The University of Malta recently launched a new pilot programme to award four prospective research projects, by University researchers, a total of €60,000 each over two years. The funds will cover expenses and costs such as those for research assistants, data gathering and surveys, software, consumables, conferences, dissemination and outreach etc. The projects will be financed through additional funds allocated for this purpose to the University Research Fund. A total of 108 applications were received, and these were allocated to four themes, namely Biomedical & Life Sciences, Engineering & ICT, Arts & Social Sciences and Basic Natural Sciences.
The adjudication process involved external experts from the four categories, who selected the best project in each area according to criteria that included research quality, feasibility, relevance and longer-term implications. The winning projects were announced in March, and the awarded researchers were invited to a congratulatory meeting with Rector, Professor Alfred J. Vella, in the presence of Professor Saviour Zammit, who is the Chairperson of the Research Funds Committee.
The four proposals that were ranked highest were those by Professor Neville Vassallo in Biomedical & Life Sciences, Professor Ing. Cyril Spiteri Staines in Engineering & ICT, Dr Marie Briguglio in Arts & Social Sciences and Dr Ruben Gatt in Basic Natural Sciences.
Find out more about the proposals at the following .
