For a research institution to have the credibility to get research contracts and grants, it must demonstrate it has the expertise and capacity to conduct research with methods and results that can be checked out and validated by outside experts. This focus on university research spurred the creation of research centers, with many dedicated to specialty areas of attention.
A research center serves as a platform for all the relevant stakeholders in accomplishing their goals. The center is composed of faculty members and doctoral students and is multi-disciplinary to conduct education, research and/or service activities. The Center is led by a Director, assisted by the Assistant Director.
The doctoral students and visiting scholars work with faculty members to drive the research output at the Center. In terms of research structure, an interdisciplinary approach drives the research center. Insights from other disciplines offer crucial insights into our key research problems. The research output at the research center is primarily driven by the faculty members, visiting scholars, and doctoral students, the support personnel are also vital.
The culmination of all research initiatives from a research center is the dissemination of knowledge through one or more outlets such as (a) publishing in premier scholarly journals and related magazines, (b) publishing books, book chapters, and monographs, (c) organizing academic/practitioner conferences, (d) holding seminars for both faculty and doctoral students, and (e) offering workshops for research scholars and faculties.
Additionally, the Centre invites leading researchers to deliver seminars to doctoral students, offer classes, and establish and advance research collaborations. These activities expose students and research faculty to the state-of-the-art research concepts and methodologies used around the world.
Research centers receives financial support from one of three sources: endowments, university funding, or self-funding through projects. The university provides the funding for the center, as this reflects the commitment of the university to foster a research-oriented learning environment, and it is a valuable option to attract promising talent to the university by way of faculty and students.
The high quality of research output has secured rewarding careers with organizations and universities worldwide for the doctoral students and graduate students associated with Centres.