Research and Development Cell (RDC):

Introduction:

In line with the UGC Guidelines for the Establishment of Research and Development Cell in Higher Education Institutions (2022), Maniben Nanavati Women’s College has established a Research and Development Cell (RDC) to promote quality research culture and innovation ecosystem within the institution. The RDC aims to foster a vibrant and collaborative research environment among faculty, students, and external stakeholders.

Vision:

To put in place a robust mechanism for developing and strengthening the research ecosystem within HEIs, aligned with the provisions of NEP-2020.

Mission:

To create a conducive environment for enhanced research productivity.
To encourage collaboration across industry, government, community- based organizations, and agencies at the local, national, and international levels.
To facilitate greater access to research through mobilization of resources and funding.

Objectives:

To create an organizational structure with role-based functions of RDC, formulate Research Policy for the HEIs, identify thrust areas of research, and form related cluster groups/ frontline teams/consortia of researchers.

To create enabling provisions in Research Policies for recruitment of research personnel, procurement of equipment, and financial management with adequate autonomy to the Principal Investigator(s) and disseminate research outcomes to stakeholders and the public at large.
To establish a special purpose vehicle to promote researchers and innovators, identify potential collaborators from industry, research organizations, academic institutions & other stakeholders for cooperation and synergistic partnerships.
To act as a liaison between researchers & relevant research funding agencies, extend guidance in preparation & submission of project proposals and post-sanctioning of the grants to oversee adherence to timelines.
To have better coordination among other cells/centers dealing with University- Industry Inter Linkage, Incubation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
To develop an Institutional Research Information System for sharing the status of ongoing/ completed research projects/Programmes, expertise & resources, etc., making effective use of Information & Communication Technology (ICT) for preparing the database of in-house experts to provide industrial consultancy and services.
To engage & utilize the services of superannuated active faculty/scientists in research capacity building of talented young minds and promote mobility of researchers across institutions and R&D Labs.
To serve as nodal centre for ideation and conceptualization of research topics/themes by organizing workshops and training programs and ensuring the integrity and ethical practices in research activities including clearance of bioethical committee wherever required.

Functions of the R&D Cell :

Drafting and revising research policies (ethics, plagiarism, IPR, etc.)
Encouraging faculty to pursue PhDs and funded projects.
Organizing seminars, workshops, and conferences.
Facilitating MOUs and collaborations for research.
Supporting start-ups, incubations, and innovation labs.
Monitoring research progress and reporting achievements.

Composition:

Principal: Dr. Rajshree Trivedi
IQAC Coordinator: Dr. Anuja Deshpande
Research & Development cell Head: Dr. Cicilia Chettiar
RDC Members: Dr. Twinkle Sanghavi, Dr. Swati Partani , Dr Rekha Kaklotar
Peer Review Panel: Research Horizon

Dr. Poornima Madhavan
Prof. Sitanshu Yashaschandra
Dr. Anita Kapoor
Dr. Usha Thakkar
Prof. Justin Paul
Dr. Manjusha Molwane Penn Kemp
Dr. Rupalee Burke
Prof. Alice Clark
Prof. S. John Michael Raj
Dr. Jaya Earnest
Prof. Kaushalnath Upadhyay
Prof. Hanna Westberg
Dr. Chandrika Raval
Dr. Saoko Funada