Directorate of Research, Publication, Ethics and Dissemination

Background 

From the establishment of the University Research, community service, technology transfer and industry linkages, has been led by the Vice President of Academics and Research and from 2008 till mid of 2024, it has been set up independently and led by the vice president for Research, Technology Transfer and Community Engagement. Currently, following the Universities’ differentiation, Directorate of Research, Publication, Ethics and Dissemination re-organized as one of the directorates under the Vice President for Academic, Research, Technology Transfer and Community Engagement. MaU also aspires to build a research environment that acknowledges the responsibility of academic staff and postgraduate students to be a preeminent producer of new knowledge in the country.

 The main objectives of Research, Publication, Ethics and Dissemination Directorate are initiating, facilitating, and managing research efforts, building capacity in the responsible conduct of research, developing liable and ethical research competence and disseminate research outputs. The directorate manages all research and publication activities in collaboration with colleges, campus, and schools. Moreover, the Directorate ensures the research activities designed to address institutional, national and international research agendas. 

 A total of 638 researches have been conducted since the establishment of the University. Most of the researches are short-term (one year) and some are medium-term project. However, currently the directorate is encouraging mega project (thematic research). It is known that research works identify the scope and cause of the society's problems in a scientific way from the society in terms of economic and social development; it is to indicate the right solutions. Accordingly, most of the researches undertaking in our university in recent times are based on this impression.

 Vision

The Directorate of Research Publication, Ethics and Dissemination will share the university's vision of becoming a well-known university in Ethiopia in the fields of education, research and community service in the fields of modern agriculture and natural resource management by 2022/2030, and will take part in the research sector. Thus the vision of the directorate improved livelihood through conduct of societal problem solving, responsible and ethical researches in the fields of modern agriculture and natural resources.

 Mission 

The Directorate of Research, Publication, Ethics and Decimation at Mattu University coordinates activities of Research and Development of Science and Technology, publication and dissemination of scientific findings. Its mission is to create an encouraging environment for research and promote the conduct of responsible and ethical researches that is in line with the University’s vision and mission and country’s National Research Agenda. 

 The goal of the Directorate is to provide the Mattu University’s researchers with leadership and support, access to state of the art instrumentation and scientific expertise for the communal advantage of our institution’s investigators so that they can effectively carry out the research mission of the University conducting problem-solving and nationally useful researches and expanding technology

 Main functions

1.      Promoting and coordinating sustainable research, publication and innovation culture within the university

2.      Identify thematic research areas, and update these overtime in consultation with VPARTTCE

3.      Coordinate and facilitate innovative research activities (call for proposals, receive concept notes, regroup based on merit, guide proposal development, and execute the review process, allocate research fund

4.      Facilitating research collaboration within and outside the university

5.      Supporting staff in developing fundable research proposals by organizing seminars and workshops

6.      Coordinating multidisciplinary research teams to develop large scale projects

7.      Developing guidelines on the sourcing and effective administration of research funds

8.      Coordinate budgeting of research, check regular progress of research undertaking, and promote performance evaluation process in different colleges/institutes,

9.      Ensuring that university research policy and agenda are implemented effectively and efficiently 

10.  Supervises the writing, editing, designing, conceptualizing and production of publications

11.  Ensures in order the publications program conforms with university publishing policies

12.  Organizing seminars, workshops and symposiums at a college level

13.  Overseeing of relevant research ethics policy and operational procedures

14.  Documentation of research database including archiving of data in retrievable (electronic data bases)

15.  Manage the research plan effectively and efficiently, ensuring that accepted standards of research and ethical behavior are met,

 The directorate identified nine key thematic/priority areas of research with the aim of enhancing and encouraging actions that pursue to generate a body of knowledge and resolve socio-economic problems.

 Major Research Thematic Areas of Mattu University

Ø     Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resource

Ø     Natural Science area

Ø     Education Related Issues

Ø     Rural and Urban Development

Ø     Social Science related areas

Ø     Business and Economics issues

Ø     Legal issues

Ø     Engineering and Technology issues

Ø     Indigenous knowledge related issues

 Message 

The Research, Publication, Ethics and Decimation Directorate operate in a dynamic environment that necessitates ongoing efforts to maintain a receptive posture to our investigators' needs. The recent directives from Ministry of Education, a University has to revise its research policy in such a way that research shall be conducted in the most cost-effective and responsive manner, and be interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in its scope, and thematic in its approach. To accomplish this, the Directorate needs the assistance and common understanding of the University’s research community. This will allow the Directorate to develop and continue to offer our investigators the cutting-edge, cost-effective research support they need.  As a result, the Directorate welcomes any feedback from the research community and continues to be dedicated to providing support and educating for the university's research mission.