AAU NEWSLETTER English Vol. 17 Issue 1 2011 - AAU Resource ...

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Vol. 17, No. 1 (May, 2011) AAU NewsletterPage 6policy research, provide opportunities for researchersto deepen their understanding and practice of STIpolicy research, and develop training modules onresearch management and administration.For the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue component, thekey activity is the annual forum involving vicechancellors of universities and key stakeholders. Theannual forum would provide a platform for discussinguniversity research and development, funding,priority setting and research planning, private-publicpartnerships and valorisation of research results. Otheractivities include collaborative e-Platform forCommunication and Knowledge Management andfield visits.Expected BenefitsHopefully, on completion, the project would havecontributed to improving university researchgovernance as well as making research responsive tothe needs of society. In addition, it is expected thatthere will be increased expertise in researchmanagement in universities and governance throughdevelopment of appropriate tools. Finally, the projectwill also result in better networking among researchmanagers and exposure to innovations and newapproaches in research management.THE GOVERNANCE OF UNIVERSITYRESEARCH AT OAU, NIGERIABy Prof. Biodun AdediranDirector, Linkages and Sponsored ResearchObafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, NigeriaPreambleResearch is the central function of an academicinstitution; it makes universities engines of communitydevelopment. It is the key defining factor of a universitythat distinguishes it from a college or polytechnic.Research is also crucial to the ranking of a universityas evidenced by the webometric ranking of worlduniversities. Furthermore, research enhances theprofile and image of a university as an academicinstitution. It also enhances the status of the institutionas an engine of community development by providinga basis for continual contribution to communitydevelopment as well as sound and effective teaching,which are two of the three mandates of a university.The Obafemi Awolowo UniversityThe Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) wasestablished in the city of Ile Ife in Western Nigeria in1962. It is one of the leading universities in Nigeria,and is now owned by the Federal Government.Originally known as the University of Ife, it wasrenamed in 1987, after the demise of Chief ObafemiAwolowo, one of its founding fathers. The universitynow has teaching programmes in all major disciplines.It now has a student population of 30,000 undergraduatesand 5,000 students engaged in postgraduatestudies. The staff complement is made up of 1,372 fulltimeacademic staff and 1,662 senior administrativeand technical staff.InstitutionalS u p p o r t f o rResearchFrom its inception,researchhas been crucialto OAU. TheN a t i o n a lU n i v e r s i t i e sC o m m i s s i o n(NUC), whicha c c r e d i t suniversities inN i g e r i a , h a ssince the 1970s consistently ranked the university asNigeria's leading research university. This has beenconfirmed in recent years by the global webometricranking. The university's research engagement hasalways been emphasized in its vision and missionstatements. As stated in the University Edict in 1970,the mission of the institution is, 'to promote by researchand other means the advancement of knowledge and itspractical application to social, cultural, economic,scientific and technological problems.' This haspropelled the university to significant achievements,including the development of several new agriculturalcrops and new technologies geared toward local needs,pioneering kidney transplantation in Nigeria, separationof Siamese twins, competences in ICT, andcontinuous engagement in community service throughdedicated projects.The institutional support for research has been continuousas evidenced by the establishment of institutes,centres and units to facilitate research. In the 1990swhen there was a serious financial crisis, a Central
Vol. 17, No. 1 (May, 2011) AAU NewsletterPage 7Science Laboratory was established to ensurequalitative scientific research. There have also beenperiodic restructuring of the university researchmanagement framework as well as continuouscapacity-building initiatives for research, and foradministering research and sensitizationprogrammes for the university community. Majorstakeholders and funders from outside the universitycommunity are occasionally brought in to assess theuniversity's research engagements and overall impacton the society. The end story has been the provision ofguidelines for research contained in a comprehensiveResearch Policy Document approved by theUniversity Governing Council in 2007.The 2007 Research Policy (which is now underreview) emphasizes the need for a proactiveResearch Governance Structure to improve theresearch engagements of the university and enablemembers of staff to achieve some initiatives, including:• The conduct of strategic research that willincrease the postgraduate profile andenhance the university's research profile.• Improvement of research methodology andability.• Increased external funding of research.• Increased dissemination of research resultsthrough publication in key learned journalsand conference attendance.More importantly, the Research Policy Documentstrives to establish in the university a culture ofresponsible research by emphasizing several issuesthat individual researchers should bear in mind. Forinstance, it makes clear the obligations of theresearcher to the university, funding agency and thecommunity by bringing out the need for integrity inscholarship, financial stewardship, and good laboratoryand field practices. It also brings out the need forcollaboration in research, as well as adequatedissemination of research through exhibitions andpublishing in easily accessible format.The sensitization and capacity-building programmesare important for creating a culture of research andsustaining it in the university. They involve instillingin members of the community the rubrics of theacademic game, which basically involve teachingsome skills, namely:• Research methodology• Proposal writing• Research project design• Evaluation schedule/monitoring chart• Budget building• Monitoring and evaluation• Grants disbursement/execution• Dissemination of research results• Management of researchThe Research Governance StructureThe two central organs for research in the universityare the Central Office of Research (COR) and theDirectorate of Linkages and Sponsored Research(DLSR). The COR was established in the 1970s tocreate an enabling environment for research work inthe university. Originally, just a unit in the ViceChancellor's Office, it grew to become a major structurethat administers research and assists in the attemptto translate research into tangible developmentinterventions. The DLSR was created in 2003 tocomplement the COR and, in particular, take charge ofthe external research engagements of the university. Ithas projected and sustained the good image of theuniversity in the international academic arena.For the day-to-day administration of research, threelevels of committees are involved:• Departmental Research Committee• Faculty Research Committee• University Research CommitteeEach of the university's basic academic unit, department,has a committee for research. It is headed by theHead (Chair) of the department, and all members of theacademic staff compose the committee. The committee'sfunctions are to:• Carry out preliminary assessment of researchproposals by members of the department• Set research agenda/priority for the department• Advise faculty on the conduct/financing ofresearch• Consider reports on ongoing/completedresearch projectsThe Faculty Research Committee is chaired by a seniorprofessor in the faculty elected by the faculty board. Itis comprised of all departmental heads or chairs andone representative from each department. Its statutoryengagements are as follows:• Detailed assessment of research proposals• Ranking of research proposals within thefaculty• Advising the University Research Committee(URC) on the conduct and financing ofprojects• Considering annual progress and terminalreports from individual researchers• Making periodic reports to URC on research inthe facultyThe URC is a university-wide committee of Senatechaired by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (academic). It isthe body that promotes research in the university. TheCont. on page 10
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