Lincoln Global Postdoctoral Researcher (LGPR) Programme — First Year Anniversary

#LGPR #Successes #pitfalls #Edge #SCI #OA #Funding

Team LGPR meet held during September 2025 at Lincoln University College Malaysia Selangor Campus. Meeting discussions included establishment of the Lincoln Innovation Hub and LCRF.

Lincoln University College, Malaysia, marks one year since the launch of the Lincoln Global Postdoctoral Researcher (LGPR) Programme.

The initiative was established to provide a structured, globally accessible framework for postdoctoral research and publication support. Over the past year, it has become a consistent choice for researchers seeking a balanced environment of opportunity, mentorship, and academic visibility.

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Homage to Fallen Comrades

We would like to take a moment to pay our respects to our dear friend Dr R. Senthil Kumar who lost his life in an unfortunate road accident.

Promises and Deliveries

As we mark one year of the LGPR journey, we pause to reflect on our commitments and what has been achieved for the Lincoln Global Postdoctoral Researcher community. Before looking back on this first year, it is important to acknowledge both what we promised and what we have delivered to our scholars, mentors, and institutional partners.

Postdoctoral Experience and Academic Engagement

From the outset, the LGPR Programme promised only a structured postdoctoral experience and academic engagement. We have consistently emphasised that this is not a fellowship, as no salary is provided during the programme. At the start, there were no grants or funding available; the focus was solely on building a platform for research, mentorship, and global collaboration.

Grant Opportunities

When the programme began, there was significant work to demonstrate its value to both LGPR candidates and the Senate of Lincoln University College Malaysia. We are particularly grateful to Prof. Amiya Bhaumik, President of LUC Malaysia, for his steadfast support in guiding the LGPR team through its initial execution.

While no grant existed initially, we are now preparing to launch the “Apply for a Grant” initiative for exceptional LGPR candidates. Under this scheme, selected candidates will be invited to submit proposals for joint research grants in collaboration with LUC Malaysia and the Lincoln Institute of Higher Education (LIHE) Australia. Successful applicants will also be offered a scientist position at LIHE Australia, providing a formal research appointment and a clear pathway for career development beyond the LGPR programme. Extensive discussions round was completed in September 2025 on the launch of such a programme, we are now under policy development stage.

High number of Applications

We received 1740 plus applications over the past one year for this programme, of which we shortlisted only 890 individuals across 3 batches for interviews. Of these only 397 individuals were offered the LGPR offer letters to start their postdoctoral research journey. There is a 18% drop out rate due to the demanding nature of the programme.

Fraudulent Claims

We are grateful to the LGPR candidates who brought to our attention instances of fraudulent actors attempting to sell the programme for a fee. Offers circulating included packages ranging from USD 4,000 to 5,000, which allegedly covered draft articles for conferences, SCOPUS or SCI journal publications, and even a thesis.

Let us clarify these misconceptions:

1. LGPR does not involve a thesis: To date, we have not come across any postdoctoral programme that requires a thesis as part of its structure.

2. Open Access Publication Support Grant: The LGPR Programme itself provides up to USD 36,000 in Open Access Publication Support per researcher, making third-party article-writing packages unnecessary and irrelevant.

3. No endorsement of external agencies: We do not endorse any external agencies for research writing etc. Candidates are strongly advised to disregard such offers.

We encourage all members of the LGPR community to exercise caution, and to report any suspicious solicitations directly to the LGPR team.

Validity of the Certificate

1. Nature of the Postdoctoral Certificate

   A postdoctoral certificate documents a research experience. It is recognition of practical engagement in research, mentoring, and academic collaboration.

2. Position in the Academic Hierarchy

   The highest formal academic degree in the global system is the PhD. Postdoctoral experience is subsequent to the PhD and does not constitute an additional degree.

3. Role of Academic Authorities

   Since a postdoctoral certificate is not a formal degree, university grants commissions or other academic regulatory bodies are neither required nor expected to provide validation. Infact it is beyond their purview and jurisdiction to provide validity for postdoctoral certificates. Its value lies in professional recognition, experience, and demonstrable contribution to research. Anyone who says otherwise is clearly misleading the candidates, and motives of such individuals is questionable. The LGPR would like to abstain from commenting on the reasons behind the motives of such panic mongering individuals.

The LGPR postdoctoral certificate is fully legitimate as a record of research experience. It is designed to recognise scholarly engagement and cannot, by its nature, be “validated” like a degree — and this is consistent across global academic practice.

Editing Services

Currently, we are establishing mechanisms to provide candidates with editing support, strictly limited to grammar, formatting, and scientific advising, offered at nominal charges. Under no circumstances will LGPR, Lincoln University College, or any associated entity engage in or endorse the fabrication of research, including writing about experiments or studies that were never conducted. Such practices are considered a serious ethical violation and run counter to the principles of academic integrity that guide this programme.

LGPR Edge

While we are not yet globally at par with other prestigious programme due to the fact that this programme is still in its nascent phase, however, through our innovative approach we have the following take home message for the candidates of LGPR:

Programme	Open Access Support	Conference Access	Publication Mentorship	Global Collaboration
Marie Curie (EU)	Limited	yes	Optional	EU consortium only
Fulbright (US)	None	yes	Academic Exchange	Bilateral
Lincoln LGPR (Malaysia)	36,000 USD for each candidate	Four International in-house conferences	Direct mentorship	Global, all disciplines

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LGPR Success Stories: Open Access Publication Support Programme

The Open Access Publication Support is also known as Find a Funder programme, notable success stories:

1. Dr Bobbinpreet Kaur received the Open Access Fee of 2590 USD

2. Dr. Ajay Kumar received the Open Access Fee of 2590 USD

Both the candidates published in Scientific Reports of the Nature Publishing Group.

First Batch Graduation

The first batch of LGPR is going to complete its tenure by January 2026, we will be announcing the news about the graduation ceremony in 15-20 days time.