2011-NMMU-Research-Report - Research Management - Nelson ...

Research Incentives
Various incentives are in place to encourage staff members to
engage in research activities that will enhance the research strategy
of NMMU. Incentives include: bonuses for obtaining NRF rating,
incentive funding for publications and postgraduate students
qualifying for Department of Higher Education and Training
research output subsidy, awards for the top faculty and institutional
researchers, innovation awards and recognition of top performers in
the performing and creative arts.
The following amounts were paid during 2011 (based on 2009
outputs) for research incentives:
1. Faculty RTI Committees: R2 194 908.00
2. Individual researchers: R6 104 479.00
3. Promoter/Co-promoters and Supervisors/Co-supervisors
(for M + D’s): R381 000.00
4. Rated researchers bonus: R300 000.00
Top-up of National Research Foundation
Grants
Two staff members from the Faculty of Engineering, the Built
Environment and Information Technology (EBEIT), Prof K Abou-El-
Hossein and Prof D Hattingh, were allocated R4 224 765 by the NRF
under its National Equipment Programme (NEP). This amount was
topped up in 2011 with R2 112 382 by NMMU. The NRF allocated
a further R5 297 019 to Prof JAA Engelbrecht from the Faculty of
Science under its Nano National Equipment Programme (NNEP).
The NMMU participated in NRF’s Institutional Research Development
Programme (IRDP). As part of the contractual agreement between
NMMU and NRF an amount of R622 752 was contributed as top-up
funding.
The NMMU also participated in NRF’s Thuthuka Programme
providing top-up funding of R661 729 to eight grant holders.
The NRF’s incentive funding for rated researchers also requires
contractual top-up for those staff members rated in the “L”
and “Y” categories. This amounted to R160 000 compared to
R222 000 in 2010.
Page Fees
Thirty-eight mainly new/emerging researchers were assisted with
the payment of journal page fees, which amounted to R60 974,
compared to R57 722 the previous year (51 staff members).
Transformation and Equity Research
Grants
Twenty-six black and female researchers were granted support
to the value of R237 707 to present papers at national and
international conferences.
Research Themes Grant
The Research Themes Grant is aimed at fostering inter-disciplinary
research and developing research expertise within the NMMU
institutional research themes. An amount of R633 500 (15% less
than the previous year) was allocated to 29 staff members.
NMMU Masters and Doctoral Bursaries
During 2011, 357 Masters students and 149 Doctoral candidates
received bursaries from NMMU valued at R9 919 million. NRF
scholarships (grant holder-linked and free-standing) to the value
of R6 498 500 were also managed by the Research Office. Other
external postgraduate scholarships amounted to R537 970.
Research Development Grant and
Teaching Replacement Grant
The University provides two main streams of funding to its
emerging researchers namely, the Teaching Replacement Grant
and Research Development Funding. The budget for these funding
streams during 2011 totalled R938 865.
External Research Funding
National Research Foundation
The National Research Foundation (NRF) remains by far the largest
external funder of research at NMMU and awarded R104 708 521.40
in 29 programmes during the 2011/12 Financial Year compared to
R49 643 498 in the previous year. The main reason for this dramatic
increase was the funding of equipment for the new HRTEM Centre
at NMMU.
Included in the NRF allocation is the Technology and Human
Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) in which eight staff
members participated in eight projects. The total amount received
from NRF was R6 795 407 and from industry partners R10 424 175.
It is encouraging to note that the industry contribution increased
with just over R3 million in one year.
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