In an effort to encourage, recognize and reward Research and Innovation, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University (PMU) has developed the research award criterion which is designed to celebrate research and innovative scholarship and outstanding achievements of faculty members and researchers in all disciplines at PMU who have made significant scholarly contributions to their fields. The research award will be presented each year in a ceremony to outstanding university researchers.

The aim is to raise the profile of the researches being successfully undertaken. The award will be given in three categories according to rank:

1. Outstanding Researcher Award at the Full Professor Rank

2. Outstanding Researcher Award at the Associate Professor Rank

3. Outstanding Researcher Award at the Assistant Professor Rank

Selection will be made on the basis of the significance and quality of research or innovative achievements. The awards recognize research accomplishments by considering the extent to which they represent a major breakthrough or advancement in the field, are intellectually distinctive or creative, and contribute to improvement and enrichment in the human condition. A committee will evaluate all the applicants and nominees submitted for the awards. The evaluation will be guided by the Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University’s research awards guidelines and criteria.

Note 1: The Outstanding Researcher Award is sometimes hereinafter referred to as the Award.

Note 2: Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University is sometimes hereinafter referred to as the    University.

Eligibility     :

To be eligible for this Award, a candidate must hold a full-time faculty/researcher position at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University. Candidates must have completed a minimum of two years of full-time continuous service at PMU. Previous recipients of this Award will not be eligible to receive it again for another period of two years, and then only with evidence for new meritorious achievements in research/scholarship.

Award Category    :

1. Outstanding Researcher Award at the Full Professor Rank

Candidacy:

The individual demonstrates a commendable performance and achievements, by providing significant value to the University, as well as demonstrating evidence of making a significant contribution to the relevant field of study on a national/international platform. The impact of research shall be considerable.

·         Faculty members/Researchers at the Full Professor ranks at the University and currently conducting research and/or creative productivity.

·         A minimum of four Scopus-indexed journal publications for the award year for teaching faculty applicants at the Full Professor rank.

·         A minimum of ten Scopus-indexed journal publications for the award year for research faculty applicants at the Full Professor rank.

2. Outstanding Researcher Award at the Associate Professor Rank

Candidacy:

The individual demonstrates notable research achievements with impact.

·         Faculty members/Researchers at the Associate Professor ranks at the University and currently conducting research and/or creative productivity.

·         A minimum of three Scopus-indexed journal publications for the award year for teaching faculty applicants at the Associate Professor rank.

·         A minimum of eight Scopus-indexed journal publications for the award year for research faculty applicants at the Associate Professor rank.

3. Outstanding Researcher Award at the Assistant Professor Rank

Candidacy:

The individual shows promise of making a significant contribution to his/her field of study.

·         Faculty members/Researchers at the Assistant Professor rank at the University and currently conducting research and/or creative productivity.

·         A minimum of two Scopus-indexed journal publications for the award year for teaching faculty applicants at the Assistant Professor rank.

·         A minimum of six Scopus-indexed journal publications for the award year for research faculty applicants at the Assistant Professor rank.

Evaluation Guidelines and Criteria for Research and Creative Productivity    :

The evaluation of research and creative productivity requires consideration of a variety of factors and must consider the quality and significance of each contribution; for the Outstanding Researchers at the Full and Associate Professors ranks, sustained research and creative productivity are considered as well.

The Research Awards Committee will consider work conducted only while the nominee has been a faculty member at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University. Factors used to evaluate meritorious research and creative productivity include but are not limited to:

1.    Authorship or co-authorship of peer-reviewed published materials such as journal articles, articles in conference proceedings, monographs, books, book chapters, artistic works, software development, or other professional and technical documents (published materials indexed by the Web of Science and Scopus have higher evaluation weight);

2.    Citations received for publications;

3.    Competitive external or internal grants/contracts related to research and creative productivity;

4.    Outstanding contribution to the enhancement of the University’s research or creative capabilities (facilities and resources, research niche, marketability, relevance, recognition);

5.    Outstanding research or creative performance as evidenced by partnerships established internally and externally and by the formation of interdisciplinary teams;

6.    Securing intellectual property disclosures and patents/copyrights as results of conducting research and/or creative activities;

7.    Production and presentation of radio and television works, films, videos, exhibits, performances, or other works related to the scholarly or creative activities;

8.    Refereeing, editing, and/or reviewing journal articles, grant proposals, and book manuscripts;

9.    Serving the professional community through such work as organizing conferences, symposia, workshops, and/or performances at the local, regional, national and international level;

10. Other documented research or creative activities such as service to professional societies and receiving external recognition.

Note: Applicants’ documents of the individual evidence of research and productivity performance must be provided.

Research Awards Committee    :

The Research Awards Committee that will evaluate and select winners is appointed by the University President every academic year.

1. Composition

The Research Awards Committee shall be composed of:

·         Vice President, as Chair of the Committee;

·         Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, as Vice Chair of the Committee;

·         Three members appointed by the University President (normally recipients of the Award).

A secretary shall be elected by and from among the members of the Committee.

2. Reporting

The Committee reports to the University President.

3. Mandate

The Committee shall administer the award and select Award recipients, subject to the provisions of this document. The Committee may decline to select a recipient in any year in which it finds that none of the candidates in any of the categories meets the criteria set out herein and expected level of accomplishments.

4. Information

The Committee shall make its selection on the basis of the files submitted by the candidates. When needed, the Committee may request from the candidate to provide it with additional information.