On 20 April 2026, Villa College hosted the awarding ceremony for the National Research Fund: Emerging Research Grants (NRF-ERG) under RGMA-2025-001 and officially launched the Villa College Research Grant 2026.

The NRF-ERG is administered by the National Research Council and the Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development. Villa College serves as the Grant Management Institution (GMI), responsible for managing the call for proposals and the overall implementation of the programme.

Twenty-one proposals were received for this round, with fourteen selected through a three-phase evaluation process for a combined funding allocation of MVR 1.5 million.

The funded projects are distributed across four research pillars: Governance, Safety and Well-being; Economic Development and Sustainability; Digital Transformation and Innovation; and the Green Agenda. The awarded teams and their projects are:

• Sustainable Biodegradable Composites from Fish Waste, Coir, and Banana Fiber — Dr. Saravanakumar Sengottaiyan, Dr. Vinoth V

• Prescribing Patterns and Guideline Adherence for Antidiabetic Drugs in Healthcare Facilities of the Maldives: A Multi-Centre Retrospective Study — Dr. Monica Arora, Dr. Abdul Malik, Dr. Tanmay Bagade, Dr. Fathimath Nadhiya, Dr. Aishath Selna, Dr. Anand Gaurav

• Clinical Governance and its Influence on Quality Assurance and Risk Management Practices in the Hospitals of Malé, Maldives — Ushau Nooman, Aishath Rafaahath Rameez, Dr. Aishath Selna, Dr. Muiz Ibrahim

• Generative AI, Academic Integrity, and Assessment Innovation: A Comprehensive Investigation of Student Use and Lecturer Adaptation in Maldivian Higher Education — Hawwa Alishan Abdul Hannan, Dr. Mamdooha Ismail, Ushau Nooman, Dr. Jeetesh Kumar

• 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 — Dr. Prem Kumar Vagestan, Dr. Manikandan Periyasamy, Dr. Kalpana Manoharan

• Determinants of Informal Foreign Exchange Markets in the Maldives — Dr. Abulrahman Abubakar, Abdulla Nafiz, Nikhil Vimala Muraleedharan, Shajeer Sainudeen, Dr. Mohamed Imtiyaz M, Merrinnage Ruchira A, Mohamed Hamdhoon, Jamilu A. Wammako

• Reimagining Curriculum Integration in Higher Education: Developing and Enacting a Connected Curriculum Framework Aligned with Education 5.0 — Moosa Mohamed Manik, Dr. Mohamed Adil, Margret Vijay, Shumra Ibrahim, Mariyam Nihaadh, Shafa Ahmed

• Bridging Barriers: Co-Designing Inclusive Pathways for Youth Employment and Training — Dr. Aishath Nasheedha, Dr. Alexander O'Donnell, Ahmed Thynum

• Clinical Decision-Making Variability and Interprofessional Consensus in Healthcare Practice in the Maldives: A Mixed-Methods Study — Aishath Mala, Aishath Shamila, Nazeera Najeeb, Fathimath Soliha, Jabeen Mohamed, Dr. Nazla Musthafa, Dr. Asma Taha, Dr. Kimberly English, Opeoluwa O. Olabode, Dr. Arockiamary Ignasimuthu

• Development of a Community Climate Health Vulnerability Mapping Tool for Climate Sensitive Diseases and Conditions — Pushparathi Chinnayan Nadar, Aishath Mala, Dr. Arockiamary Ignasimuthu, Koneino Peseyie, Dr. Mano Priya Vijayan

• Exploring the Student's Deviant Behavior and Policy Implementation at the National Level — Fatima Afsar, Fathimath Samaahath, Vinaya Sarah Vincent, Kesia Elizabeth Jain

• Regenerative Tourism Governance for Island Resilience in Maldives (ReGenMaldives) — Ali Shareef, Siamak Seyfi, Dr. Ali Najeeb

• Knowledge Graph-Driven Adaptive AI Assessment for Higher Education — Fathimath Humam, Dr. Ibrahim Shiyam

• Faith, Power, and Public Safety: A Maqasid-informed Model for Island Governance — Dr. Mohammad Shekaib Alam, Dr. Syaza Shukri, Dr. Hasbi Aswar, Dr. Jawwad Ali, Dr. Mohamed Solih, Aminath Thizkar Yousuf, Aishath Khaleela Abdul Sattar, Mohamed Sofwan Ahmed Adhil

The ceremony also marked the official launch of the Villa College Research Grant 2026, with an annual allocation of MVR 500,000 for proposals aligned with institutional priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. Applications opened on 20 April 2026, close on 25 May 2026, and awards will be announced in June 2026.

Villa College encourages its academic staff to engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary research with local and international partners, strengthening its role as a national hub for research and innovation.