Revised Guidelines for the CHED Best Higher Education Institution (HEI) Research Program (BHERP) Award

September 15, 2010

CHED MEMORANDUM ORDER NO. 030-10

 

In accordance with the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (R.A.) No. 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994", and for the purpose of promoting/enhancing research function of higher education institutions pursuant to CEB Resolution No. 215-2010 Series of 2010, CHED hereby issues the Revised Guidelines for the Best HEI Research Program (BHERP) Award.

I. Rationale and Objectives

Research, as one of the triad functions of higher education institutions (HEIs), enhances and expresses the individual's capacity to conduct discipline-based, policy-oriented, technology-directed and innovative work. Since colleges and universities are among the primary institutions tasked to generate and disseminate knowledge, they are being encouraged to conduct research and other scholarly investigations. Higher education institutions play an important role in developing and nurturing a "research culture" among the people.

The CHED Best HEI Research Program Award is intended to recognize both the Program implementer and the HEI for the research program that has contributed significantly to the generation of new knowledge, advancement of the discipline(s) and the development efforts of the nation.

II. Awards and Incentives

The award is given at two levels: Regional and National

1. Each regional winner shall receive a plaque of recognition and cash award of:

P300,000 — Winner

P200,000 — 1st Runner up

P100,000 — 2nd Runner-Up aSTHDc

2. Each national winner shall receive a trophy and a cash prize of:

P1,000,000 — Winner

P500,000 — 1st Runner up

P300,000 — 2nd Runner-Up

3. Per Resolution No. 485-2006, the national cash awards shall be utilized as follows:

• 70% to be funneled back to the winning HEI for the enhancement of the research program through any or combination of the following:

— acquisition of equipment

— training of researchers

— conduct of further research

— dissemination of research outputs

• 30% to be awarded to the program/project/study implementers, the distribution of which shall be at the discretion of the head of agency

III. General Guidelines

A. Definitions

Research generation/adaptation of new knowledge technology through the application of scientific methods.

Higher Education Institution Research Program refers to a unified set of 2 or more interrelated research projects implemented by an HEI with a well-defined central focus or goal in support of an identified research agenda/thrust/mandate.

B. Eligibility Requirements

The award is open to all HEIs in the country, public and private. Each HEI may submit at most two programs. The candidate research programs should be:

— active with breakthroughs/accomplishments and outputs during the last 5 years;

— essentially applied;

— multi-disciplinary;

— conducted mostly by the faculty and/or researchers of Philippine HEIs.

C. Criteria for Judging

Entries shall be evaluated and ranked on the basis of the following criteria:

1. Development impact — refers to the contribution of the program to national development and productivity of the society based on the technologies developed (new product, equipment, gadget, methods and processes, etc.) and economic and social benefits derived from the program. — 30%

2. Impact on the discipline — refers to the contribution of the program to the improvement of academic programs such as new courses developed/revised; innovative or improved teaching methods and improved student performance. — 30%

3. Novelty or originality — refers to new theory/knowledge discovered as shown in the state of the art review and evidenced by the number of citations of the publications produced under the program; refereed journal articles, books/chapters, monographs and other types of publication; patents; and papers presented in scientific conferences/seminars and other fora. — 30%

4. Institutional support for the program — refers to the organizational/infrastructural and other forms of support provided by the HEI such as research center/office, equipment, funds, manpower, and publication support. — 5%

5. Recognition given to the program — refers to citation/awards and other forms of recognition from external organizations and scientific societies, local and foreign. — 5%

IV. Nomination and Selection Procedure

1. Nomination forms may be obtained from the nearest CHED Regional Office (CHEDRO) or downloaded from www.ched.gov.ph (under What's new).

2. The nomination should include an executive summary presenting the significance, objectives, methodology, components, findings, accomplishments and outputs.

3. The nomination package must be submitted in hard copies (5) with endorsement from the President of the HEI and addressed to the nearest CHEDRO.

4. For every search, an Evaluation Committee shall be created at the national and regional levels with composition and terms of reference as follows:

4.1 National Evaluation Committee (NEC)

Chair : Researcher/Scientist who has distinguished himself in research and publication

Members : 4 Research experts each representing a major and priority discipline covered by the Program entries.

 The NEC shall:

• Review the submission of CHEDROs and select winners at the regional level

• Evaluate nominees for the national award

• Select national winners

4.2 Regional Evaluation Committee (REC)

Chair : Researcher/Scientist who has distinguished himself in research and publication

Members : 2 or 4 Research experts each representing a major and priority discipline covered by the Program entries.

 The REC shall:

• Screen, process and rank applications submitted to the RO

• Recommend top three regional qualifiers

 No research expert or scientist connected with any of the nominating HEIs, whether full-time or part-time, shall be designated as chairperson or member of the NEC or REC to avoid possible conflict of interest.

5. The REC shall review nominations based on the complete documents submitted on or before the deadline set, evaluate, and rank the entries using the criteria provided in III-C, above.

6. The REC may interview nominating parties, nominees or other concerned individuals to validate the statements made in the nomination form. CcEHaI

7. The nominee must obtain a total score of at least 80% to be eligible for the Award. The REC has the option not to recommend/declare a regional qualifier for a given year depending on the quality of entries.

8. The REC shall identify and endorse the regional qualifiers to the NEC for selection of the regional and national winners. The NEC may invite during their deliberation, the Chair and/or a Member of the REC for clarification in the ranking and selection of qualifiers.

9. NEC shall select the regional winners from among the regional qualifiers and the national winners from the regional winners.

10. The decision of the NEC shall be final.

11. All previous regional research program winners and qualifiers except the National Award winners and runners-up may be re-nominated to vie for the following award year provided they still meet the eligibility criteria.

12. A higher education institution that has won three times as National Winner shall be honored with a BHERP Award Hall of Fame trophy.

This supersedes CHED Memorandum Order No. 32, Series of 2008, takes effect immediately and shall remain in force until otherwise revoked.

Quezon City, Philippines, September 15, 2010.

(SGD.) PATRICIA B. LICUANAN, Ph.D.ChairpersonCommission on Higher Education