A Status Report on the Institutional Management and Research Implementation of Kasetsart University Research Fund: 2001 Fiscal Year

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to record and analyze the accomplishments and restrictions in the management of Kasetsart University Research and Development Institute (KURDI) as well as in research implementation of researchers who received funding during the 2001 Fiscal year. Despite the fact that Kasetsart University received the largest research budget from the central government, the study revealed that the amount of financial support requested by researchers was granted at an unproportionally low amount. In addition, when compared to the overall number of academic staffs, only a small group of faculty members and researchers conducted research. Those who pursued research were driven by personal interest, and their desire to develop their skill and knowledge, the needs to support their teaching, and to address national development plan. Most researchers highly valued the financial and institutional support provided by KURDI. They suggested the need for basic research and research applicable to national development goals; the encouragement for new researchers and financial compensation for researchers. KURDI was expected to accommodate for the delay of report submission and research budget reporting. These delays were hard to overcome since the researchers had heavy teaching loads, several administrative and public demands, change of research plan, as well as conducting multiple research endeavors. These obstacles to research completion reflected the inadequate institution management and monitoring by KURDI. Strengthening systems or research quality control and assessment, research implementation and utilization, research database maintenance, and research culture and ethics development require proactive and explicit strategies and policies of Kasetsart University administration as a whole. The complete research works, by and large, are basic information or technology related; most of which have been presented in national and international conferences and prepared for journal publications in Thailand as well as planned for disseminating to local and national organizations. A large number of research works have also been used for further study or course materials.