Research, Creative Work, and Innovation (RCWI) Structure in Higher Education (HE Memo#Y3.16)

HE Memo#Y3.16
19 March 2025

I wish to inform the Higher Education community of the formal reorganization of the Research, Creative Work, and Innovation sub-cluster under the Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation (AVP RCWI), Dr. Filomeno V. Aguilar Jr.

The mandate of the Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation is to:

1. Lead in formulating policies and implementing university directives on research, creative work, and innovation, ensuring alignment with Ateneo’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities
2. Promote, encourage, support, and recognize research, creative work, and innovation in the Higher Education cluster, consistent with the norms of research integrity, including research ethics
3. Provide strategic leadership and oversight for research, creative work, and innovation initiatives consistent with relevant global standards, including the formulation and implementation of strategies, in collaboration with key bodies such as the URC and USPAC
4. Build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders, representing the university at research events and fostering partnerships to support research, creative work, and innovation, in cooperation with Schools and the Assistant Vice President for University Partnerships and Internationalization
5. Chair the following committees:
   • University Research Council (URC)
   • University Scholarly Publications Awards Committee (USPAC)
6. Supervise the following offices:
   • Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO)
   • University Research Integrity Office (URIO)
   • Ateneo de Manila University Press (AUP)
7. Oversee the Office of the AVP RCWI in managing, monitoring, and promoting grants, awards, scholarly outputs, and related activities, ensuring efficient coordination and support across all units within the office

The committees chaired by the AVP RCWI are tasked with the following responsibilities:

A.   University Research Council (URC)—recommends research policies, priorities, and strategies that advance research in the University; evaluates and reviews proposals and grant applications funded by the University; and recognizes research excellence among the faculty and other members of the University community. The URC serves in an advisory capacity to the University President via the Vice President for Higher Education (VPHE).

B.   University Scholarly Publication Awards Committee—evaluates nominations for the University Scholarly Publication Awards to ensure that the recognition of scholarly works meets the established criteria. The USPAC submits recommendations to the University President through the University Research Council (URC).

Offices Reporting to the AVP RCWI

Each office under the AVP RCWI is tasked with specific responsibilities that contribute to the university’s research ecosystem:

A.   Ateneo Intellectual Property Office (AIPO)

• Fosters the generation, evaluation, legal recognition, protection, and promotion of Intellectual Property (IP) within the university
• Bridges industry–academe gaps and establishes partnerships to drive innovation
• Facilitates technology transfer by connecting with industry and government for licensing or spin-off creation
• Supports start-ups through the Blue Nest Incubation Program
• Provides IP commercialization services, including evaluations and market readiness consultations to entities outside the university

B.    University Research Integrity Office (URIO)

•  Leads in the promotion of research integrity across Higher Education units by providing seminars, workshops, materials, and resources while engaging university units through consultation and related activities
• Disseminates information on research ethics policies and procedures to promote awareness and compliance across the university
• Provides administrative support to the University Research Ethics Committee (UREC) and serve as its Secretariat, facilitating ethical reviews of research involving human participants.

C.    Ateneo de Manila University Press (AUP)

• Publishes academic and literary works of high quality and significance, particularly those aligned with the university’s strengths in the humanities, social sciences, and Philippine studies
• Publishes textbooks for different levels and in various fields of the education system as part of pursuing education reform and transformation
• Disseminates knowledge and promotes intellectual discourse through its publications, thus facilitating the exchange of ideas within the academic community and beyond and enriching Philippine culture

The Office of the Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation (OAVP RCWI) has three sections that are tasked with the following responsibilities:

1.      Research Grants Management Section

• Supports members of the Higher Education community in accessing different types of university-funded research grants, including conference and publication grants, by ensuring compliance with application requirements and procedures
• Oversees and monitors research grants provided administratively through the University Research Council
• Provides administrative support to grant recipients to facilitate fund release and management consistent with university policies and procedures
• Disseminates information on external funding opportunities and provides ancillary support to externally funded grants

2.    Research Data and Awards Section

• Oversees research data collection, analysis, and reporting for quality assurance, accreditation, and rankings, ensuring accuracy and alignment with strategic goals
• Administers and processes awards and incentives given to faculty members and other members of the University for their scholarly publications, creative work, innovation, and professorial chairs, together with the related financial documentation and approvals
• Manages the financial aspects of awards, incentives, and office budgets, ensuring compliance with audit requirements and proper financial tracking
• Coordinates RCWI events, implements capacity-building programs for faculty and staff, and provides data-driven recommendations for strategic planning and policy development

3.      Research Communications Section

• Disseminates research findings and promotes the scholarly achievements of faculty members and students of the university
• Provides administrative support to the university’s peer-reviewed journals, ensuring timely releases and indexing in databases like Scopus and Web of Science.
• Engages stakeholders through events, publications, and digital platforms to enhance the university’s visibility
• Manages Archīum, the university’s institutional repository

The Organizational Structure

The RCWI organizational structure, with the corresponding office and section heads, is found below.

RCWI Sub-Cluster

Office of the Assistant Vice President for Research, Creative Work, and Innovation (OAVP RCWI) (changes in designation may happen upon conclusion of the ongoing office review)

I thank Dr. Jun Aguilar and his team for working through the details of this process of reorganization.  It entailed a lot of careful integration of personnel and processes especially for offices that used to be under the jurisdiction of the President’s Office and have now become part of the OAVP-RCWI:  the AIPO, the URIO (which used to be the UREO), and the AUP.  The OAVP-RCWI has a critical role in supporting the functions of these offices that serve not just the Higher Education cluster but the entire university as well.

We likewise acknowledge the help of Ms. Jenny See, Director of the University People, Team, and Organization Development Office under the Office of the VP for Human Resources, in fine tuning the reorganization of the OAVP-RCWI.

I trust in the support by everyone in our community for the OAVP-RCWI.  May the protocols and guidelines that come from that office inspire us to be passionate in our scholarship.  May our research, creative work, and innovation continue to encourage us to contribute to knowledge production that impacts our lives and our society for the better.