Research quality
Higher Education Institutions- HEI (universities, private colleges and research institutions) form the backbone of research in any country. They develop a broad spectrum of novel technologies that can be commercialised by industry for societal benefit and economic development. Since WWII, several important innovations have come from academia driving global economic growth. Modern universities recognise the value of doing good research work to be regarded as best ranking universities in their country as well as globally which is key to their reputation, growth, income and attracting the best talent (teachers and students). The journey to climb up the research ladder and become a leading research university is not an easy one. Government agencies regularly appraise research to rank universities but unfortunately it is too little and too late for many institutions who do not make the cut. Regular research appraisals are important to prepare well for ranking submissions. Appraisals need to be coupled with guidance on how to improve research quality, how to develop an eco-system for inter-disciplinary research focussing on key problems and applications, and how to interface with end-users and industry to generate meaningful outputs. A transformation programme prioritising research that runs across the institution is needed. If the research only remains on paper and is not practiced well with an applied focus and adequate resources, then best brains will drain towards the best institutions making it even harder to foster a healthy research environment.
Our services
- A comprehensive review of research quality by leading national and international experts
- A comprehensive review of issues responsible for lower than aspired research rankings or HEI’s inability to break into the top league
- An independent rating of research output in terms of quality of papers, research grants, patents, etc.
- An evaluation of research active staff, their capability and departmental research culture
- An evaluation of inter-disciplinary research and available opportunities
- An evaluating of the quality and quantity of industrial interface, projects and links for joint research
- An evaluation of management teams and SOPs for research that affect how it is undertaken and appraised at departmental, faculty and central levels.
- A review of HR strategy for bringing in talented researchers
- A review of HEI PhD programme
Our approach
HEI research has to be seen in the context of various pressures put on the modern-day academic. They have a wide-ranging agenda including teaching, administration, applying for research grants, and various ancillary duties. High quality research work requires extensive effort on the part of individuals and teams. Good research needs expertise in chosen technical area along with knowledge of experimental design, skills in good technical writing skills, and resources (labour: research assistants, students or post-docs; data: real-world data; tools: specialist equipment and materials; prototyping: low cost fabrication to test new ideas). The role of mentoring and guidance of world-class quality cannot be underestimated. Our approach is to understand HEI’s research culture from the grass-root level rather than from research managers. We appraise objectively using global standards with constructive criticism and make practical recommendations for improvement.
Issues you may be facing
HEI excel in research for improving their national and international standing and reputation. Such excellence brings higher student and research income, fosters work with industry, and attracts the best students and teachers. You may require our appraisal services for the following reasons:
- You wish to prepare your departments and individual researchers for high-end research output that will score well in national rankings
- Your HEI is interested in accelerating high quality research and requires a SWOT appraisal from an external independent organisation backed by a panel of experts from world-leading universities
- Your research targets are falling behind and you need to identify areas of poor performance to address them
- You wish to identify and filter good quality researchers to promote their work
- You wish to identify gap areas for which high quality talent has to be brought in
- You wish to set-up innovation centres and research centres but you wish to identify the best opportunities and seek international cooperation from best international universities and industry