THE DIRECTORATE FOR RESEARCH AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
Mrs Ida Mans is the longest serving member of the
directorate. The Research Administration
Office is very central in streamlining everyday activities of the
directorate as detailed in the accompanying document titled "Actions,
Activities and services provided by the directorate for Research
and Postgraduate Studies" especially around those activities
referred to in paragraph 2.
Prof MG Mahlomaholo
is the Director in this office.
From the perspective
of the directorate, and in keeping with the best practices locally
and internationally, the directorate facilitates the operationalization
of MEDUNSA's mission statement so that the institution's research
effort can contribute meaningfully and significantly to the improvement
of the health of the communities it serves as well as the enhancement
of the economic well being of their countries.
In order to
systemize this process of facilitation, the directorate focuses
on (i) Research Development, (ii) Research Administration, (iii)
Research Grant Administration and (iv) Transfer of Technology (research
and its outcomes).
In order to
facilitate research development, workshops are organized and run
through local MEDUNSA expertise and complemented occasionally by
outside support. Areas handled range from Research Methodology and
Protocol Writing for beginner and established researchers (including
supervisors of Postgraduate Studies), through to successful application
for research funding, writing for publication as well as sharing
ideas on successful supervision of graduate research.
The directorate
through its Research Administration also captures all research data
generated by MEDUNSA researchers in the form of registration of
all new, ongoing and completed research. Information relating to
research opportunities, including conferences, locally and internationally
is disseminated through the directorate. Communicating with the
relevant authorities, including stakeholders regarding research
outputs and outcome, is also the task constituting Research Administration.
The Office also keeps information relating to which publications
earn government subsidy and which not.
Furthermore
the Research Office advises and supports researchers regarding procedures,
deadlines and guidelines for applying to funding agencies like the
National Research Foundation and the Medical Research Council. The
Office also maintains an open and constant communication with these
funding parastatals. The grants from these agencies and also from
the University's Research and Postgraduate Committee of Senate are
managed on behalf of the grant-holders through the Research Office.
The Research
Office also assists researchers to protect the outcomes of their
research be they tangible or intangible artifacts through the University's
Intellectual Property Policy. This assistance comes at the level
of identifying Intellectual Property for protection through registration
of patents, designs, copyrights and so on. Researchers are made
aware of step involved in this process.
Moves are also
underway through the Research Office to refine policy promoting
and supporting the partnering of the university's research expertise
with industry (locally and internationally) in line with the demands
of Knowledge Economy worldwide. These will include issues of contract
research, transfer of technology and commercialisation of intellectual
property. At the same time, through its very strong community service
component, the university is able to contribute to the improvement
of the health of the communities it serves on the basis of its newly
discovered and refined knowledge.
Finally the
Research Office is currently bent on making sure that all researchers
do find a 'home' within recognized and credible research teams organized
along the NRF and MRC niche area lines. Functioning within 'Communities
of Practice' as jargon would have it, has many advantages for the
researcher, the research collaborators, the institution and the
communities the university serves. Some of the advantages are that
of sharing resources, expertise, best practices and accessing funding.
The university is called upon to define itself as a centre of excellence
both nationally and internationally, in one or other research area
where all resources can be expended. This can be achieved if we
have teams constituting the basic building blocks. Currently the
research effort at MEDUNSA boasts of four conditionally approved
Research teams and two under construction accommodating an estimated
100 researchers.
More information
will be supplied in due course relating to all matters referred
to above.
Our contact details are:
Voice: 012 521 4009/ 5671
Fax: 012 521 3749
Box 163, MEDUNSA -0204
Rooms S521/521A
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