Research Center
Muscat College is envisioned to be a dynamic institution that is distinctive in its focus on providing education for a sustainable future. The College’s Mission is to “provide lifelong learning through teaching, research, training, and community engagement. This strategic plan of 2020-2025 envisages placing Muscat College at the forefront of private higher education by achieving the core themes, strategies and key performance indicators. The next five years focus will be on four themes that include: Teaching and Learning, Research and Innovation, Partnership and Stakeholder Engagement and Governance and Sustainability. Research and innovation is one of the focused areas that is developed into core themes for the strategic planning period 2020-2025 with an aim to enhance the offerings and services of the College.
The mission of Strategic plan aims to “to provide lifelong learning supported through teaching, research, training and community engagement”. We encourage new ideas and practices, aiming to provide a working and studying environment that is receptive to change, and adaptable and agile in its approach. Specific key research performance indicators are set for the research activities at a strategic level in the plan. The College has been implementing the College Policy on Research and on Intellectual Property since August 2017. The College Policy on Research provides a framework for all researchers, whether staff or students in compliance with the Strategic plan/ Mission.
Structure:
Muscat College has a well-defined organizational structure for research and is headed by Head of Research Centre with the support of Research Evaluation Committee (REC). The organizational structure of Research Centre consists of Research and Innovation. Staff and students of MC are motivated to do scientific research and publications by the research section. As per research policy, MC supports staff and students for publishing their work in national and international conferences and journals. Innovation Centre identifies the innovative ideas from staff and students of MC and support them to commercialize their works.
Operations:
Annually, the Research Centre operational plan outlines the activities and the budget required for research activities of the following academic year. The budget incorporates funding requirements for conference participation, research related professional development initiatives, publications and others. In line with the Muscat College Strategic Plan 2020-25, strategic goal aims to “promote and develop research capacity and innova¬tion in areas of national and global significance that creates an impact on the society”. The College, through its Research Centre, facilitates the achievement of research targets by coordinating research activities, providing support, acting as a communication link and endorsing research proposal after approval by the Research Evaluation Committee (REC).
The College’s Policy on Research and Intellectual Property provides the framework and procedures for staff to pursue research and scholarly activities. All students and staff are expected to abide by ethical requirements relating to their research. Staff research that involves human participants must apply for ethical approval from the College Research Evaluation Committee (REC) prior to conducting the research. Similarly, students also require ethical approval from affiliations. Student dissertations forming part of affiliations programmes are required to gain ethical approval from them. The College undertakes initiatives to encourage staff to inform teaching and learning with relevant research findings.
Research Centre is focused to build a pervasive culture of research and innovation, improve research output and impact from staff and student cohorts and diversify and sustain funding resources for research projects. We have active engagement with government agencies and key industrial sectors to meet the research, training and education aspirations. Every year a good number of external funded research projects are approved from MoHERI in the categories of Research Grant (RG), Graduate Research Grant (GRG) and Undergraduate Research Grant (URG). Students research projects are protected under ‘trademarks’ and thus supporting them to become an ‘entrepreneur’ after their graduation