THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES, ST. AUGUSTINE
RESEARCH AWARDS 2016
GUIDELINES
January 29 2015
A. Awards, Application and Selection Process
Introduction
The UWI St. Augustine Campus has a long tradition of producing outstanding research across its five
Faculties. As the Campus embarks upon the new UWI Strategic Plan 2012-2017, we are committed to
building a strong culture of scholarship and innovation and continuing to position ourselves as leaders in
research, innovation and knowledge transfer. It is critical that our stakeholders in the public and private
sectors and our wider Campus community continue to view our Campus as a strategic partner and as a
major contributor to national and regional development.
In this regard, the Office of the Campus Principal will be organizing the 3rd biennial Research Awards
Ceremony in October 2016 with the kind sponsorship of the National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago
Limited. This Ceremony would serve to recognize research excellence and to build awareness of the
outstanding research carried out by our academic community.
Objectives
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To celebrate the outstanding research conducted by staff and graduate students at the UWI St
Augustine Campus.
To promote a culture of scholarship, innovation and creativity among staff and students.
To continue to build on our tradition of scholarship and the mentorship of young researchers and
research students.
To showcase the research of the UWI St Augustine Campus to our wider Campus community.
Research Awards
For the 2016 Research Awards Ceremony, there will be a total of 33 Awards available as follows: 4
Campus Awards, 21 Faculty Awards (i.e. 3 possible category awards per Faculty); 4 Awards for Graduate
Researchers (previously, Most Outstanding Dissertation Award) and 4 Research Mentorship Awards.
Research Awards would take the form of a plaque/artifact with citation and/or a monetary award,
depending on the category. Details on each Award are provided below.
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B. FACULTY Awards: Three Categories
1. Most Outstanding Researcher
An award for the researcher who has demonstrated the highest research productivity and research quality
over the past three (3) years (2013-2015) and through this has extensive knowledge in a specific discipline
and/or has contributed significantly to national and/or regional development.
2. Most Productive Research Department
This award will go to the Department which has demonstrated the highest research productivity and
research quality over the past three (3) years (2013-2015).
3. Best Research Team – Encouraging Multi-disciplinary research
This award will be given to the research team which, in addition to demonstrating coherence and
outstanding research quality as a team over the last three (3) years (2013-2015), has integrated a multidisciplinary approach in project methodology and team composition.
Note: Each Faculty should consider applications for the 3 above mentioned categories (via a Faculty
Selection Committee appointed by the Dean) and submit the name of the successful candidate to the
Campus Research Awards Committee, attention: Ms. Karisse Jackman, Office of the Campus Principal. The
Faculty is not obligated to submit the name of a researcher/research team if there is no suitable candidate
for the corresponding category. Faculty A&P Committees may serve as Faculty Selection Committees for
the Research Awards. This is at the discretion of the Dean. To facilitate consistency in the evaluation
process, evaluation guidelines and criteria for each award category should be used to guide the work of
the Faculty Selection Committees.
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C. CAMPUS Awards: Four Categories
1. Most Productive Research Unit, Centre or Institute (UCI)
This award will go to the Unit, Centre or Institute which has demonstrated the highest research
productivity and research quality over the past three (3) years (2013-2015).
2. Most Impacting Research Project
This award will recognize the research activity that has had the most significant impact at the national
and/or regional level over the last three (3) years (2013-2015). This impact may be demonstrated through
a resultant change in public sector policy, improvement to a design or process, the award of a patent, the
use of the project’s output by a commercial or industrial enterprise, the solution of a problem of
economic, political, social or cultural significance, and a well-recognized contribution to shaping
intellectual discourse, inter alia.
3. Most Outstanding Regional Research Project
This award will go to the researcher or research team that has brought significant attention to research
conducted at the UWI St. Augustine Campus, and that has attracted the most funding from sources
external to the University to support a specific regional research project over the last three (3) years
(2013-2015). Additionally, the research project should demonstrate the achievement of project objectives
as well as innovative and creative outputs.
4. Most Outstanding International Research Project
This award will go to the researcher or research team that has brought the most international attention
to research conducted at the UWI St. Augustine Campus, and that has attracted the most international
funding to support a specific research project over the last three (3) years (2013-2015). Additionally, the
research project should demonstrate the achievement of project objectives as well as innovative and
creative outputs.
Note: Each Faculty should consider potential research projects and submit one (1) nomination using the
application templates and forward to the Office of the Campus Principal. Research conducted by Units,
Centres and Institutes affiliated with the respective Faculty should also be considered.
The Faculty is not obligated to submit a nomination if there is no suitable candidate for the corresponding
category. The final award recipient will be determined through a technical review of the submissions by a
Campus Selection Committee, chaired by the Campus Principal.
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D. SCHOOL FOR GRADUATE STUDIES & RESEARCH Awards: Two Categories
1. The Most Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award
Four awards, one in the Sciences and one for Arts/Humanities /Social Sciences for each of the academic
years 2013/14 and 2014/15, will be selected by the Campus Committee for Graduate Studies and Research
based on existing criteria.
Eligibility:
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MPhil and PhD Students who graduated in the Academic Year 2013/14 and 2014/15 and whose
theses were awarded with High Commendation.
Students who were in breach of regulations during the duration of their programme, or who were
awarded the degree after resubmission would not be eligible for consideration for this award.
Procedure:
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Students awarded High Commendation within the designated period will be identified by the Office
of the School for Graduate Studies and Research.
The award will be made according to the following criteria:
 Overall assessment
 Originality
 Clarity of organisation and presentation
 Impact of the research on the field of study or on society
2. The Outstanding Research Mentorship Award
This award will recognize the scholarly contribution and mentorship provided by the lead supervisor(s)
of the recipients of the Most Outstanding Graduate Researcher Award.
Additional Details
Please circulate these Guidelines widely in the Faculties as well as among all affiliated Research Units,
Centres and Institutes.
Decisions by the Faculty Selection Committees for the Faculty Awards and nominations for the Campus
Awards should be submitted to Ms. Karisse Jackman, Office of the Campus Principal by January 29th
2016.
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