Online ISSN: 2790-3516     Print ISSN: 2790-3508
Research Office, Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Copyright© Insight: Cambodia Journal of Basic and Applied Research ​(CJBAR)

Since 16 August 2018, RUPP has started Insight: Cambodia Journal of Basic and Applied Research (CJBAR). The Journal has two main focuses:

• Insight A: Humanities, Social Science, Development Studies, Education, and Languages

• Insight B: Natural Science, Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Engineering

RUPP is the largest public university in Cambodia. It hosts more than 12,000 scholarship and full-fee paying students across a diverse range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs. The university is a full member of the ASEAN University Network (AUN) and has a unique vision 'to become Cambodia's flagship university with a reputation in the region for teaching, learning, research, innovation, and social engagement.' The current strategic plan of the institution prioritizes the development of a strong research capacity incorporating peer-reviewed publications, as well as links to industry and community networks, which is well-aligned with Cambodia's National Education Strategic Plan (NESP) 2014-2018 aimed at supporting the transition of the country from a lower-middle to upper-middle income country by 2030; and obtaining 'developed country' status by 2050.

The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), through the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport (MoEYS), promotes the publication of scientific research in the national higher education strategy. For instance, one of the eight key strategies in the Policy on Higher Education Vision 2030 is to ensure that RUPP staff and students, especially postgraduate students, contribute to improving Cambodia's research and development culture to serve national development needs. 'The publication of scientific research is considered a crucial aspect of promoting the Cambodian Industry 4.0 Policy. This policy aims to engender the creativity and innovation required to drive economic growth and social development.

RUPP is one of the few public universities in Cambodia that possesses the capacity to produce quality research output. The RUPP Strategic Plan (2019−2023) focuses on academic and applied research across the STEM, social science, and humanities disciplines. This plan includes a mission to be a place where researchers can access resources and form teams to develop evidence-based research. This is evident through the citation of RUPP affiliates in relevant databases and our involvement in developing cross-institutional research centers across various fields. As part of establishing a research culture, RUPP now hosts multiple journals.

In 2017, RUPP introduced a pilot university research grant. This initiative allocates university research grants to motivate researchers to publish their work in peer-reviewed journals. RUPP has also developed various in-house, peer-reviewed journals to enable this to occur. They include the 'Insight: Cambodia Journal of Basic and Applied Research’ the 'Cambodian Journal of Natural History’ the 'Cambodian Review of Language Learning & Teaching’ and the 'Cambodia Review of EFL Research’.