RESEARCH MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
Based on DepEd Order No. 16, s. 2017
What is DepEd Order No, 16, s. 2017 all about?
Research Management Guidelines is a set of guidelines that provide guidance in managing research initiatives in the national, regional, schools division, and school levels. It introduces support mechanisms, and reinforces the link of research to education processes through research dissemination, utilization, and advocacy. The new policy, signed and made effective on 20 March 2017, also contains mechanisms for accessing and utilizing available resources for research, as well as for related initiatives with external stakeholders.
Research Committees
Research Committees will be set up at each governance level to provide guidance on research directions, particularly in aligning such initiatives with the national and local Basic Education Research Agenda. The Committees will spearhead the call for proposals, evaluation, approval, and grant of available funds for research proposals, partnerships, and dissemination of results. Below are the composition, roles, and responsibilities of the committees per governance level.
✅National Research Committee (NRC)
✅Regional Research Committee (RRC)
✅Schools Division Research Committee (SDRC)
Research Management Cycle
✅Call for Research Proposals
The SDRC, in coordination with the RRC, will assist in wide dissemination of the call for proposals in schools. The Secretariat at all levels will conduct dissemination and capacity building activities on the preparation of research proposals and funding opportunities.
✅Evaluation of Proposals
a. Initial Screening
The respective Secretariats will conduct initial screening of submitted proposals against the eligibility requirements.
b. Committee Evaluation
The secretariat shall prepare the completed staff work for the research committees prior to the evaluation of the proposals.
✅Notification of Results
✅Progress Monitoring
✅Technical Assistance
✅Provision on Changes and Extension
✅Submission and Acceptance
✅ Dissemination and Utilization
✅ Archival
✅ Monitoring and Evaluation
Fund Sources
i. Basic Education Research Fund (BERF)
This fund will support education research initiatives in the Department such as, but not limited to, funding for approved education research proposals of DepEd employees, capacity building, research dissemination and utilization, policy development, technical support, and monitoring and evaluation.
1. Allocation
All regions will be provided with funds to support the approved proposals and conduct of related activities. BERF will be managed by the PPRD-RO.
Seventy-five percent (75%) of the allocation will be exclusively used to fund research proposals from the region, schools division, and schools. The remaining twenty-five percent (25%) will be used for research-related expenses such as, but not limited to, capacity building, research dissemination activities, and representation fees for research conferences, among others.
Depending on fund availability, additional funds will be released to regions which have utilized eighty percent (80%) of the initial allocation, as reflected in the region’s utilization report.
2. Scope and Allocation of Research Proposals
Research proposals must be in line with the Basic Education Research Agenda (DO 39, s. 2016). Other research topics not covered in the agenda but are deemed a priority in the region, schools division, or school may also be considered. The table below outlines the maximum amount of grants per research proposal, depending on the scope of the research.
3. Eligibility of Proponents
All regular / permanent employees, teaching, teaching-related, and non-teaching personnel of the DepEd National Office, regions, schools divisions, and schools are eligible to avail of the research fund, provided they meet the following eligibility criteria:
a. proponents are regular I permanent teaching or nonteaching personnel of the Department of Education;
b. proponent/s have no pending administrative case;
c. proponent/s have not yet availed of the grant for the given year; and
d. there is a maximum of three (3) research team members for group proposals;
While members are treated equally in the proposal, lead proponents will be appointed to liaise with the secretariat on administrative and financial matters.
4. Eligible and Non-Eligible Activities and Expenditures
The research committees shall ensure that the expenses detailed in the research proposal are appropriate and necessary in the conduct of research. Measures must be taken to ensure that the funds are maximized so more proposals will be covered.
For BERF grantees, the research fund will be utilized for the following activities:
a. Expenses related to the implementation of the approved research proposals which include, but are not limited to, the following:
Supplies and materials;
Domestic travel expenses;
Communication expenses;
Reproduction, printing, and binding costs;
Food and other incurred expenses during conduct of research (surveys, FGDs); and
Other expenses related to the conduct of research not listed in the non-eligible expenditures
b. Expenses related to research dissemination
Specifically, the research fund will not be used for the following expenses:
a. Equipment;
b. Software;
c. Salary, overtime pay or honorarium for resource persons, statisticians, and other service providers
d. Utilities;
e. Office rental; and
f. All overseas travel and all items not included in the approved research proposal
Research funds to be managed by the Central and Regional Office may also be utilized for the following:
a. Capacity building of the evaluators of research proposals and fund managers from the national, regional, and schools division offices;
b. Development of database system for education research;
c. Representation fees of research grantees for research conferences;
d. Progress and results monitoring of research implementation;
e. Development and publication of research journals and bulletins of DepEd-initiated research;
f. Other initiatives and activities related to research which are deemed appropriate by the National and Regional Research Committees;
Use of the 25% research support fund lodged at the RO should prioritize capacity-building and local dissemination of research results.
5. Release and Liquidation of Funds
BERF is output-based. The release and liquidation of funds are dependent on the submission and acceptance of the grantee’s deliverables. Once the deliverables are accepted by the research committees and submitted to the Budget and Accounting Divisions, the approved amount will be released to the grantee. The Secretariat will inform the grantee when the funds are released. The allotted amount will be released to the grantee through the most cost-efficient means.
6. Submission of Deliverables
To facilitate the release of funds, grantee/s will submit their deliverables to the secretariat as indicated in their approved work plan. The secretariat will review the submitted documents, and send completed staff work to the concerned research committee for the issuance of the letter of acceptance.
ii. OTHER FUND SOURCES
Research initiatives using other fund sources will follow the research management procedures in evaluating and approving research proposals. This will follow the usual government accounting and auditing rules and regulations. Other fund sources include, but are not limited to, local funds and the Special Education Fund (SEF), as stipulated in Section 4.1.4.1 of the Joint Circular (JC) No. 1, s. 2017 of DepEd, DBM, and DILG.
For fund sources outside the SEF and BERF, special concerns and provisions may arise depending on the stipulations in the agreement between DepEd and the funding institution.
References
DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2015, Establishment of a Policy Development Process at the Department of Education
DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2015, Revised Guidelines for the Basic Education Research Fund (BERF)
DepEd Order No. 4, s. 2016, Amendment to DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2015
DepEd Order No. 39, s. 2016, Adoption of the Basic Education Research Agenda
DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012, DepEd Child Protection Policy
DepEd Order No. 62, s. 2011, Adopting the National Indigenous Peoples (IP) Education Policy Framework
American Educational Research Association, retrieved from http://www.aera.net/About-AERA/What-is-Education-Research
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K (2011). Research methods in education (7th ed.) New York, NY: Routledge
Office of Ethics and Compliance, University of California, San Francisco, retrieved from http://coi.ucsf.edu/