INTRODUCTION
The Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR) at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals (KFUPM) was originally established as part of the Deanship of Graduate Studies in the year 2000, and then became an independent Deanship in September, 2005. The DSR is responsible for the planning, management, promotion and support of research activities that are carried out by the academic departments through internal and external funding. The Deanship is managed by the Dean of Scientific Research. The functional responsibilities of DSR include research activities such as funded research projects, professional conference attendance, sabbatical leaves, release time, research scholarship programs and research awards. In addition, the Deanship manages a central workshop that serves research needs of KFUPM faculty. The Deanship plans and manages research and other scholarly activities through the Scientific Research Council, the Research Committee, the Arabic Research Committee and the Conference Committee.
The Scientific Research Council is a regulatory body chaired by the Dean of Scientific Research and the members are selected from various academic departments. The Research Committee is an executive body composed of 11 members that represent the different University Colleges and the Research Institute. The Arabic research committee concentrates on the review and support of Arabic book authoring and translation in addition to Arabic research projects and studies. The Conference Committee is dedicated to the evaluation of applications submitted by faculty to attend regional and international scientific and professional conferences and meetings. All committees are chaired by the Dean of Scientific Research with members selected/elected from the different academic departments of the University.
Vision
To establish conducive research environment and support that enable KFUPM take an international leadership role in innovative and quality research in cutting edge knowledge and technologies in key areas of significant socio-economic impact.
Mission
To provide a stimulating environment and continuous support that empowers KFUPM faculty and researchers to enhance its national, regional and international leadership in quality research and scholarly activities in science, engineering, management and other related fields of significant importance to the Kingdom and worldwide.
The Deanship of Scientific Research provides support grants for research in all areas of science, engineering, environmental design and management with the aim of promoting productive research and creative scholarship. This support includes (i) monthly compensation for faculty, students and technicians contributing to the project, (ii) per diem support to attend internationally recognized conferences to present papers, (iii) purchase of equipment, stationary and all expendable items, (iv) reimbursement of costs related to stationery and miscellaneous items and (v) sabbatical and summer scholars programs support.
All proposals are evaluated by two to three international reviewers selected by the University Research Committee from well known experts in the fields of the proponents. The final decision either to accept or reject the proposal is based upon the reviewers' evaluation of the proposal and a formal presentation.
The Saudi Basic Industries Company (SABIC) provides annual research grants to KFUPM to support research related mostly to the petrochemical and chemical industry. KFUPM matches this fund with a similar fund under the name fast track (FT) to support research in other fields. The DSR manages all SABIC and FT grants and makes the announcement of the annual grants available. The SABIC/FT grants have a maximum duration of 18 months and a maximum budget of SR75, 000. Award of these grants are made on a competitive basis every year based on the quality of the submitted projects.
Junior Faculty Research Grants are intended as a start-up activity to promote high-quality research, scholarship and creative activity by junior faculty members. The junior faculty is a faculty member who obtained his PhD within two years of joining KFUPM and holds the rank of assistant professor.
Junior Faculty Research Grant is a one time, 11 month, limited budget (SR 50,000) grant research opportunity. It is mainly intended for fresh PhD's starting their careers and its purpose is to maintain the research momentum developed during their PhD work. It also helps in introducing KFUPM research policies, and procedures to junior faculty members.
Societal grants are similar to internally funded grants but are designed to support research in fields other than science, engineering and business. The grant funds research related to topics of relevance to the Saudi society and is designed to enhance interaction of KFUPM with the society and to enhance KFUPM direct contribution to meeting societal needs.
As part of its policy on providing support and encouragement to the faculty for promoting scholarly work, the University financially and morally supports the authoring, translation and editing of books. Book-writing activities involve one of the following:
i.
Authoring a scholarly monograph or a textbook which is directed towards an audience of peers or students (graduate or undergraduate) or towards the more general public in both English and Arabic languages;
ii.
Preparing a book with collected materials from various authors or cases;
iii.
Translating relevant books or textbooks into Arabic.
Faculty members authoring, editing, or translating books, which are published by a reputable publisher or by the University, receive a financial award.
The main objective of sabbatical leave is to provide KFUPM faculty with a change of atmosphere in order to pursue scholarly activities and to furnish a better environment for academic recuperation and rejuvenation. Scholarly activities that are considered for sabbatical leave may include pursuing and extending some ongoing research, initiating research in new and diverse areas, working in industry in the area of research and development, gaining research-oriented experience or creating an engineering design or product, and, finally, writing a research-oriented book or monograph.
Saudi faculty are eligible to apply for a one-year sabbatical leave after serving the University for a minimum period of 5 years. A one semester sabbatical leave may also be granted for those who have served the University for a minimum period of 3 years. Expatriate faculty might be granted release time for one semester.
Other Grants
In addition to the described grants, the Deanship of Scientific Research offers other grants and support for active researchers as well as for the formation and promotion of research groups at the University.
The University encourages and supports its faculty members to participate in “high-quality” conferences and professional meetings sponsored by leading professional societies and held both regionally and abroad. Attending such conferences or meetings permits a free exchange of new ideas, concepts and developments, and enables the faculty member to develop and execute his own research, and the University to be recognized as a center of academic excellence.
A faculty member may apply for a travel grant to attend a conference provided he meets any of these criteria: (i) attending a conference to present a paper, (ii) attending a conference on the basis of a published paper, (iii) attending a conference based on invitation, or (iv) attending a conference based on an approved research or book writing project. Faculty can be supported to attend as many as three conferences a year.
Two major scholar programs are open to Saudi faculty from all the universities within the Kingdom. A brief description of both programs is presented in the following paragraphs.
The British Council Summer Research Program is a Post-Doctoral research program designed to encourage Saudi faculty members to execute their research projects in British universities. The program carries a fixed financial grant by the British Council in addition to financial support from KFUPM.
The Fulbright Scholarship Program, which is jointly funded by the University and the United States Information Service, is also a Post-Doctoral research grant designed to encourage Saudi faculty members to execute their research projects in reputable US universities. The grant includes financial support for a limited number of Saudi faculty members to spend between three months and one year in host institutions in the U.S.A. The scope of research includes a wide range of subjects in the fields of science and engineering.
In recognition of active and quality researchers, the Deanship of Scientific Research awards a number of awards University-wide which includes the Distinguished University Professorship Award, Distinguished Researcher Award, and Best Research Project Award.
The title Distinguished University Professor is the highest honor KFUPM can give to outstanding faculty members especially those who developed their career at KFUPM and who have demonstrated highly productive, and outstanding achievements in research, teaching and community service and whose work has brought renown and reputation to KFUPM. Awarding the University Professorship title is made on competition basis. The University Professor holds this position for two academic years that can be extended on a competitive basis. The professorship award includes an annual financial reward in addition to a research fund that can be expended for research and other scholarly activities.
A maximum of two awards are granted every year University-wide. The candidate must have earned the title of professor and have developed his career or most of it at KFUPM.
Distinguished Researcher Award
In order to encourage a faculty member to be involved in quality research activities, the University gives six awards to faculty members that distinguish themselves in their fields of specialty. All faculty members who, at the time of the award, have offered five or more calendar years of continuous service to the University (including sabbatical leave and official assignments) or a total of six years of service with no more than a total of 12 months interruption in service are eligible to receive the Award.
The criteria for the Award include publishing book(s), contribution to a chapter of a book or monograph, issued patents, publications in professional refereed journals, presentations of papers in refereed proceedings of scientific and professional conferences and meetings, publications in trade journals of professional societies, design of nationally/internationally recognized physical structures and urban planning projects, participation in Ph.D. and M.S. thesis advisory committees, completion of approved research projects, invitation to lecture inside or outside the University, and citations of article(s) or book(s).
The Best Research Project Award is intended to serve as an incentive for researchers to focus on quality and timely completion in execution of research projects, as well as production of quality research outcomes, innovative ideas, and future research directions. All research projects funded by the DSR are eligible for the award.
The criteria for the award is based on five main factors; quality of the final report, quality of the project's outcomes (journal papers, conference presentations, patents…etc), contribution in establishing future research directions, contribution in fostering research collaboration, and applicability of the project's output.
The DSR manages a central research workshop that is capable of fabricating and fixing research equipment and instruments. The workshop has machining, assembly and instrumentation capabilities that can be utilized by all KFUPM faculty and students to support their research needs.
Contacts:
Deanship of Scientific Research
King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals
Box 5083, Dhahran 31261
Saudi Arabia
Tel.: + 966 (03) 860-3200
Fax: + 966 (03) 860-3292
e-mail: src@kfupm.edu.sa or dsr@kfupm.edu.sa
Web site: http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/dsr
