Research Directorate
Office of the RectorKirtipur, Kathmandu
Kirtipur, Kathmandu
Vision and Mission
The Research Division of Tribhuvan University, located within the University Central Office, was established in 1974. It was later renamed and restructured as the Research Directorate under the Rector's Office on May 15, 2015. The Directorate serves as the secretariat of the Research Coordination and Development Council (RCDC), which consists of twenty-seven members, including Deans, Executive Directors, Department Heads, Campus Chiefs, experienced professors, and research organizations of the government. The council is headed by the Rector of Tribhuvan University. The Directorate is an administrative apex body for academic research and acts as a research hub, which is responsible for regulating research activities, formulating research policies, and coordinating research-related tasks across all faculties, institutes, research centres, central departments, departments, master's programs, and campuses. It also monitors research performance, ensures quality, and promotes sustainability in the research activities of the university. Its primary policy is to promote the generation of new knowledge in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research areas that would be helpful in the development of the country. Furthermore, the Directorate is committed to creating a research-friendly environment at Tribhuvan University through fostering excellence in research, organizing workshops and seminars, facilitating coordination and networking among researchers, and making students, researchers, and faculty members of the university engaged in fundamental, as well as applied and collaborative research activities. It provides opportunities for faculty members to carry out mini-research projects, collaborative research, and research projects on national priority areas. Additionally, the Directorate coordinates research projects sponsored by external clients. It also supports students' research activities through dissertation grants. The faculty and staff members of the Directorate possess extensive experience in various research fields such as Science and Technology, Engineering, Forestry, Agriculture and Animal Sciences, Medicine, Humanities and Social Sciences, Management, Education, and Law. Since its establishment, the Directorate has been well- known for its interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research activities.
In the context of the changes that have brought world-class University, the Directorate has been about in the University to uplift its ranking to a given the responsibility to secure research funding from the government and facilitate Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with government research organizations. These efforts aim to engage TU faculty members and students in research and provide financial support to them. Furthermore, the Directorate also carries out responsibilities outlined in the management system of the Research Directorate, TU 2072 B.S.(2015).
Goals
The Directorate has the following specific goals that aim to advance research and development activities at TU:
Research Activities
The Directorate has started providing different types of research grants. These include i) Small research grants, ii) National Priority Area Research (NPAR) Grants, iii) Research Endowment Fund. The NPAR grant has four categories ranging from one million to one ten million per project.
Small Research Project: One of the key research initiatives of the Directorate is the research capacity building of young and newly introduced faculty members and staff at TU by awarding mini-research grants each year since its establishment. The number and the amount of the grant are determined by the working committee of RCDC. Over time, these numbers have been gradually increasing to adapt the changing scenario. Since the Fiscal Year 2079/80, the amount of this grant has increased to two hundred thousand rupees.
Research Endowment Fund: For the first time in the history of TU, an initiative has been launched in the form of a Collaborative and Thesis/Dissertation Grant under the Research Endowment Fund generated from the interest accrued on fixed deposits. It aims to promote high-level academic research and interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research to address national priority research issues in the country. Under the Research Endowment Fund, the Directorate started to award two types of research grants, namely Collaborative Research and Thesis/Dissertation Research Grants. The Thesis/ Dissertation Research Grant supports eleven faculty members and twenty master's students for their PhD and Master's theses, respectively, in the current academic year 2078/079. This initiative is part of a regular research program that is offered annually to TU faculties and students.
National Priority Areas Research: It is one of the most important grant types introduced in the fiscal year 2077/78. This grant is managed from the research fund of the Government through University Grants Commission, Nepal. This grant aims to carry out high-quality research in the priority areas of the government as specified in the current Five-Year Plan and other policies. It aims to carry out high-quality research and publication and evidence-based policy feedback to the government. There are four different categories, namely i) Emerging Faculty Research Grant (EFRG), ii) Major Research Grant (MRG), iii) Excellence Research Grant (ERG), and iv) Innovative Research Grant (IRG). The grant amounts are one million rupees (EFRG), two million rupees (MRG), Five million rupees (ERG) and ten million rupees (IRG) for different categories. Altogether, 29 projects have been awarded in 2077/78 and 2078/79. In the fiscal year 2079/80, it has awarded grants to 30 research projects under the category of EFRG, MRG and ERG. In addition, three projects have been awarded under the category of Innovative Research Grant.
Government to Government Research Program: It is widely acknowledged that Tribhuvan University (TU) possesses a qualified and efficient academic human resource capable of promoting and enhancing innovative and policy research. However, one of the challenges faced by TU is the limited financial resources for research endeavours. Recognizing this, the Research Directorate has taken the initiative to secure research funding from the government by signing MoU’s with different wings of ministries. As of now, TU has signed MoU’s with the following three different research organizations of the Government:
Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Government of Nepal: TU signed an MoU with the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), Government of Nepal, on 31st June 2020 with the aim of safeguarding human health from existing pandemic diseases through scientific research. The collaboration aims to expand the scope of research and explore previously unexplored areas within the domain of human health. To effectively implement joint research endeavours, a six-member MoU implementing committee, consisting of three members from each organization, has been formed. The scope of the joint research work primarily focuses on both basic and applied research, with an emphasis on stem-cell technology, gene therapy, human genome, and gene sequencing.
Social Welfare Council (SWC), Government of Nepal: On behalf of Trbhuvan University, Research Directorate signed a MoU with the Social Welfare Council (SWC) on 11th February 2021. Through this MoU, the university supports the overall development of the nation through social welfare programs implemented by various social organizations and institutions. The objective of the MoU is to engage TU students at the Master's degree level and above in the monitoring and evaluation of projects approved by the SWC and implemented in different parts of the country. This initiative will provide TU students with opportunities for practical exposure and enhance their knowledge in the field of social development. On the other hand, students contribute to improve the status and work performance of more than 50,000 organizations associated with the Social Welfare Council.
Policy Research Institute (PRI), Government of Nepal: TU signed a MoU with the Policy Research Institute (PRI), a government policy think tank in Nepal, on 7th April 2021 with the aim to enhance public policies across various sectors of development plans. The MoU seeks to contribute to informed decision-making and policy formulation processes by conducting science and evidence-based policy research. The scope of cooperation and support includes a focus on sectoral public policies, which entails conducting research, engaging in academic discourse and debates on public policies, organizing workshops to share knowledge and enhance research capacity, and hosting scientific conferences on topics of national importance.
Research Publications
Tribhuvan University Journal (TUJ): The Directorate publishes Tribhuvan University Journal (TUJ), which is a multidisciplinary double-blind peer-reviewed journal. The journal is published biannually in June and December. TUJ is indexed in NepJOL (https:// www.nepjol.info/index.php/TUJ), and the journal archive can be accessed on the NepJOL website. TUJ released Volume 37, Number-1 (June 2022) and Number-2 (December 2022), consisting of twenty- one scholarly articles covering diverse fields of study. Currently, TUJ is a JPPS-compliant journal with a DOI number assigned to each article. For TUJ Volume 38, Numbers 1 (June 2023), research articles have been received, and the review process is currently underway. TUJ: COVID-19 Special Issue: Considering the recent COVID-19 pandemic, TUJ has published a special issue on COVID-19 research (COVID-19 Vol 34, September 2020). The special issue consists of eleven papers from national and international scholars across various disciplines including medicine, science and technology, forestry, humanities, and social sciences. The primary objective of this special issue was to document scientific and innovative research findings on the causes, consequences, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different aspects of society, including citizens, communities, and the nation.
Research and Statistical Bulletin: To facilitate the dissemination of research conducted by various researchers and organizations within the university, the Research Directorate publishes a Research Bulletin and a Statistical Bulletin including a comprehensive statistical profile of diverse university activities. This includes information on personnel, enrolment, budget, examinations, and research reports and books.