Kick-Starting Research in Newly Emergent Universities: Why Faculty Do Not Apply for Research Development 'Seed' Funding at the University of Technology, Jamaica‪.‬

Introduction The importance of research and the role of universities in the new knowledge society are well recognized. The purpose of research and the major role of universities as articulated in the UK Dearing Report (National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, 1997) are to "increase knowledge and understanding for their own sake and to foster its application for the benefit of the economy and society." Further, the reasons for encouraging faculty to engage in research are to prevent "obsolescence, restore vitality and foster the teaching--research nexus by ensuring that faculty remain at the cutting edge of their discipline" (Idaho State Board of Education, 1999). There is an added dimension to university research given the new emphasis on entrepreneurship and commercialism, in terms of revenue generated from intellectual property--innovation, patents and technology transfer (Clayman, 2004).