Introduction and Overview
The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) embraces a wide view of research in serving its vision, mission, policies, and stakeholders. It is committed to ensuring that its research brings new insights and ideas, new ways of thinking, the creation of new knowledge, and sharing these with a range of audiences and stakeholders.
Vision
USJ’s vision for its research is ‘to be the leading Catholic University in South-East Asia in its local, regional, national, and international research and their outcomes, uptake, impact, and consequences for the development of societies and humanity’.
Mission
USJ’s mission for research is ‘to foster and promote excellence in research and a research culture, at the forefront of knowledge, enabling research to empower and transform researchers, peoples, communities, and societies with diverse backgrounds, identities, and nationalities’.
Policy
USJ’s policy for research states that it serves ‘the local community, the wider society, and the research community at all levels, by the creation, production, conduct, reporting, dissemination, uptake, and impact of knowledge discovered and reported through research. The University is committed to excellence in research in all its fields of work, based on the highest international standards, and to promoting actively the important role of research in its teaching and learning.’
In accomplishing these, USJ addresses its responsibility to support, promote, conduct, and disseminate high quality, ethical research, so that it serves the University’s mission, vision, and values.
USJ’s research builds on several key foundations, for example:
- Research policy
- Research strategy and strategic planning
- A framework for research
- Excellence and quality assurance in research
- Research ethics
- Support, development, and involvement of researchers
- Promoting a research environment and research culture
- Promoting the uptake and impact of research
- Diversity in research and research outputs
- Research Development Office
- Postdoctoral Levels
- Doctoral School
Research at USJ has three integrated dimensions which are represented in the figure below:
- Levels of focus (University, Faculty/individual members)
- Content areas of research (research culture, environment, engagement, output, impact)
- Phases of development and implementation of research (stages of development)
These integrated dimensions ensure:
- excellence in, and originality and significance of, research;
- comprehensive coverage and provision of research in the University;
- strategic planning and continuous improvement in research;
- engagement, involvement, and responsibility in research;
- ethical research practices;
- consequential research: outcomes, outputs, uptake, and impact of research.
To support the administration of funded research at the University, its Research Development Office provides advice on applying for externally funded research, with documentation and procedures for applying for, monitoring, and reporting on, funded research. The Macau SAR’s government has channels for applying for, and receiving grants for, funded research, and the Research Development Office indicates the administrative requirements and flowchart for matters related to this.
The University provides capacity building for researchers at staff, students, and postdoctoral levels. It provides staff development activities and support at the University level and within each academic unit.
