R & D Cell

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisages the promotion of quality research within the Higher Education system. Research and innovation are important aspects to enhance quality education by the Higher Education Institutions. Societal challenges of our country can only be addressed by having a strong and vibrant higher education ecosystem with an emphasis on research, innovation, and technology development. The integration of Research, Innovation and Technology Development is the foundation of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat (Self-reliant India). The establishment of Research and Development Cell (RDC) in St.Thomas College(Autonomous), Thrissur will enable attainment of targets  of Atma-Nirbhar Bharat and is expected to play a pivotal role in catalyzing multidisciplinary/ trans disciplinary and translational research culture mandated in NEP 2020.

Vision

To put in place a robust mechanism for developing and strengthening the research ecosystem within St.Thomas College(Autonomous), Thrissur, 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

1. To create an organizational structure with role-based functions of RDC, formulate Research Policy for the St.Thomas College(Autonomous), Thrissur, identify thrust areas of research, and form related cluster groups/ frontline teams/consortia of researchers.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. To have better coordination among other cells/centers dealing with University-Industry Inter Linkage, Incubation, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. To serve as nodal center 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.

St. Thomas College provide a platform to conduct high quality research. Ten research centres create and disseminate knowledge with more than 50 research guides and more than 120 research scholars. The quality of research is ensured through the publications in Scopus/Web of Science/UGC Care listed journals and book chapters in renowned publishers like Taylor & Francis, Wiley, Spinger etc. The institute started getting patents for the research outcomes. One patent has been awarded till date, but five are filed. The facility provided to the research students is remarkable. Cabins, cubicles, central library facilities etc provide strong research environment. .

To promote the excellence of students, the College conducts various programmes regularly. Students are directed to present their research outputs in Conferences and seminars.

Research Council is the monitoring body of all research and development activities of the College.