​University of Prince Mugrin (UPM) strives to improve its research and innovation performance by motivating faculty and students to engage in high quality research and innovation project opportunities. In response to this need, a research empowerment initiative by the Department of Scientific Research & Graduate Studies (DSRGS) was established to motivate and support such efforts through its Research InitiativeS (RIS) program. This internal research project funding program is a key supporter of the DSRGS and UPM missions and is expected to impact relevant key-performance indicators (KPIs) in the medium to long term. Annual reporting, evaluation and planning is used as a strategy for continuous improvement and quality purposes throughout the implementation of the RIS program.