Faculty

Rules and Guidelines for Research Proposals:

Abbreviations:  PI = Principal Investigator, CoI= Co-Investigator, IAU= Imam AbdulRahman bin Faisal University, DSR = Deanship of Scientific Research, CBME = Committee for Biological and Medical Ethics, NCBE = National Committee for Biological Ethics, KACST = King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology

Conditions for Proposals:

•  The investigator should not submit more than one research proposal as a principal investigator for the fiscal year. 
•  During preparation of a research proposal, PI should commit to the form of the DSR that is for funding the proposal research in the file named DSR1*. 
• Proposals could be submitted according to the following classifications:

1. A research project for 12 months and a budget that does not exceed 100,000 SR.
2. A research project for 24 months and a budget that does not exceed 200,000 SR. 
3. A strategic research project in cooperation with a global research organization. This will be studied and recommended by the deanship board. 
4. Research projects, which depend on the questionnaire, are limited to a maximum of 20,000 SR and only one investigator. 

•  To accomplish article 2 (Paragraph h) from the Unified Regulations of the Scientific Research in Saudi Universities, the priority is to accept research projects that are related to Imam AbdulRahman bin Faisal University's targets, development plans, while avoiding duplication and repetition, as well as benefitting from previous studies.
•  Duplication and repetition of research between the members of a department or faculty and postgraduate students is unacceptable.  In such cases, postgraduate research projects will be given the priority for funding and support.
•  The selected topics should be of a high caliber and are expected to be publishable in reputable scientific peer-reviewed journals such as the ISI for example. 
•  All scientific research proposals (except Islamic, Arabic language and humanities related topics) should be written and submitted in English.
•  A principal investigator is responsible for the preparation and writing of the research proposal.   All proposals will be checked for plagiarism prior to arbitration.
•  A research proposal shall be rejected for any of the following reasons:

1. If it contains, aims, or uses sensitive political issues.
2. If it contains, aims, or uses sensitive social/religious issues.
3. If it contains, aims, or uses a material or a germ that is prohibited internationally.  The PI is in charge of checking this aspect prior to constructing a proposal.

•  All principle investigators and co-investigators must follow the regulation articles of Scientific Research and Implementation rules and procedures which are available on the at this link , as well as follow the executive regulation for the research of  living creatures that is described in the link of National Committee for Biological Ethics (NCBE)  )http://www.kacst.edu.sa/ar/depts/bioethics/Pages/home.aspx and follow the intellectual property rights which are described in this the link from the World of Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) (http://www.wipo.int).
• For research to be conducted on humans, animals or plants, the project has to obtain the approval from the Committee for Biological and Medical Ethics (CBME), which is the official local committee and registered with (NCBE) in KACST, Riyadh. 
•  The Deanship encourages proposals for multi-disciplinary projects. 
•  Research teams are to be appropriately designated in the proposal by the principal investigator.
•  The University is committed to encouraging undergraduate students to participate in research that will benefit them scientifically and to work as assistants on research projects.
•  Each member of the research team has to perform his/her role and duties in collaboration with the principle investigator, other team members and within the ethics of scientific research. 
•  After receiving approval, the principal investigator does not have the right to change members of the research team, the subject or the aims of the project.  In rare cases, when unexpected circumstances are beyond the capacity of the team, the principal investigator has to submit a request to the DSR using the form DSR5*. 
•  Applications for terminating approved projects will not be accepted, except in a few rare cases approved by the Dean of Scientific Research using the form DSR5*.

Reward Budget:

• The approval for research budgets is in accordance with the regulations and operational rules of the Deanship of the Scientific Research at Imam AbdulRahman bin Faisal University in addition to the following items: 

1.  A reward of 1200 SR per month for the principle investigator. 
2.  A reward of 1000 SR per month for each co-investigator who holds a PhD. 
3.  A reward of 30 SR per hour for research assistants with master degrees and should not exceed 800 SR per month.
4.  A reward of 25 SR per hour for research assistants with bachelor degrees and should not exceed 600 SR per month. 
5.  A reward of 20 SR per hour for UD students who work as assistant technicians, or any professional that holds the high school certificate or its equivalent. This should not exceed 400 SR per month. These personnel should be listed in the research assistant's section.
6. Tasks for the research assistant (as a secretary) are limited to tasks such as photocopying (see item 8). Thus, the reward for a secretary is not going to be more than one month per project of any length.  Note:  the employees of the Vice President for Postgraduate Studies and Scientific Research or its Deanships, research centers or finance departments cannot be recruited in research projects.
7. The number of research assistants should not exceed three.  They are to be carefully selected and familiar with the needs of the research and work plan. 
8.  A reward of 500 SR/day for an in-town consultant and should not exceed the total of 7,000 SR/year. 
9.  A reward of 1000 SR/day for out-of-town consultant and should not exceed the total of 14,000 SR/year. 
10. A reward of 2000 SR/day for the out-of-the-Kindgom consultant and should not exceed the total of 20,000 SR/year. 
11. Rewards for each investigator are limited to two projects per fiscal year.
12. An investigator could be involved (as PI or CoI) in a total of three projects per fiscal year.
13. Dues for the team and assistants should not exceed 50% of the total budget.

Key Guidelines:

•  The Deanship will take over the purchasing process with other administrations in the University.  All the project supplies should not be purchased by the researcher and requests to compensate for paid bills shall be rejected.  Therefore, the PI has to accuratley estimate the cost of the equipment and materials the budget is based on these quotes.  When the proposal is approved, these quotes must be submitted with the purchase orders immediately to the Deanship. 
•  If the value of equipment or materials is 30,000 SR or more, the PI has to submit three quotes from companies from inside the Kingdom, whereas only one offer is sufficient if the amount is less than that. 
•  The amount for petty cash expenses should not exceed 3,000 SR, and should not include purchasing of books, reference works or photocopying costs. 
• The amount assigned for publication should not exceed 2,000 SR for each project,  though this is currently under review with the Deanship Council.  The funds will be released after providing the Deanship with a copy of the published article or a letter of acceptance from the scientific journal.  The published document must aknowledge the deanship and the Univeristy for the support and include the project number.
•  Any equipment that is already available in the University and that is required by a research project, should be included in its proposal.  Office supplies and PCs are not funded by the budget of the DSR. 
•  For computer programs or software, the opinion of the Deanship of Information and Communication Technology is required prior to their approval from the DSR. 
•  In certain cases approved by the DSR, transportation costs can be funded in order to accomplish research work only, such as moving samples, etc.  Attending conferences or workshops will not be funded, when this can be achieved via other channels available in the University. 
•  Financial transactions are done with authorities inside the Kingdom only.  Direct purchases from outside the Kingdom are not allowed.