Last Update on: 01 August 2023

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1. Purpose
2. Scope
3. Definitions and Acronyms
4. Objectives
5. Eligibility Criteria
6. Application Documentation and Submission
7. Review and Evaluation
8. Grant Benefits
9. Rebuttal
10. Project Inception
11. Acknowledgments
12. Implementation, Compliance, and Reporting
13. Compliance and Performance Indicators
14. Document Amendment Information
15. Appendixes

1. PURPOSE

The purpose of these guidelines is to support the administration of the Sabbatical Leave Research Grant Program.  

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2. SCOPE

1. These guidelines apply to internally-funded grants issued under the Sabbatical Leave Research Grant Program.  
2. These guidelines apply to all KFUPM Saudi faculty only.

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3. DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS 

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4. OBJECTIVES

1. KFUPM provides an opportunity for Saudi faculty members and researchers to spend their sabbatical leave in a reputable academic and/or research institution. Sabbatical leave is a privilege and is granted only when it can be shown that the applicant is capable of using this period in a manner that will thereafter increase the applicant’s effectiveness to KFUPM.
2. The Sabbatical Leave Research Grant Program (the program) aims to provide KFUPM faculty with a change of atmosphere in order to pursue scholarly activities and to furnish a better environment for academic recuperation and rejuvenation. The program also provides the means for recipients to interact directly with scholars in reputable academic and research institutions. The grant can be used to:
   • pursue, extend or diversify ongoing research;
   • initiate and pursue research in new areas;
   • write a research-oriented book or a research monograph
3. During sabbatical leave, the recipient is expected to:
   • interact with academicians and/or researchers in other institutions with a view to developing their expertise;
   • contribute to the literature in their field by publishing in reputable journals;
   • attend scientific meetings and conferences that will promote KFUPM’s international standing;
4. The program is expected to benefit all parties by rejuvenating the recipient, broadening the department’s expertise, and enhancing the University’s reputation.
5. All of the aforementioned activities must be relevant to the faculty member’s academic development and in accordance with the needs of his/her department, the University, and the Kingdom

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5. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applicant Eligibility

1. KFUPM Saudi faculty are eligible to apply for a sabbatical leave research grant (grant) after serving the University for a period of at least five years.
2. Applicants must agree to return to KFUPM for at least one academic year of service after the termination of their sabbatical leave, otherwise, they have to repay compensation received (i.e., salary plus any other expenses paid by the University during their sabbatical year).
3. KFUPM supports and encourages collaboration with leading Universities only.

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6. APPLICATION DOCUMENTATION AND SUBMISSION 

6.1 Letter of Intent 

1. Faculty should submit a letter of intent to communicate their interest in applying for sabbatical leave to Department Chairman for pre-approval.
2. The Chairman of the Department will advise the applicant of any available information that disqualifies them from further consideration in accordance with KFUPM rules and regulations. This advice shall be sent to the applicant within two weeks of receipt of the letter of intent, and copies shall be sent to the appropriate College Dean, or Center Director
3. Faculty should submit full proposal with host-institution acceptance letter to the Department Chair for discussion at the department Council.

6.2 Formal Application

The eligible faculty member should submit his/her formal application to his/her Department Chairman/Center Director no less than ten (10) weeks of intended starting date (summer is excluded) with the following enclosures

• A complete research proposal prepared in accordance with the DROC sabbatical leave guidelines
• A letter of invitation from the host institution
• Statement of understanding and compliance available in the sabbatical leave guidelines 

6.3 Proposal Submission 

The Principal Investigator submits the research proposal online in the format prescribed by DROC website from the link (here).

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7. REVIEW AND EVALUATION

7.1 Recommendation by Department Chairman/Center Director 

1. After receiving the application, the subject is discussed in the department council meeting taking into consideration the following factors
   • The applicant’s academic and research activities in the department/center;
   • The relevance of the proposed sabbatical leave activity to the applicant’s academic development, the Department/Center, the University, and the Kingdom; and
   • The staffing situation in the Department/Center during the proposed year of absence of the applicant
2. The Department Chairman/Center Director would complete the above tasks and forward the information to his/her Dean within two weeks of receiving the application

7.2 Recommendation by College Dean

Upon receipt of the application and all the relevant documents from the Department Chairman/Center Director, the Academic Dean forwards the complete file to the Research Committee no later than two and a half months after the faculty reporting date

7.3 Review by Select Experts

Applications will be reviewed by select experts from the world top universities. Criteria such as the project justification, clarity & achievability of proposed objectives, methodology, significance of project’s expected outcomes, etc., will be used in evaluating proposals

7.4 Recommendation by Research Committee 

1. Applications recommended by the Department Chair/Dean or Center Director and have received input from the experts in the field will be evaluated by the RC.
2. The Research Committee shall discuss the applications and either
   • recommend for immediate funding; or
   • recommend for revision based on experts’ suggestions
   • not recommended for funding
3. Where the Research Committee endorses an application, the recommendation will be submitted to the Scientific Council for endorsement. Where the Scientific Council endorses an application, the recommendation will be submitted to the University Board for approval
4. The faculty member is informed about the final decision

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8. GRANT BENEFITS

8.1 The grant will provide

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8.2 Budget Preparation

Applications must include an itemized budget..

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9. REBUTTAL

1. Where an application is rejected, the applicant has the right to request reconsideration. The request must include detailed reasons in support of the claim.
2. The rebuttal must be submitted within one month of the receipt of the rejection and should be forwarded through the same channels as the application.
3. Where the outcome is a second rejection, the case is considered closed. The faculty member or researcher is eligible to apply again after two years.

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10. PROJECT INCEPTION 

The project may commence where:

1. a Research Project Agreement Form is submitted to the Research Office, no later than one week after receipt of the project approval memo;
2. the recipient enters the project in the Enterprise Resource Planning system to facilitate project financial transactions, procurement, and all financial related matters according to the approved budget, as well as the official start and end dates.

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11. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 

1. Proper acknowledgment of KFUPM affiliation and internally-funded research grant support (along with the project number) in all publications and other outcomes is mandatory.
2. Publications or other outcomes with no acknowledgement of the project number will not be considered as part of that project.
3. Multiple acknowledgements in project outcomes should be treated according to the Multiple Project Acknowledgement Guideline. 

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12. IMPLEMENTATION, COMPLIANCE, AND REPORTING

1. Deanship of Research Oversight and Coordination shall implement this guideline.
2. The Research Committee shall monitor projects supported by Sabbatical Leave Research Grants.
3. Non-compliance with any provision in these guidelines shall be reported to the Vice President of Research and Innovation.
4. Recipients will provide progress and final reports as required by the Deanship of Research Oversight and Coordination, including:
   • a progress report (at six months); and
   • a final report, within one month of the completion date of the project, either:
     • Type-A Report: In the event the recipient has submitted/accepted/published Journal Paper(s) a brief final report in the Deanship of Research Oversight and Coordination format should be submitted along with all copies of the publication(s).
     • Type-B Report: In the event the recipient does not have published/submitted Journal paper(s), a detailed report needs to be submitted
5. In exceptional circumstances, the submission date may be extended, but any requests must be made in writing, and approved by the Deanship of Scientific Oversight and Coordination before the original submission period expires. Submission of the final report after the one-month period may result in the non-payment of the final instalment of the compensation and can affect future funding requests submitted by the recipient.

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13. COMPLIANCE AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

In monitoring and reviewing the implementation of these guidelines, the following compliance and performance indicators shall be used:

1. achievement of funded project milestones;
2. achievement of funded project deadlines;
3. submission of funded project progress and final reports;
4. number of mid-course revisions to funded projects.

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14. DOCUMENT AMENDEMTN INFORMATION

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15. APPENDIXES

Appendix 1 – Sabbatical Leave Application Form

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