Research
The eleven areas in which the Academy conducts and supports research, with its own institutes and with its international partners.
RESEARCH
RESEARCH SERVICES
About Research Services
Research Services is the hub of all research activities at the Academy of Innovative Research, Science & Technological Development (AcIRSTD).
The Academy provides effective support for the delivery, monitoring and oversight of the Research and Impact Strategy across its four pillars:
- Building a World Class research environment
- Growing a global research reputation for AcIRSTD
- Driving Impact and Partnership
- Delivering a sustainable business model for Research
AcIRSTD is passionate about making a positive impact on our local community and beyond. Through collaboration and multi-disciplinary projects, our research contributes to public debate, creates solutions to local, national and global challenges, and preserves and promotes cultural works of international significance. By advancing knowledge, and bringing together excellence and innovation, we challenge perceptions and seek to change the world for the better.
Research Development Specialists (RDS)
The Academy research development encompasses a broad spectrum of strategic, capability, and capacity building activities to sharpen research competitiveness of AcIRSTD in an increasingly competitive grant funding landscape.
Our Research Development Specialists support strategic planning for research centres and institutes and help push research forward. They work with researchers across the research community to guide them through idea creation, project formulation, grant application preparation, and tailored training workshops. The team supports the growth of a strong research culture, facilitating collaboration within the community, and developing strong relationships with funders, academics and partners, catalysing and coordinating activity to prepare and spearhead strategic initiatives at the institutional level.
RDS provides support for activities throughout the research funding lifecycle. These services are delivered as follows:
Providing advice and support on the development and submission of research funding applications. This includes providing costings, liaising with funders, as well as facilitating the internal peer review and approval processes for all applications in which the Academy researchers are involved as a lead or partner.
- Supporting the delivery of quality and impactful research projects through the provision of a dedicated project management service, from contracting through to project close
- Providing project accounting and compliance service to Research, CPD, Consultancy and other externally funded projects within the Academy Group members, which includes monitoring expenditure, timely submission of all the claims/ invoices, contractual compliance, responding to queries from funders/academics, hosting and managing audits.
- Supporting the full life cycle of research projects, from horizon scanning for opportunities, research development of applications through to research project management & delivery (including financial management) and post-project development and reporting
- Deliver an efficient and effective service, with continuous improvement, high levels of staff satisfaction and transparent opportunities for development and the transference of skills across the service
Research Office
The Academy Research Office provides professional support for academics and researchers in funding and bid development, research ethics, research impact, the Research Excellence Support (RES), academic publishing and research events.
The Office is responsible for the monitoring and implementing national research policy and maintaining the academy’s communications about our research, including the Research Excellence Support, Impact and Open Access.
Research Office staff support delivery of the Research and Innovation Strategy and are responsible for research information and systems.
In this section
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is the intelligence of a machine or computer that enables it to imitate or mimic human capabilities. AI uses multiple technologies that equip machines to sense, comprehend, plan, act, and learn with human-like levels of intelligence. Essentially, AI systems perceive environments, recognize objects, contribute to decision making, solve complex problems, learn from past experiences, and imitate patterns. These abilities are combined to accomplish tasks like driving a car or recognizing faces to unlock device screens.
Read more →Bio-Technology
Biotechnology, as the word suggests, is combination of biology and technology with the aim of using biology to develop new products, methods and organisms intended to improve human health and society. In another word, biotechnology is technology based on biology - biotechnology harnesses cellular and biomolecular processes to develop technologies and products that help improve our lives and the health of our planet.
Read more →Climate Change, Hazards & Natural Resources
Mission : Advance the forefront of climate change, hazards and natural resources research to provide the nation with the scientific knowledge it needs about disaster prevention practice, and intensify the foundation of disaster prevention and reduction technology.
Read more →Nano-Technology
Mission: Focusing on providing guidance on the occupational safety and health implications and applications of advanced manufacturing, including nanomaterial manufacturing.
Read more →Traditional/Natural Medicine
Traditional/Natural Medicine (or Alternative Herbal Medicine) refers to health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs incorporating plant, animal and mineral based medicines, spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain well-being as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illnesses,
Read more →STEM Education
The global economy is changing. Current jobs are disappearing due to automation and new jobs are emerging every day as a result of technological advances. STEM education holds tremendous global importance due to its myriad advantages across various fields. It plays a significant indirect role in fostering economic growth as numerous sectors rely on STEM disciplines. The continual advances in technology are changing the way students learn, connect and interact every day. Skills developed by students through STEM provide them with the foundation to succeed at school and beyond.
Read more →Development of a Rapid Diagnostic Test for Tuberculosis
Researchers at the AcIRSTD with the expertise from the Accademia Nazionale di Medicina (AccMed), Italy will develop rapid tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic tests to create fast, affordable, and accurate point-of-care tools that detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and drug resistance within hours instead of weeks, replacing slow traditional methods to stop disease spread and save lives. This requires overcoming the slow speed and low accuracy of old methods like sputum smear microscopy. Key focus areas include targeting molecular biomarkers, utilizing isothermal amplification, and designing portable field kits.
Read more →Development of Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy
Nanomedicine represents a revolutionary shift in oncological treatment by utilizing nanoscale materials to diagnose, monitor, and treat cancer with high precision. By operating at the molecular scale (typically between 1 and 100 nanometers), nanomedicine bypasses the biological barriers that limit standard therapies, offering a path toward highly effective and personalized cancer management. Nanomedicine for cancer therapy uses microscopic carriers—such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and dendrimers—to deliver drugs directly to tumors. This approach improves drug stability, increases concentration at the tumor site, and reduces damage to healthy tissues
Read more →Drug Discovery for Neglected Diseases
Drug discovery for neglected diseases focuses on creating safe, affordable treatments for illnesses like malaria, tuberculosis, and sleeping sickness that mostly affect poor populations and lack commercial market incentives.
Read more →Development of Water Purification Technology
Water is also needed for many industrial processes. And, water is crucial in providing environmental services. Recently we have noticed it is key to aid in confronting health threats as pandemics
Read more →Green Synthesis of Nanoparticles
AcIRSTD scientists used natural plant extracts to create a green method for synthesizing metal nanoparticles. This method is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective, and it has a lot of potential for use in a variety of industrial applications as eco-friendly reducing and capping agents to create safe, sustainable nanomaterials without toxic chemicals.
Read more →Being prepared
One further page is being prepared with the Academy and will be published here once the content is confirmed: THE ACADEMY TRAINING BROCHURE 2026 – 2028.
For anything on it in the meantime, please write to the secretariat.