives of research, and how far the study's aims are intended to be achieved by the researcher. For this purpose, the application includes a Research Productivity Sheet for the Principal Investigators to indicate their anticipated research performance from the proposed project.

8.References

This relates to the references quoted in the research, and is, therefore, Self-explanatory.

9.Complementary Information

This form summarizes the relevance of the project work to other scientific projects.

Part 1: Research Support Application

1- Principal Investigator's Information Project No.: 

Name*: ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Title: ………………….…………………………….. Telephone: ……………………...…………..
College: ……………….…………………………….Fax: ………………………………………..
Department: ……………….………………………….E-mail: ……………………………………...

College/Department

Title

/ Co-Investigator(s)*

1-

2-

3-

4-

*Attach updated C.V. for each investigator.

Project Title (Both in English and Arabic):

......

Keywords: ......

Subject Area Code: 

Duration of Project(in Months)
 12  24  36
Total Fund Requested: ______KD / By Applied Research Committee

KD

Funds Requested By PAAET

KD

Funds Requested By KFAS

KD

Funds Requested By EPA

KD

Other Institutions:

Does the proposed research involve:
Human Subjects NO YES
Radioactive Materials NO YES
Laboratory Hazard NO YES
Does the proposed research involve the following (check items applicable):
 Patentable or commercially exploitable interests......
 Collaboration external to the PAAET. (Name of Institution):......
 Facilities external to the PAAET. (Name of Institution): ......
 Others: ......
Project No. ...... / 2- Previous Funding from Applied Research Committee

- Did the PI receive previous fund from the Applied Research Committee?  NO YES

-If Yes, please specify the following:

Total Fund
(KD) / Project Title / Project No.

Publication(s) of Previously Funded Project(s):

Publisher Name / Publication Title / Publication Type
(Journal, Conference, … etc) / Project No.
Project No. ...... / 3-1Abstract of Proposed Research
While preparing the proposal, please ensure that:
-The problem is original, can be effectively addressed through research, examines indicated theory, and will yield answers to questions raised.

Abstract(In English):

Project No. ...... / 3-2- Abstract of Proposed Research
While preparing the proposal, please ensure that:
-The problem is original, can be effectively addressed through research, examines indicated theory, and will yield answers to questions raised.

ملخص مشروع البحث: (باللغة العربية)

Project No. ...... / 4- Research Objectives
When stating the objectives, please ensure that:
-The objectives are clearly itemized, and what the study seeks to achieve.
-Explain the significance of research results in advancing knowledge, establishing linkage with previous studies in the field, and having a direct impact on Kuwait and the Gulf region, … etc.

Objectives:

Project No. ...... / 5- Literature Review
Introduce here review of related literature and build solid theoretical framework citing similar studies in the field and show why research needs to be conducted in the proposed area. Applicants are expected to provide up-to-date reviews.

Literature Review:

Project No. ...... / 6- Research Plan & Methodology
Specify here the research methodology and time periods planned to achieve project objectives, as the Evaluators will take these into account in evaluating the proposal.

Research Plan & Methodology:

Research Plan & Methodology: (continue)

Phases of Project Implementation:

Main Phase / Phase Period
Starting Date
(D-M-Y) / Ending Date
(D-M-Y)
Project No. ...... / 7- Research Productivity
Since all research studies must yield some tangible achievements, please indicate what productivity you expect from your research by scoring the options that you anticipate are relevant to your research. It is mandatory for researcher to acknowledge The Public Authority For Applied Education & Training in all papers that result from this approved project by citing the project number.

Expected Output of this Research

1-Publish Journal Paper. NO YES

2-Conference Presentation NO YES

3-Patent NO YES

4-Establish/Develop Education/Research Facility NO YES

If Yes, please elaborate ......

......

5-Develop/Train local expertise/manpower NO YES

If Yes, please elaborate ......

......

6-Others NO YES

If Yes, please specify ......

......

Project No. ...... / 8- References
List 5-10 recent major references. For all reference material cited, arrange the references in the following order:
Author(s), Year, Title of Paper, Journal, Volume, Page(s)

References:

1-
2-
3-
4-
5-
6-
7-
8-
9-
10-
Project No. ...... / 9- Complementary Information
This form summarizes the relevance of the project work to other scientific projects.

1-Can this project share with other project(s)? (Tick where applicable and give the title of project)

Principal Investigator
Major Equipment
Data
Others (List)

2-Has this project been submitted for funding to other sources?  NO YES

If yes, specify:

Source(s) of Fund(s) / Funds Requested (KD) / Date of Application

3-Can this project be constructed as a contribution of any other project(s)?  NO  YES

If yes, specify:

Source(s) of Fund(s) / Title of Project / Status of Project
 New
 In Progress
 Completed

Part II - Research Resources

1.Budget Details for Full Project Period(Summary)

This page of the Application is confined to overall budget requirements and proposed requests for allocation of PAAET resources for the project. The Principal Investigators' requests for budget allocation should be as accurate as possible, and should persuade the refereed and technical reviewers that the requested items are needed for the project, and that the estimates are reasonable. There should be a direct, clear and an evident relationship of each budgetary item to some feature of the Research Plan.

The first table on this page, entitled "Summarized Budget for Full Project Period", estimates the financial and staff allocations for the full duration (period) of the research activity. This summary sheet presents cumulative subtotals of budget required for all years of the project activity, from the starting of the project until its completion.

2.Project Budget Details for 1st, 2nd & 3rd Year

The next three pages of the Application deal with budgetary details for the three years of project activity. For each year, there is a separate Form for detailing specific expenditure pertaining to: Personnel(Technically qualified staff necessary to achieve the research objectives),Equipment, Running Costs, Visiting Expert, Project Travel(one mission for the entire project duration for presenting research paper), and Total Cost.

3.Budget Details --Resource Request

This Form is meant for specifying diverse resource requirements for the project, such as --- equipment, its description, location, the department, the availability of space, technical assistance required, other facilities required from PAAET, other facilities and financial support required from sources other than the PAAET. Separate columns are provided for each of the requirements, and the researchers must specify their needs including the location, the estimated period of utilization of a facility/resource, and the total period in terms of days/weeks/months.

4.Budget Details --- Equipment Specifications

This form concerns the budget details regarding the equipment required for the project. The essential equipment-related information that a PI must provide should include the:

Name, make, model and detailed specifications of the equipment requested, its estimated cost, the supplier(s), and the type of order whether local or import.

Budget Details --- Equipment Justification

This Form is meant for specifying the importance of the equipment to the research project, and to the relevant Department. Also the PI needs to justify for placing new order in case the ordered equipment is available in the Department or the College.

6.Justification for Personnel

The contribution of the research team should be clearly established in the research proposal for the accomplishment of research objectives/activity. The need for appointing/hiring project personnel should be essential to project implementation and requires justification.

7.Concurrence, Endorsement & Approvals

Endorsement and approvals: Self-explanatory.