Any staff of MNU may apply to the Committee for financial assistance in conducting research
projects. Full-time research students (either, masters or doctorate by research) may also apply for grants.
The contestable funds are limited and once a certain category of available funds are exhausted, no further funds will be available even if there are strong applications. In distributing grant funds, priority will be given to those who have not received funds earlier. For masters by thesis students, the grants are limited to MVR10,000. For doctorate students, the grant is limited to a maximum of MVR10,000 per year or a maximum of MVR30,000 for the full
duration of the course. For students, the primary purpose of the grant is completion of the thesis in due time. Therefore, research related expenses will get priority over conference funding. Supervisor approval is required for student research grants
(a) Small Grants
Small grants are up to MVR 10,000.
(b) Mid–Range Grants
Mid–Range Grants are upto 100,000
(c) High–Range Grants
High Range Grants are upto 1,000,000
The deadlines for funding applications are 1st March and 1st August
Forms and Guidelines
Applications for funding must be submitted in the appropriate form and must follow the
guidelines therein.
Review of Proposals
The committee’s secretary will check the proposal against established criteria, and allow the
applicant to correct any deficiencies. The proposal will then be sent to two reviewers approved by the committee. Reviewers cannot be directly involved with the project. Reviewers submit their confidential evaluations to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor responsible for research. The reviews are then provided to the research center, who will present the proposal to the whole committee at the next meeting.
Criteria for evaluation and acceptance include:
1. The significance of a project in its particular field.
2. The soundness of the proposed plan and budget.
3. The competence of the applicant.
4. The significance of the proposed work to the career development and intellectual growth of
the applicant.
5. In funding cycles in which the committee receives more applications than it can fund, the committee will take under consideration the number and frequency of the applicant’s previous URC grants.
The proposal is evaluated primarily on its own merits, and only secondarily on the past achievements of the applicant. A strong academic reputation will not substitute for a complete and well–written proposal. The committee may defer acting on the proposal and request additional information.
Terms of Reference
1. To determine the principle purpose of the funds, including the setting of priorities if applicable
2. To ensure that the application process is clear and appropriate
3. To set the criteria for the selection
4. To ensure that funds are allocated in a fair and transparent manner
5. To decide upon the recipients of funding
6. To review the progress of projects funded via awards under its control
7. To consider the use and allocation of any additional sources of funding, internal or external, that should become available on an ad hoc basis