Villa College has awarded national research grants to 14 selected research teams under the "National Research Fund: Emerging Research Grants," marking a significant step in elevating the Maldives' research landscape and fostering academic excellence.
The initiative, conducted in collaboration with the Higher Education Ministry and the National Research Council, features a total fund of MVR 1.5 million.
As the designated Grant Management Institution for the program, Villa College holds the primary responsibility for soliciting research proposals, conducting evaluations, and coordinating the overall project.
Villa College confirmed that the 14 winning projects were selected from a pool of 21 proposals following a rigorous three-stage evaluation process.
The funded projects are aligned with four key pillars of national development: Governance, Safety and Wellbeing; Economic Growth and Sustainable Development; Digital Transformation and Innovation; and the Green Agenda.
Governance, Safety and Wellbeing
- Clinical governance and its influence on quality assurance and risk management practices in the hospitals of Malé, Maldives.
- Clinical decision-making variability and interprofessional consensus in healthcare practice in the Maldives: A mixed-methods study.
- Development of a community climate health vulnerability mapping tool for climate-sensitive diseases and conditions.
- Prescribing patterns and guideline adherence for antidiabetic drugs in healthcare facilities of the Maldives: A multi-center retrospective study.
- Exploring students' deviant behavior and policy implementation at the national level.
- Faith, power, and public safety: A Maqasid-informed model for island governance.
Economic Growth and Sustainable Development
- Determinants of informal foreign exchange markets in the Maldives.
- Regenerative tourism governance for island resilience in Maldives (RegenMaldives).
- Bridging barriers: Co-designing inclusive pathways for youth employment and training.
Digital Transformation and Innovation
- Generative AI, academic integrity, and assessment innovation: A comprehensive investigation of student use and lecturer adaptation in Maldivian higher education.
- Knowledge graph-driven adaptive AI assessment for higher education.
- Reimagining curriculum integration in higher education: Developing and enacting a connected curriculum framework aligned with Education 5.0.
Green Agenda
- Sustainable biodegradable composites from fish waste, coir, and banana fiber.
- Sustainable utilization of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste-derived Recycled Coarse Aggregates (RCA) in conventional concrete and geopolymer binder systems to reduce aggregate import dependency in the Maldives.
The college also officially launched the "Villa College Research Grant 2026," which carries a budget of MVR 500,000.
The college stated that this is a vital opportunity designed to facilitate impactful research that aligns with Villa College’s strategic goals and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To further strengthen its role as a central hub for research and innovation in the Maldives, Villa College continues to encourage its academic staff to collaborate with national and international partners across diverse research fields.
