Rersearch Grants

The Research Committees of the respective Faculties are deemed responsible to review and evaluate the forwarded research proposals. The Faculty Research Committees shall thoroughly evaluate the research grant proposals by sending such to two reviewers who are experts in the relevant field. The evaluation criteria will include the scientific merit of the study, the relevance of the study to national development, its contribution to strengthening the capacity of science and technology in the country, and the possibility of research findings being published in indexed journals (refer Project Evaluation Form). In instances where a decision cannot be made according to comments of the two reviewers (for an example: One reviewer has rejected, other reviewer has accepted with minor modifications), it is advised to send the proposal to a third reviewer.

The evaluated project proposals should be revised according to the reviewers’ comments. The principal investigator is responsible to address all reviewer comments and re-submit the revised proposal to the Faculty Research Committee within one week of receiving the reviewers’ comments. The revised proposals that are not re-submitted within this period will be rejected. Such applications may be considered at the next round of research grants. Further, the Faculty Research Committees should necessarily evaluate the proposals for appropriateness of budget, and ethical considerations (if applicable). The Faculty Research Committee should ensure that they submit the final research proposal with the final research grant application along with the recommendation of the Faculty Research Committee to the Research Council within two months of the initial submission. The Faculty Research Committees shall forward the list of reviewers who reviewed the project proposals to the Research Council to arrange payments for those reviewers.

The research proposals that do not meet the above evaluation criteria shall be rejected by the respective Faculty Research Committees. However, the list of such proposals should be sent to the Research Council with justification for information purposes. A prioritized list of accepted high quality research proposals should be recommended and submitted by the Faculty Research Committees through the Dean of the Faculty to the Research Council for the approval of research grants.

The grant will be awarded to the Principal Researcher and he/she will be solely accountable for initiating and carrying out the research project.

Download application form for the research grants

Download project evaluation form

Funds are considered for equipment[1] (excluding computers, computer accessories, furniture, etc.), consumables, travelling pertaining to the research data collection (excluding overseas travel) and research assistant payments.

Student registration fee should be included in the original budget. Please note that registration fee will only be reimbursed following successful completion of the post-graduate degree.

The Grants will be awards to the principle researcher and he or she will be solely accountable for initiative and carrying out the research projects.

[1] When requesting funds to procure new equipment/s, the investigators are strongly advised to search the equipment database of the Research Council website as funds will not be provided to procure equipment that are already available in the University. In case, you are in need of procuring already available equipment, you are requested to provide a strong justification. Contact the Research Council for any clarifications.

It is the responsibility of the Faculty Research Committee to prioritize the research projects. Prioritization may be done according to the scientific merit of the study, evaluated by 2 independent reviewers.

Correspondence and progress reports regarding the Grant may not go through the Head of the Department unless in matters where Head of the Department should be aware of.  All such correspondence should be forwarded through the Faculty Research Committee and the Dean. Final Report should be submitted through Head of the Department of the Principal Investigator, Faculty Research Committee and the Dean of the Respective Faculty to the Research Council.

SECTION A – Commencement of Research Activities

• The date of the commencement of the research activity should be informed through Faculty Research Committee and the Dean to the Research Council. Funds will not be released until the date of commencement is reported to the RC.

SECTION B – Utilization of the Funds

• Your approved budget is as follows
• 
  No transfer should be made within the grant from one category to another and also no purchase should be made other than what is stated in the project proposal under each category, without the prior permission of the RC-USJ.

   

  • In unlikely circumstances where the investigator requests a fund transfer from one category to another, the request letter should provide a strong justification for the fund transfer. Further a revised budget should be submitted to be approved by the RC.
  • Under the research grant policy of the University, the PI is entitled to obtain a sum of 100,000.00 as an advance payment from the approved research grant. When obtaining this advance payment, two copies of duly completed vouchers should be sent to the Vice-Chancellor through the Bursar of the University. It is a pre-requisite to complete the requirements of the first advance payment before requesting the second advance payment. Advance payments should not be utilized to make the payments for the research assistants. Further advanced payments should not be utilized to procure equipments.
  • The principal investigator is responsible to ensure that the advance payments are properly utilized for the said research.
  • Registration fee will be reimbursed when evidence of completion of the respective postgraduate degree is submitted.
  • In an instance where the applicant needs to obtain funds beyond the stipulated limits he/she should submit relevant documents for the consideration and approval of the Research Council.
  • Research Assistants should be paid in accordance with the following rates:
    1. Those who possess a degree at Level 6 of the Sri Lanka Qualification Framework (SLQF) are entitled to receive Rs. 50,000/- per month while those who possess a degree at Level 5 are entitled to receive  40,000/-  per month.
  • The principal investigator is responsible to maintain the attendance registers of the Research Assistants. A copy of the attendance registers for the respective month should be attached to payment vouchers.
  • The Registration fee will be reimbursed when evidence of completion of the respective postgraduate degree is submitted. The Research Council will consider reimbursing the student registration fee, when the post-graduate study (MPhil/PhD) is done using the respective university research grant and registered in the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the USJ, upon successful completion of the postgraduate degree. Such registration fee should be included in the original budget.

• The qualifications and other particulars of the prospective research assistants should be approved by the Dean of the respective Faculty and forwarded to the Vice-Chancellor and the Research Council for acknowledgement. Monthly payment vouchers of the research assistants approved by the Principal Investigator (submitted with a certified copy of the attendance of the said Research Assistant) should be submitted to the Faculty Bursar through the Head of the Department and the Dean of the respective Faculty. The payment vouchers should be submitted on the last day of the month and that will be processed within 3 working dates. The payments will be given on 5^th working day of every month.

  • Please be informed that all the payments in relation to the research grant are made under the financial regulations of the University and are subjected to auditing.
  • Conditions laid down here may subject to change and it is the responsibility of the principal investigator to adhere to the prevailing rules and regulations which will be updated in the Research Council web-site of the University.
  • Direct purchasing of chemicals and consumables worth Rs. 100,000/= or less could be purchased directly from the University Registered Suppliers with prior approval of the Vice Chancellor. In such circumstances, a strong justification is needed.

SECTION  C – Progress Review

• A technical progress report (Progress Report Form) inclusive of an interim financial report (Interim Financial Report) should be submitted through the Faculty Research Committee and Dean to the Research Council by 15th of June and 15th of December of the year irrespective of the date of the commencement of the project.
• Reporting periods should be from Dec 16^th –June 15^th and June 16^th –December 15^th.
• Research grant advance payments will be stopped when the relevant progress reports are not received by the RC on its July and January meetings respectively.
• All publications and conference proceedings pertaining to the grant during the reporting period have to be informed along with the progress report.
• All publications should have the university email address as the corresponding authors email address. The University Grant number and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura should be acknowledged as the funding agency. University of Sri Jayewardenepura (with correct spelling) should appear as the corresponding author’s institutional affiliation.
• All conference proceedings should at least have the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (with correct spelling) as author’s institutional affiliation.

SECTION  D – Final Research Report and Completion of the Grant

• It is mandatory that you have to complete your research on stipulated time period. If you are unable to complete your research due to an unavoidable reason, a letter of justification including the progress so far should be submitted to the Research Council for consideration through the Head of the Department/the Faculty Research Committee and the Dean of the Faculty along with a request of extension.
• Final research report inclusive of the financial report should be submitted to the Research Council in 02 copies through the Head of the Department/the Faculty Research Committee and the Dean of the Faculty to the Research Council within 60 days of the completion of the research.
• Final Research Report will be evaluated by an external reviewer.
• In instances where the university grant has produced a research degree (MPhil/PhD) the final report submitted by the principal investigator will not be evaluated by an external reviewer. In such circumstances the principal investigator should submit evidence of the postgraduate degree funded by the grant.
• The principal investigator should submit evidence of scientific publications/communications according to the conditions given below.

• Value of the University Research Grant Awarded	Condition
  Above 2.5 million Rupees	Minimum of 1 Indexed Journal Publication * (Full paper) and/or 1 Patent**
  1.5 million Rupees – 2.5 Million Rupees	Minimum of 1 any indexed***  Journal Publication (Full Paper) or 2 Publications (Full Paper) in Peer Reviewed Journals
  Less than 1.5 Million Rupees	Minimum of 1 Publication (Full Paper) in Peer Reviewed Journal or 2 Conference Proceedings

• * Indexed Journal Publication: Recognized Index journals are listed at http://www.isinet.com/journals under:
  1. Science Citation Indexed Expanded (™) (Web of Science)
  2. Social Sciences Citation Index® (Web of Science)
  3. Arts and humanities citation index® (Web of Science), etc.

  and

  4. Elsevier SCOPUS
  5. Emerald Insight
  6. Cabell’s International

  ** All patents obtained through projects funded by the Research Grants of the University should be registered as a property of University of Sri Jayewardenepura and the Principal Investigator

  ***            Any indexed Journal Publication:  Any indexed Journal not included in above. Evidence of the indexing service needs to be submitted.

  The above conditions will be applied to the grants given for PhD upgrading if the total university grant value falls within the given criteria.

  The evidence of above has to be submitted within 2 years of completion of the project. The principal investigators who are unable fulfill the above criteria will be penalized when applying for future university grants.

  It is required to sign a bond in order to obtain the research grant and the said bond is attached herewith. You are not entitled to receive any remuneration in relation to this until the bond is duly signed. Further please be informed that in an instance you fail to submit the final report of the research in accordance with the above rules and regulations, actions will be taken under the statement 06 of the bond.

• Two bound copies of the Final report should be submitted to the URC through the Head of the Department, Research Committee and the Dean within two months of the completion of the project report.
• The Final report should be printed on A4 paper using single space and font 12.
• An electronic version prepared in MS Word should be also be submitted.
• Copies of published papers should be submitted, provided the published material is relevant to the research project and is a direct outcome of the project.

Final Report should provide the following information 

Section 1 

Information regarding project/project personnel:

1. Grant number
2. Title of the project
3. Principal investigator
4. Co-investigators
5. Institute(s) where research was carried out
6. Date of award
7. Date of completion of project
8. Total allocation of funds (Rs)
9. Total spent (Rs)
10. Number of Research Students employed
11. Postgraduate degree completed with dates
12. Number of Technical Assistants and/or labourers employed and period of service
13. Publications/Communications arising from the project during the reporting period

Section 2 

Executive Summary of the Project:

This should be limited to 350 words and include the scientific background and objectives, methodology and major findings.

Section 3

Report in detail: Should contain the following (not less than 2000 words excluding Tables and Figures)

1. Introduction/background
2. Scientific scope of the project (overall and specific objectives)
3. Materials and methods (including statistical methods)
4. Results/outputs (Results should be given in detail)
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion and recommendation
7. References
8. Problems if any, encountered during the course of the project

Section 4 

Impact of Research Results: 

1. Relevance of results achieved to scientific advancement/ dissemination/application of research output- please give the tentative plan
2. Relevance of the results achieved to national/socio-economic development—please give the recommendations clearly as this write-up may be forwarded to potential users who will benefit from the research

Section 5 

Miscellaneous 

1. List of major equipment acquired during the project period, their values and their functionality
2. List of publications/communications arising from the project and/or presentations made at seminars, workshops etc. (Please attach copies)

Section 6 

Summary Statement of Expenditure (indicate under personal, Equipment, Consumable, Lab Services & sample analysis, Statistical analysis, Calibration of instruments, PG registration fee, Travel and Subsistence and Miscellaneous) 

Section 7 

1. Signature of Investigators (PI as well as Co-I)
2. Comments and the signature of the Head of the Department
3. Comments and the signature of the Chairperson/ Research Committee
4. Comments and the signature of the Dean

Download- https://research.sjp.ac.lk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Report-on-Equipment-Purchased-Under-the-Grant-GUIDELINES.docx

Download- https://research.sjp.ac.lk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Report-on-New-Innovation-GUIDELINES.docx

Introduction

Since the recent past, scholars of Global South as well as North have been compelled to be part of ever expanding transnational networks of the academic world where “research production” has become a contemporary phenomenon. As a learned response to this emerging reality, providing institutional support to “local scholars”, who are in a capable position to be part of these transnational networks, is vital.

Eligibility Criteria for a Recommendation of an OTG

At the time of applying for the OTGs (the OTG Application is available in the USJ website to be downloaded), the applicant:

1.1. must be a permanent staff member or a probationary member of the academic staff/ administrative staff of the USJ;
1.2 must either have postgraduate qualification or be engaged in the research component of his/her postgraduate studies; and
1.3. must have a research article accepted for presentation or invited as a keynote speaker of a session in an international research conference to be held in a foreign country.

Number of travel grants offered in each year will be decided by the university research council depending on the availability of funds..

Conditions to apply for an OTG

a. Once a grantee receives an OTG, the grantee will be eligible to apply for another USJ OTG only after the lapse of a minimum of two years from the date of return from their last funded visit.
b. The grant will be offered to the presenter and he/she should fulfil the eligibility criteria mentioned in Section 3.2 above.
c. In the case of a co-authored research article, the applicant should obtain written consent of his/her co-authors before applying for the grants.
d. Applications for the OTG should be submitted to the Research Council of the University through the Head of the Department and the Dean of the Applicant’s respective Faculty at least two months prior to the Conference. The OTG application will be accepted at any time of the year.
e. Applicant should submit following documents with a cover letter addressed to the Chairperson, Research Council of the USJ.

1. Hardcopy of the Overseas Travel Grant Application Form (duly completed)
2. Copy of the research article and/or abstract
3. Letter of acceptance
4. Full CV of the applicant (Please note that your updated CV should also appear in the University’s website together with URL of the Google Scholar Profile.)
5. Conference brochure
6. Cost breakdown
7. Separate letters of declarations from all co-authors indicating that they have no objection for the candidate to present the research work in the said conference
8. Three (3) quotations for airfare obtained from three different airline agents
9. If the applicant has obtained a travel grant from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, please attach the letter issued by the Research Council accepting the final report submission.
10. Any other document which may support the application

The letter of acceptance should be provided before the OTG is released.

Procedure of awarding OTGs

a. All applications are evaluated for awards by a sub-committee appointed by the RC of the University. The sub-committee will meet every 2nd Monday of the month and submit recommendations to the Research Council.
b. Funding will be recommended for the conference registration fee, air fare, travel expenses, visa application fee and subsistence. Subsistence is paid only for the duration of the event including additional two days not to exceed 5 days.
c. An OTG is considered for only one author in a co-authored article subjected to subsections mentioned above under eligibility criteria
d. Applications will be considered for full support not exceeding LKR 250,000.
e. Once the OTG is authorized the applicant is entitled to receive 90% of the grant subjected to the USJ/government financial regulations.
f. Grantees are required to submit a detailed report on their participation according to the format given (see below) within a month of their return. This report should be submitted to the Research Council of the USJ through his/her Head and Dean of the Faculty. Remaining 10% of the OTG will only be released once the duly completed report with supportive evidence, is submitted within the stipulated period
g. If the grantee was not able to participate at the conference due to any reason he/she is required to reimburse the full amount of the advance payment, which he/she has claimed, either within two weeks of the final date of the conference or within one-week on his/her return, whichever comes later subjected to the government financial regulations.
h. The OTG shall only be utilized for the conference indicated in the application.
i. If the conference is rescheduled or postponed, the grantee should inform the relevant authorities with evidence.

General Information

a. The final decision will be informed to the applicant in writing within 10 working days of the meeting of the University Research Council at which the application was considered for the OTG.
b. All payments are made according to the government financial regulations and relevant administrative circulars.
c. Subsistence includes the allowance for accommodation and meals. It is paid according to the government circular no MOFP 01/2010/01. Rates for different countries will be varied in this respect.
d. If the grantees fail to submit the final report, he/she will be disqualified to apply for any further OTG.
e. Funding source should be acknowledged in the research presentation. The address of the USJ should appear as the institutional affiliation of the applicant at all times. In instances where an email address could be included in the conference proceedings USJ email address should be used.
f. Incomplete applications will be rejected.

Download 2-1-overseas-travel-grants-application

Download 2-3-otg-format-for-the-final-report

Reimbursement of Publication Fee and Open Access Fee

Open access charges for publishing research articles (full paper) in an indexed journal* (Accepted indexing services are given below), a maximum up to USD 750 per article will be granted. Supportive evidence need to be submitted.  For academics of the Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences and Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, up to USD 300 is given for any indexed** full paper publication having an impact factor of at least 1.

* Indexed Journal Publication:  Recognized Index journals are listed at http://www.isinet.com/journals under:

1. Science Citation Indexed Expanded (™) (Web of Science)
2. Social Sciences Citation Index® (Web of Science)
3. Arts and humanities citation index® (Web of Science), etc.

and

4. Elsevier SCOPUS
5. Emerald Insight
6. Cabell’s International

** Any indexed Journal Publication: Any indexed Journal not included in above (www.isinet.com/journals and others). Evidence of the indexing service needs to be submitted.

The evidence of above has to be submitted together with application form submitted.

The criteria to obtain open access fee:

1. Paper should be published in an indexed journal (see above for information)
2. Corresponding author should be a permanent academic/ administrative staff member of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura
3. Corresponding authors first affiliation should be “University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawila, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka”
4. Corresponding author/s email address/es should be a USJ email address

Download – Application Form for the Reimbursement of Open Access Charges

Reimbursement of Language Editing Fee

Once a research article (full paper) is accepted for publication in an indexed journal (accepted indexing services are given above), and is required for English editing, a maximum up to $80 for local editing and $300 for international editing per article will be granted. Supportive evidence need to be submitted. Only the corresponding author could apply for language editing fee.

The criteria to obtain language editing fee:

1. Paper should be published in an indexed journal (see above for information)
2. Corresponding author should be a permanent academic/ administrative staff member of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura
3. Corresponding authors first affiliation should be “University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Gangodawilla, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka”
4. Corresponding authors email address should be a USJ email address

Download- Application Form for the Reimbursement of Language Editing Fee

With a view of developing a research culture among the undergraduates, the undergraduate independent study grants are awarded.

The Guidelines for payment for Undergraduate Independent Study Grants

All Hounors /Special Degrees students who undertake a research component (Six credits or higher) are entitled to request a maximum of Rs.5, 000.00 for his/her research work. The request should be made to the Research Council by the respective Supervisor through the Head of Department and Dean of the relevant Faculty.

The money should be utilized for the following purposes

1. For any consumables (eg. chemical or glassware or computer accessories)
2. Any small instruments including pen drives worth less than Rs.5,000.00
3. Data collection

Head of the Departments are responsible for settling the advance payments according to the financial regulations. They have option to get the advance payments based on the number of students who are undertaking the research or they can receive the reimbursement based on the funds utilized for the undergraduate research.

Students are entitled to receive this research money only once during his/her internal studentship period.