A Jesuit carries out research as a pilgrim involved in Community-Based Participatory Action Research (CBPAR) through an Ignatian lens. Throughout its history, the Jesuit order has been filled with scientific thinkers who have helped shape our understanding of the world. They have made contributions to scientific conversations and discovery. Pope Francis and the Jesuit Universal Apostolic Preferences too emphasise “care for our common home” and promotion of the dignity of environmental migrants.

The Jesuits of Karnataka province have before them the inspirational legacy of veteran scientists like Fr Cecil Saldanha (taxonomical research) and Fr Leo D’Souza (molecular biology and tissue culture), as also scholars like Fr Devasahayam (English literature), Fr Prashant Madtha (Kannada language) and Fr Ambrose Pinto (political thought and Dalit studies).

I hope that, besides excelling in academic research, our researchers at SJU will form partnerships with local communities and grassroots movements working for social equity, especially in the vital area of  food and water security.

It is a matter of great joy that, following the upgradation of St. Joseph’s College to a University, we now have a separate institute within SJU to focus on research. I am confident that SJRI will play a transformative role in promoting a culture of research within SJU – research that meets the highest standards of academic rigour while at the same time being socially relevant. While we are all grateful for the vast body of available knowledge that has been produced by generations of scholars and researchers all over the world, we find ourselves situated at a time in history where there are numerous unknowns in every domain that arouse our curiosity. It is towards these knowledge gaps that current research needs to be directed. I am hopeful that SJRI will serve as a vital catalyst in the process of engendering new knowledge in the various disciplines and inter-disciplinary domains.

I hope that this noble endeavour of pushing back the frontiers of existing knowledge will enrich, transform and expand the academic horizons of our University in the years to come.

The primary objective of SJRI is to enable and facilitate research at SJU as well as to set benchmarks and standards for the same.  The hallmark of a University is the generation of knowledge through research in diverse domains carried out by its faculty and students. Through their engagements, facilitated by SJRI, we wish to create a scholarly community that spans the widest range of academic domains, making a positive difference in the world. To enable this, SJRI, in addition to facilitating doctoral programmes, would provide state-of-the-art infrastructure, industry-academia interface, seed money funding for faculty at the early stages of their careers, faculty training programmes in research-related areas, as well as seminars and symposia on current thrust areas.  It is my earnest hope that students and faculty will wholeheartedly participate in the various programmes offered by SJRI and thus make possible a thriving culture of research at SJU.