RESEARCH REGULATION

Table of contents

1. General objectives
2. Operation
3. Transitional provisions
4. Enactment

Chapter I. General Objectives

Research being one of the existential reasons for the existence of our University, we propose:

ARTICLE 1.-

1. Constitute research as a means for the training of students and teachers, and ensure that the results of this academic activity provide satisfactory answers to the needs of the UPAEP and that the fruits of research have an impact on the scientific, humanistic and technological development of society.
2. To promote and encourage research in each one of the academic entities of the UPAEP.
3. To ensure the link between research and the educational work of the UPAEP.
4. Support researchers, after analysis of their protocol, in the improvement of the material infrastructure and conditions for carrying out research.
5. Encourage, promote and organise the development of research projects and programmes.
6. Encourage the creation of interdisciplinary research groups or centres with the aim of promoting the study, analysis, and discussion of current and relevant topics in the training of teachers and students.
7. Encourage the publication or registration of intellectual property of the research carried out.
8. Encourage the development of projects with inter-institutional, national or international exchanges.
9. Establish agreements that allow the development and training of researchers.
10. Promote the obtaining of resources to finance research and the training of researchers.

Chapter II. The operation

ARTICLE 2. In order to achieve the aforementioned objectives, the Vice Rector's Office for Postgraduate Studies and Research will present a shortlist of three candidates to the Rector's Office, who will appoint the Director of Research at UPAEP, who will serve for three years and may be reappointed.

ARTICLE 3. A Research Committee shall be set up to work together with the Director of Research to contribute to the prompt achievement of the aforementioned objectives.

ARTICLE 4.- The Research Committee shall be made up of: One representative from each of the academic areas, coinciding with the Academic Departments, of the UPAEP, regardless of whether their attachment is at the undergraduate or postgraduate level.

ARTICLE 5. To be a representative on the Research Committee, the following is required:

1. Be a full-time teacher in the respective academic area and have at least two years' seniority.
2. Be appointed jointly by the Vice-Rector for Postgraduate Studies and Research and the Academic Vice-Rector.
3. Hold at least a master's degree.
4. Have proven research experience.

ARTICLE 6. The representative of the academic area:

1. Shall be a member of the Research Committee for a period of two years, and may be reappointed.
2. Under no circumstances may he/she be simultaneously a representative of two or more academic departments.

ARTICLE 7. The Director of Research and the Research Committee, in accordance with the principles and objectives of UPAEP, will propose to the Rector's Office, and if necessary, will follow up on the UPAEP Research Master Plan.

ARTICLE 8. UPAEP Research Fund. The Director of Research will negotiate with the Vice Rector's Office for Postgraduate Studies and Research, based on clear and precise information, the allocation of resources that the UPAEP will allocate, each period, to the financing of research projects.

ARTICLE 9. Research projects shall compete for the resources allocated to the Research Fund based on a call for proposals that the Directorate of Research shall issue each year.

ARTICLE 10.The Research Department, advised by the Research Committee, shall propose to the Vice-Rector's Office for Postgraduate Studies and Research the allocation of the appropriate resources to each research project according to the following general criteria:

1. Scope of the project.
   
   1. Means envisaged for the publication of the results, due to their importance:
      
      1. Book or article in an international refereed journal or patent or intellectual property registration.
      2. Chapter in a book or article in a national refereed journal.
      3. Presentation at an international refereed conference or symposium.
      4. Presentation at a nationally refereed conference or symposium.
      5. Manuals or articles in divulgation journals.
2. Funding Alternatives.
   
   1. Priority will be given to projects with concurrent funding.
3. Quality of participants.
   
   1. Preference will be given to projects presented by teachers with the following characteristics:
      
      1. That they hold a Research Chair or belong to the National System of Researchers.
      2. That they carry out functions congruent with the development projects in their area of assignment.
      3. They should be engaged in a balanced combination of teaching activities and the generation or innovative application of knowledge.
      4. That they perform their duties with efficiency and commitment to the institution, their discipline and above all to their students.
4. Ethics.
   1. In appropriate cases, the Research Director will request the support of the University Centre for Bioethics Studies or other similar bodies to validate the ethical nature of the proposal.
5. Training of human resources.
   
   1. Preference will be given to those projects, which as by-products generate: undergraduate or postgraduate theses, or which involve the participation of other teachers and students.
6. Generation of new knowledge.
   1. Preference will be given to those projects that generate new knowledge for the UPAEP, another institution, the region, or our country.
7. Interdisciplinarity and inter-institutionally.
   
   1. Priority will be given to those projects that include the participation of more than one discipline of knowledge and to those that promote inter-institutional links.
8. Previous projects assigned.
   
   1. Priority will be given to those teachers who have benefited from this support and who have favourably fulfilled the commitments acquired in them.
   2. No support will be granted to teachers who have not released previous projects.
9. Relevance of the project.
   1. Preference will be given to projects that have an impact on our environment.
10. Departmental development plan.
    
    1. Preference will be given to projects that are congruent with the Development Plan of the applicant area.
11. Benefit/cost ratio.
    
    1. In similar circumstances, priority will be given to projects with the best benefit/cost ratio.
12. Feasibility.
    1. That it has a high probability of meeting its own criteria for success.

ARTICLE 11. The Commission, supported and advised by the Research Committee, shall monitor the projects financed by the Research Fund and, where appropriate, make recommendations to the project leader.

ARTICLE 12. The Director of Research and the Research Committee shall evaluate the quality of the publications submitted by researchers based on the permanent call for such purpose, according to the following categories:

1. Books.
2. International patent.
3. Publications in international peer-reviewed journals.
4. Book edition or compilation.
5. National patent.
6. Publications in national refereed journals.
7. Doctoral thesis direction.
8. Translation of a book.
9. Book chapter.
10. Organisation of international congresses.
11. Direction of master's theses.
12. Appointment as an evaluator of research projects by a prestigious funding agency.
13. Publication in international conference proceedings.
14. Being responsible for a research project funded by a prestigious funding agency.
15. First place in research awards.
16. Being appointed as a referee on the editorial board of an international journal.
17. Organisation of a national congress.
18. International editorial board.
19. Direction of undergraduate theses.
20. Writing the foreword or introduction to a book.
21. Publication in the proceedings of a national congress.
22. Second place in research awards.
23. Being responsible for a research project financed by the UPAEP Research Fund.
24. Being appointed as a referee on the editorial board of a national journal.
25. Citation.
26. National editorial board.
27. Third place in research awards.
28. Dissemination.

ARTICLE 13. The Director of Research will forward the evaluation of each published paper to the person concerned and to the Directorate for Personnel Development.

ARTICLE 14. The Director of Research and the Research Committee will evaluate, according to the permanent call for such effect, the research sufficiency of the teachers with the aim of accrediting them to level C in the categorisation of teachers, in terms of research.

ARTICLE 15. The Research Directorate will promote and manage the securing of external resources for the implementation of research projects and their publication.

ARTICLE 16. UPAEP Publishing Fund.

1. The Director of Research will manage the allocation of resources that the UPAEP will allocate, each period, to finance publications before the Vice Rector's Office for Postgraduate Studies and Research. This allocation will be called the UPAEP Publishing Fund.
2. The Research Directorate, advised by the Research Committee, will propose to the Vice-Rector's Office for Postgraduate Studies and Research the allocation of the appropriate resources from the Editorial Fund for the publication of completed works resulting from registered research projects.

Capítulo III. Transitional provisions.

FIRST.- The General Regulations of the Research Committee and all provisions that oppose the present Regulations are hereby repealed.

SECOND.- These Regulations shall take effect from the date of their publication on the Official Notice Boards of the University.

THIRD.- To this effect, through the Rector, it shall be submitted for approval by the Governing Board for its promulgation, in terms of Article 23, section 3 of the General Statute of the University.

FOURTH.- It was agreed by the University Council in a session held on November 4th, 2002.

The Rector
Javier Cabanas Gancedo. M.A.

The Secretary of the University Council
Ing. Vicente Pacheco Ceballos Chapter

IV. Enactment

The Governing Board of the Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla, in an ordinary session held on 14 January 2003, based on Article 23, section 3 of the General Statute, unanimously agreed to promulgate these Regulations and for its due compliance and observance publish them in the official notice boards.

The President of the Governing Board
Ing. José Antonio Quintana Fernández

The Secretary of the Governing Board
LAE. Juan José Rodríguez Posada