About Research Strategy

UOM subscribes to the widely-held belief that undergraduate teaching should be informed and supported by research active staff. It is thus equally important to encourage and support research throughout the University at a level that will allow all staff a reasonable opportunity to establish a research career, and to make continued access to research time/infrastructure. This will serve to increase the pool of potential researchers and broaden research career opportunities. In a framework of enhancing UOM’s profile, and maintaining and diversifying resources and facilities, the following prime objectives have been proposed for the next 5 years of the development of UOM research:

Foster and grow an active research culture that inspires discovery and innovation with emphasis on research of excellence that is world-significant

• recognise and support the university’s areas of research strength by putting in place resource allocation models which aim to maximise the opportunities for good researchers to research ; (identify the University’s strongest research areas and by appropriately supporting these areas at a level which will allow them to further enhance their current strength. The objective is to give our successful research areas and our established research “stars” a chance to shine and to reach out to other researchers within the University and externally, nationally and internationally);

• focus and support research in a few niche areas

• promote team research through UOM Excellence Park, Specialized Laboratories , Research Units/Observatories/Centres/Institutes, and Research Groups , besides individual projects;

• increase overall research funding levels and diversify funding sources; rationalise funding stream;

• develop plans to improve research quality and impact;

• set criteria for assessing research quality and conduct research assessments;

• increase citations by raising the profile and accessibility of UOM research;

• reward excellence and achievement in research;

• develop outreach activities aimed at enhancing the research and innovation culture nationwide;

• encourage organization of national and international research events;

• develop and consolidate pathways to ventilate research findings of UOM research ;

2. Create synergies, strengthen inter-disciplinary and collaborative research through increasing the number of functional and strategic internal and external links

• identify emerging strategic, inter-disciplinary priority areas with special focus on potential income-generating research and consultancies;
• put in place mechanisms and incentives to support such multi-discipline research activity;
• integrate the activities of the various research into the core research endeavours of the University;
• promote high-impact collaboration with other leading universities worldwide;
• develop search criteria for next and future generation researchers (especially from the Mauritian Diaspora) to lead collaborative research;

3. Build future research and research capacity

• invest in world-class research infrastructure and administrative support structures that are recognised as best practice; due consideration of a world-class central analytical facility;
• promote a vibrant research environment which attracts and retains the best researchers and values and rewards their contributions;
• effectively and efficiently manage research;
• emphasis on quality research training;
• attract outstanding research students or researchers, new talents and potentials; and train and develop the next generation of research leaders to the best international standards;
• appoint and retain high-calibre researchers;
• aspire to effective and efficient high degree research administration with low withdrawal rates, high throughput and exemplary supervision;
• to grow research activity;

4. Increase research income from external sources to support more research broadly

• put in place mechanisms, processes, incentives and support structures that will enhance the University’s ability to attract research grant funding, contract research and consultancies;
• stimulate knowledge transfer and commercialisation