Every lab leader or any researcher/faculty member at PSU belonging to a lab (in coordination with the lab leader (PhD holder)) may apply for a technology development project.

Before applying to a technology project, it is highly recommended to understand that the outcome of these projects must result in a prototype or product that has a commercial value.
The technology development project is beyond the academic nature of research and must result in a product that can lead to opening a business or transferring it to the industry.

The submission is now open until December 31, 2024 The submission system will close by the deadline.
Then, the proposal will be reviewed within 2-3 weeks.

Please consider the following general guidelines:

• Make sure that publisher/journal is not in the non-eligible journals & publishers list.

• The project must have at least a PI or Co-PI from a research lab at PSU.

• The PI must have his previous projects completed and closed. In case this criterion is not satisfied, and the PI wants to submit, he must notify RIC and CRD about the reason for not being able to complete and close the project and how long it would take to do so.

• The budget per lab should not exceed 100K. As we have 600K as the total budget, we must ensure that the total fund for all accepted projects does not exceed this ceiling. We may not be able to accept all project proposals or would need to cut the budget if the total exceeds 600K.

• It is not recommended to be the PI of two projects. In case, it happens, it must be justified. We try to give a chance to several researchers to be PIs.

• The budget is intended to cover equipment, materials, and hardware/software resources essential for the project.

  Please note the following points for clarification:

  • The cost for equipment and tools does not include standard office devices such as laptops, mobile phones, typical printers, or general-purpose equipment. Only specialized tools directly related to the research will be considered for funding. Approval will depend on the equipment's relevance and necessity to the project’s research objectives.

  • It is possible to pay human resources outside PSU, in case their expertise is needed for the completion of the project and none of the PSU members is able to achieve it. A contract must be established and approved by RIC prior to starting the work with the collaborator.

  • Labor costs may be covered in exceptional circumstances where the labor directly contributes to the technical or scientific aspects of the project. This includes tasks like 3D printing, circuit design, data collection, and other technical support. However, labor costs will not be covered for activities related to co-authorship or non-technical roles. Approval will be at the discretion of the funding authority and must be justified as essential to the research objectives.

• Before requesting new resources, please check if these are available at PSU or not at Research Resources.

• Collaboration between labs is recommended for inter-disciplinary research.

• In case of any query or suggestion, please contact us at research@psu.edu.sa.

The expected outcomes would likely be:

1. Conduct large-scale data collection, potentially covering multiple sites, extended periods, or diverse populations. This allows for more comprehensive and detailed analysis, leading to more reliable and generalizable findings.

2. Producing results that are suitable for publication in at least two pure-lab high-impact academic journals. In applied research, the development of a more advanced prototype, pilot project, or intervention that could be tested and potentially implemented in real-world settings is an expected outcome.

• Download the Research Project Proposal Template.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In case the research proposal is related to human sciences or requires data collection using surveys, then the investigator has to take approval from the Instituitional Review Board (IRB).

• Write your project proposal: all the required information must be duly filled out in the project proposal form. Missing information may lead to reject or delay the processing of your submission.

• Submit your project proposal through EasyChair. Choose the Track of Technology Development Projects.

Make sure to use your PSU email to create an account on EasyChair. An account created with an email different from PSU email will not be considered.

• Submission must be made in PDF Format

• Make sure that the budget does not exceed 100,000 SAR, and the duration of the project is equal or less than 12 months.

The project proposal is submitted through EasyChair to RIC. Choose Technology Transfer Projects.

There are three possible states of the review of the proposal:

• Accept: The research proposal is accepted for funding. The contract has to be signed with the researchers from the College Research Committee through the College Research Director. A copy of the contract has to be submitted to RIC.

• Revision Required: The proposal requires to undergo a major revision before being considered for acceptance according to the reviewer's comments. The investigator is given 15 days to amend their proposal and submit it again for a second review round. Failing to address the reviewers' comments, the project proposal will be rejected in the second review round.

• Reject: The research proposal is denied for publication based on the comments of the reviewers. The investigators have the right to submit a rebuttal letter to RIC within one week of receiving the reject notification. A committee will be formed to review the rebuttal letter, and the final decision will be submitted to the investigators.

If your project is accepted, please perform the following:

1. Coordinate with your College Research Director to sign your technology development project contract. The contract is available for download in the following link: Research Project Contract
   

   NOTE: The convention of the grant number is PROGRAM-COLLEGE-YEAR-UNIQUEID. So it can be TECHDEV-CCIS-2022-{EASYCHAIRNUMBER}.

2. Add the details of your technology development project request in the Funded PSU Research Projects Information Form . This is needed for statistical purposes. Your technology development project cannot be processed by RIC if the information is not provided. You will need to upload your contract and your proposal.

3. Then, submit an official request through your CRD in the college for getting the first installment.

If you have any consultant and research assistant who is paid compensation through a PSU-funded project (seed project, technology development project) then he must sign a contract with the lab leader before starting the project. The contract must be approved by the College Dean and then by the RIC Director to be eligible for payment at the end of the project.

The process is as follows:

• The lab leader defines the contract with the research assistant/consultant working on the technology development project and receiving compensation. The contract form is available for download in the following link: Research Assistance/Consultation Contract.

• After completing the missing contract clauses, the lab leader signs the contract with the research assistant/consultant. Note that these signatures of both parties will not be effective until all approvals and signatures are provided by the below parties (College Dean and then RIC Director).

• The signed contract must be sent to the College Dean through the College Research Director for the Dean’s approval.

• When the signed contract is approved by the College Dean, it must be forwarded to the Director of RIC for final approval. Once approved, the lab leader will be notified of the approved contract and must submit this contract with the final report to claim the payment of the research assistant/consultant. The lab leader finally needs to submit the approved contract through the following RIC Form: PSU Research Fellow & Consultation Contracts

NOTE: The payment of human resources (i.e., research assistant and consultant) is made only with the condition that the seed project is successfully completed and the final report is approved.

The technology development project will be evaluated in two steps.

• After Six Months: A mid-way report will be sent to the CRC about the progress made. No review will be performed for the mid-way report, but just a simple reporting of progress to the respective college.

  mid-way report template will be provided

• After Completion (12 months): Once the project is completed, it will be submitted through EasyChair to RIC for final review. The final report will be forwaded to the CRD to manage the review process. The final results will be notified to the investigators upon reception of the review.

The objective of the project closure report is that the PI gets a clearance that his project is completed and to request the last installment of the project which contains the budgets to be paid for human resources including research assistants, consultants, students, etc., according to the RIC bylaws.

All the requirements of the project have to be satisfied and reported to the College Research Community (CRC) for final approval.

The report consists of:

• (Part 1) The final financial details and Technical Report,

• (Part 2) The bank details of the research assistants and their deserved amount to be transferred to their bank account through the university accounting office, and

• (Part 3) The equipment clearance that confirms the return of the project equipment to the college/lab.

After returning the project equipment to the lab. The project PI has to fill this All-in-One Project Closure Report which must be signed by the CRD and the dean of the college (Part 4), besides the following items:

• A copy of the signed project contract.

• A copy of the approved proposal of the project.

• A letter issued from the College Dean Office requesting the final installment/Stating Closing the Project of the project and RA payments.

When these documents are ready and signed, Please handle them physically to the RIC office or simply email them at research@psu.edu.sa.

Once your closure report is approved, you will receive an official email for the clerance of your project.