Weighing Faculty Research Contribution in Institutional Growth and Incentivization

Institutional rankings significantly influence higher education, research funding, and faculty incentives. In the Indian Ranking System (NIRF - Engineering Category), research parameters contribute 22.5%, directly impacting funding eligibility and institutional growth. Institutions struggle to quantify faculty research contributions for ranking and funding purposes. A standardized framework is required to evaluate and incentivize research outputs fairly. This study proposes a method for assigning weightage to authorship positions in collaborative publications, ensuring accurate faculty contribution assessment. To develop a fair and transparent author weightage system that supports institutional ranking calculations and incentive structures. A proportional weightage system is introduced, where the primary corresponding author and first author receives 50% credit, and the rest is distributed among co-authors. An incentive model based on journal quartiles and collaboration levels is proposed. The framework allows institutions to evaluate faculty contributions systematically, aiding in ranking, funding, and incentives. Future modifications can integrate SDG-focused research, corporate collaborations, and international partnerships for enhanced impact.