Research
Governance
Research is integral to teaching and learning and essential to knowledge growth. It is a fundamental cornerstone of higher education and, accordingly, of the National Strategy. Research underpins the educational process, benefiting students and academic staff by enhancing and enriching the teaching and learning experience. Research makes a difference, sharpening the critical intellect to assess and evaluate, to weigh and to measure, to calculate and to review, and to learn from the experience of the past how best we can proceed into the future. These are the skills of the here and now, and these are the skills most acutely required among the graduates of the 21st century. These are the skills we seek to imbue among students of the College, and these are the skills we aspire to see in our graduates.
Research Strategy
In the coming period, Mary Immaculate College will commit to supporting and resourcing the on-going development of the research skills base among our staff and students. In recent years the College has invested heavily in building its research skills base, through financial supports, staff upskilling, external collaboration and dedicated administrative structures. This has produced rich dividends, with staff engagement in research now at an all-time high, as evidenced by an almost exponential increase in staff publications and presentations at professional conferences over recent years.
This effort will be maintained and developed further, and the cross-fertilisation of research with teaching and learning will be a particular focus for us in the coming years, along with an increased emphasis on research that contributes significantly to public policy. Through research and knowledge transfer, Mary Immaculate College will contribute to the Irish economy as well as to quality of life at local, regional, national and international levels.
The full MIC Research Strategy is available here.
Research Policy
In accordance with its mission statement, Mary Immaculate College fosters a diversity of research traditions, paradigms and methodologies in which an inclusive and focused research community embraces scholars of theory and practice in a range of disciplines in contemporary higher education.
All research is premised on critical and inquiring approaches to new knowledge and frames of understanding across a number of research fields and professional and public constituencies.
MIC Research policies are available below:
- MIC Research Support Policy
- Code of Good Practice in Research
- Research Integrity Policy
- Managing External Research Funding Awards and Applications
Other relevant research policies include:
Research Committee
The Research Committee is chaired by the Vice President for Research. The Research & Graduate School provides administrative services to the committee.
The membership of this committee includes: the Vice President for Research, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration and Finance, the Faculty Deans, the Director for Teaching & Learning, the Librarian, the Director for ICT, the MISU President (or nominee), the Director of Research, Graduate School Director, MIRIS Manager, RGS Manager and 6 representatives of the Academic Staff at MIC.
The Research Committee is charged with providing active and practical support for academic staff research and postgraduate research within the College.
Postgraduate Research Sub-Committee
The Postgraduate Research Sub-Committee (PRSC) is the forum where the Research & Graduate School (RGS) and the Deans of Faculties meet to oversee all aspects of postgraduate academic planning and management College-wide.
Through its oversight, the PRSC ensures that the best possible academic and administration arrangements are put in place to support each individual postgraduate research student from the beginning through to the completion of their studies at MIC.
Administrative services for the PRSC are provided by the Research & Graduate School.
The PRSC is responsible for overseeing the full scope and sequence of all postgraduate research matters in the College, including:
- applications for postgraduate research
- postgraduate progression
- alteration to research degree supervisors
- PGR leave of absence / return from leave of absence requests
- exiting from postgraduate research programmes
- consideration for approval nominations for membership of Thesis Examination Panels.
