KSU RESEARCH & OPPORTUNITY FUND 2016/17

Definitions:

KSU shall mean Kunsill Studenti Universitarji as

elected/appointed through an election held by the AGMs
appointed Electoral Commissioners and through the
Education and Social Policy Commissions.

The Board shall be appointed through a KSU resolution

according to these regulations.

The Board of Appeal shall be appointed through a KSU

resolution according to these Regulations.

Applicant shall refer to any University of Malta Student

applying for this fund.
Section 1 The Research and Opportunity Fund

1. The fund is a project which consists of 18,000 initiated by

KSU and administered by the Board, granting funds to both
Research and other Opportunities depending on the
submitted applications. The following types of
opportunities will be deemed eligible for the fund:

a. International Opportunities
Travel Grants to Conferences, Nun-Funded
Exchanges, Summer Schools, etc.
b. Research Projects
Funds for dissertation projects, start-ups, other
independent research projects
c. Library Books and Resources
Resources and books for general student use at the
University of Malta Library
d. Journals & Subscriptions
Subscriptions to Academic Journals not available at
the University of Malta or Educational Magazines
Section 2 The Board

1. The Board shall base all of its decision on the following

Rules and Regulations
2. The Board shall be made up of five members:
a. The KSU President, who will chair these meetings and
have the casting vote;
b. The KSU Financial Officer;
c. A representative from the Rectorate of the University
of Malta;
d. An academic or non-academic member of staff from
the University of Malta;
e. A fifth independent member that is not an applicant of
the grant and forfeits the right to apply for such a
grant in future years. Such a member may also be a
member of the University of Malta staff but cannot be
a member of the KSU Executive Board.
3. The term of office of the Board shall be until the end of
October 2017. A decision shall not be taken if less than 4
members are present.
4. The decisions taken by the Board are final and no appeal
can be made save in cases of illegality.
Section 3 The Board of Appeal

1. The Board of Appeal shall be made up of three (3)

members, all KSU Alumni.
2. In the case of illegality claims and where a case needs to be
heard in front of the Board of Appeal, an appeal must be
strictly made within seven (7) days of issue of the Boards
decision. Late appeals shall not be accepted.
Section 4 Research and Opportunity

1. The Board will base its decisions on the following criteria:

Initiative Type and Description 1-10

Initiative Relation to Studies and Content 1-10
Documentation and Proof Provided 1-10
Initiative Presentation 1-10
Overall Initiative Innovation and/or Relevance 1-10
1: represents the lowest preference
10: represents the highest preference

2. Every student applicant shall submit his application under

the appropriate heading, ensuring the correct application
form is filled out:
a. International Opportunities (Application A Travel
Grants)
b. Research Projects (Application B Research Projects)
c. Library Books and Resources (Application C Library
Resources)
d. Journals & Subscriptions (Application D
Subscriptions)
3. Capping per applicant for each initiative type are included
below:
International Opportunities 400
Research Projects 400
Library Books and Resources 200
Journals & Subscriptions 50
4. Initiatives falling under International Opportunities which
are subject to this grant are expenses relating to
attendance or admission fees to seminars, conferences,
 symposia, or any other activity, held either locally or
abroad. Fees related to insurance are not covered by the
grant.
5. Such events need to involve an element of academic or
organizational nature and cannot be solely recreational
events. The events academic relevance and content shall
affect points given in the project type criteria and
ultimately the grant allocated.
6. Initiatives falling under Research Projects can include
expenses related to academic research, research related to
theses or post-graduate research, material expenses or
other expenses ancillary to such research which the board
believes to be related to such project. Funds dedicated to
start-ups and innovative products will also be eligible. Any
submitted research projects or start-ups need to qualify
under the following three (3) headings:
a. Sustainable Development
b. Innovation & Entrepreneurship
c. Educational Research & Publications
7. Initiatives falling under Library Books and Resources can
include funds for books not available at the University
Library as well as other useful resources aimed at general
student use. Applicants who successfully obtain funds for
their intended resources will be allowed to make exclusive
use of the items purchases for one (1) month before being
donated to the University Library for general student use.
8. Initiatives falling under Journals & Subscriptions can
include funds for academic journals not available at the
University of Malta, educational magazines, memberships
with international organisations or other similar variants.
Magazines for casual reading or personal interests unless
 justified as being relevant for self-development towards a
defined goal will not be accepted.
9. The grant given shall be awarded according to the
following formula:

x/50 x Y = Z

X being the total points awarded

50 being the total points
Y being the grant requested
Z being the total grant awarded

In the case of flights being included in the proposal, the same

formula will be used but two separate calculations will be
worked out using the same formula; one for the flights and one
for the rest of the expenses. Grants awarded for flights shall be
capped at 100.

10. The Board shall review the applications and inform all
applicants accordingly. All applicants will be notified of the
results by end of October 2017. Payment must be effected
before the end of December 2017.
11. The Board has full discretion on selection, qualification
and classification of results for every submitted project.
12. Should the fund be oversubscribed and the total amount
of funds granted exceed the sum of 18,000, which is the
total amount of funding available for the year 2016/17, the
Board reserves the right to reduce the amounts granted to
each applicant proportionately, in order to ensure that all
funds are equally and fairly distributed amongst all eligible
applicants.
Section 6 Application Requirements

1. Applicants must include together with their submitted

application a copy of the detail form found in Appendix A
of these regulations.
2. Submitted applications must take into account the scoring
criteria found in Section 4.1:
a. Initiative Type and Description
b. Initiative Relation to Studies and Content
c. Documentation and Proof Provided
d. Initiative Presentation
e. Overall Initiative Innovation and/or Relevance

They must also include proof of attendance and proof of the

actual incurring of the expenses claimed (incl. receipts,
invoices, etc)

3. Applications should not exceed 1000 words, and should be

brief, concise and factual.
4. Applications should include a copy of the students
Employment History (provided by ETC).
5. The Board may not consider any submitted applications
that are incomplete or lack fiscal evidence.
6. The application submitted must be one which seeks
funding between June 2016 and December 2017. Hence,
students can apply for both past and future projects, but
this shall only be given subject to proof, evidence and
documentation, even in the latters case.
Section 7 Documentation

1. All documentation should be presented in Bound format in

the following order and manner:
a. Part 2 of the Detail Form found in Appendix A (to be
used as a Front Cover)
b. Initiative Description/Request
c. Receipts/Invoices/Relevant Documentation and Proof
of Attendance
d. Student Employment History (provided by ETC)
e. Other Relevant Documentation
f. Declaration of Authenticity
Section 8 Submission Dates

1. Students can apply for the Research and Opportunities

Fund until end of June 2017.
2. Students cannot submit more than one application per
person.
Section 9 Payments
1. Students must collect the payment from the KSU Financial
Officer at the KSU Office, or any other place as the
Financial Officer may decide. Each recipient is thereafter
to sign a remittance slip confirming receipt of payment.
2. As stipulated in Section 4.10, grants are to be distributed
by the end of December 2017.
Section 10 Eligibility for the KSU Research &
Opportunity Fund
1. Students must be enrolled in a full-time/part-time
undergraduate or post-graduate course at the University of
Malta during the application process
2. Any student that has benefitted from the KSU Research &
Opportunity Fund during the previous years will not be
eligible to apply for this years fund.
3. Student Organisations may not avail themselves of this
fund.
Section 11 Intellectual Property
1. The board commits itself to respect the applicants
Intellectual Property and not disclose project-related
information
2. KSU reserves the right to enter into discussions with
applicants benefitting from the fund should any ideas
and/or projects become profitable ventures.