Enhancing Research and Development at EKSU: A Comprehensive Overview

1. . A Brief on “EKSU Office of Research and Development” presented during the Academic Summit of EKSU. BY Prof Akintayo Emmanuel T. Director, Office of Research and Development, EKSU

2. INTRODUCTION • The Vice Chancellor, DVC(A), DVC(D), Registrar, Bursar, and the University Librarian. • Deans and Directors • Head of Departments • Chairmen and Members of EKSU Academic Summit • Colleagues • Gentle of the Press • Ladies and Gentlemen

3. INTRODUCTION CONTD • Of the three pillars (Teaching , research and Community Development) of the relevance of a University, the Office of Research and Development (ORD) is the institutional framework that was established to facilitate and coordinate two (research and development). • ORD is expected to harness the intellectual and technological assets within the University and use them to improve the overall social, economic and industrial advancement of Ekiti State in particular and Nigeria at large.

4. Departments in ORD • Training, Seminar, Workshop and Capacity building unit- The unit undertakes training e.g. seminars and workshops that the University, State government, industrial and other agencies may want to carry out to improve individual and organizational performance. • Publications Unit- The unit is to enhance the publications programme of the University by managing the two university based journals • Research Grants, Scholarship, Fellowship & Research Information Unit- The unit sources and disseminates information on local, national and international research grants and fellowships to the University community. Administer all local, national and international research grants and fellowships .

5. Departments in ORD Contd. • Product Development Unit- The unit coordinates the translation of research findings within the University to tangible products that can solve societal and global problems. It also coordinates research discoveries and inventions, patenting and commercialization of research products. • Research Management Unit - The unit is responsible for initiating research in any identified areas of urgency to solve particular problems for the University, Ekiti State and the larger society. The unit also maintains a digital archive of all research and development efforts of all academic members of staff in the University. As the EKSUORD grows and becomes strengthened, the unit will further see to Research Chairs, Visiting Fellows, Postdoctoral and Senior Fellows, Collaborative research partners, and Research Institutes within the University

6. Objectives of ORD and Implementation i. Formulate new research policies for the University and undertake periodic review of existing ones in line with international best practices : The Office of Research and Development has constituted two committees to formulate the (a) EKSU Research Ethics Policy and (b) EKSU Intellectual Property Policy. The two documents, when ready would form the EKSU Research Policy document. Level of Implementation:The committee on research ethics headed by Prof Adepetu J.A. of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences has almost completed its assignment. The draft copy of the policy is ready. However the committee on Intellectual Property has not done much.

7. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Challenge: Committees constituted by ORD for different purposes need more motivation in terms of proper servicing of their numerous meetings. ORD is not financially capable to motivate these committees to deliver as at when due. Recommendation: Since ORD does not have students directly attached to it like Faculties, (Faculties derive their administrative expenses from the percentage given to them by the University based on the number of students in the Faculty), we recommend that a vote be allocated to ORD annually from the University’s IGR to enable the Office run properly and deliver on its mandates.

8. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. ii. Source and disseminate information on local, national and international research grants and fellowships to the University community: The university, through the Office of Research and Development, subscribed to Research Professional Africa (RPA) in April 2013. The RPA is a unique facility that provides a comprehensive online system of funding opportunities and research related news. Every academic and professional member of staff in EKSU became registered and could log in to the platform. Some members of staff have through the platform secured research grants, Pre-Doctoral Fellowships, Post-Doctoral Fellowships, and Conference/Workshop Sponsorships directly through the Research Africa website.

9. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Current Situation: Our University paid the subscription to RPA (N2.4M) for one year( May 2013-April 2014). Now members of staff no longer have access to the RPA website as the University has suspended the subscription until funding improves. Recommendation: The University needs to set right priorities. Supporting payment of subscription to RPA and similar platforms that allow all members of staff to have access to current information on available research grants and fellowship should be a top priority of our university. I am happy to inform that our new VC has given priority to this. We are presently processing EKSU re-subscription to RA Platform

10. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. iii. Administer all local, national and international research grants and fellowships available to the University : The Office of Research and Development emphasized the need by our University to cultivate the culture of setting apart certain handsome sum of money as research grants that can be assessed by staff of the University for research purposes. This is to be known as “internal research grant”. Other research grants are national research grants e.g TETFund, RMRC etc and external research grants e.g Commonwealth, AvH, Canegie, Ford etc. The University Senate and Council have approved the ORD recommendations on procedures for administration of internal and national research grants in EKSU.

11. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Current situation: EKSU governing council has approved that Ekiti State University, on yearly basis, shall provide the under listed grants from its internal research fund to support and encourage academic research in the University: Senate Research Grant: The grant shall be used to support approved research proposals that focus on issues of national and global development It shall be a maximum of One Million Naira only. EKSU Research Grant: The grant shall be used to support approved research proposals that focus on issues having direct impact on our local community. It shall be a maximum of Eight Hundred Thousand Naira only. EKSUORD Development Fund: The grant shall be used to support translation of significant research results to prototypes that can be appreciated by industrialists, government and the general public. It shall be a maximum of Five Million Naira only

12. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Through proper coordination and evaluation of research proposals submitted by members of staff of EKSU across all Faculties by the apparatus put in place by Office of Research and Development, all the forty three (43) research proposals ( totaling about N40M) put forward for TETFund Institution Based Research Grants were successful. Also an EKSU research team proposal is among the 20 research proposals finally selected from 896 proposals submitted from over 200 universities and 40 Polytechnics by the Nigerian Research Fund. The EKSU research team project on biopolymer composite would receive a N30M Fund from the NRF.

13. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Challenges: * Though the University Council has approved that Senate Research Grant, EKSU Research Grant and EKSUORD Development Grant be made available to staff, no money has been allocated by the University for that purpose. These Grants are therefore only on paper. The EKSUORD Development Grant in particular is important as most external grants do not address translation of significant research results into prototype. * There is zero allocation to research in EKSU. This is because most of its IGR is used to supplement government allocation to pay staff salaries on a monthly basis and also do other chores essential to the general operations of the university. Research funding situation in EKSU is therefore precarious and needs urgent attention.

14. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. • Recommendations: *University should levy all students (undergraduates & Postgraduates) the sum of Five Thousand naira (N5000) per session as Research Development Fund (RDF). This is similar to the physical development levy or library levy or Health Centre levy paid by all students in the University. * The RDF shall be used to service in part: Senate Research Grant, EKSU Research Grant and EKSUORD Development Grant, Journal Article Award, Postgraduate Research Fellowship, University Research Teams and contingency expenses of Office of Research & Development.

15. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. • Coordinate the translation of research findings within the University to tangible products that can solve societal and global problems as well as coordinating research discoveries and inventions, patenting and commercialization of research products: To improve the research capacity and output of Ekiti State University, Office of Research and Development introduced the EKSU Research Fair in 2012. The event which is biennial, held again in 2014 and: * provided opportunity for the research and creative activity community in the university to demonstrate the diversity of its scope. *helped EKSU staff members to develop new linkages with colleagues across different disciplines in the university. *provided a forum for academic members of staff and their students to showcase their significant research findings. *helped in the building necessary linkages between EKSU and relevant industries as well as show the larger society the innovations taking place on campus.

16. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Current Situation:The University has sponsored the successful hosting of two editions of EKSU Research Fair. On commercialization of research results, ORD wishes to collaborate seriously with the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in Abuja Nigeria in 2016. Recommendations: 3rd edition of EKSU Research Fair would hold in September 2016, and University would be expected to sponsor the hosting as usual.Our collaboration with NOTAP would eventually result into NOTAP officials coming to educate members of staff of our university of the nitty gritty of patenting and other commercialization of their research results. The University would be expected to host such, one or two day workshop.

17. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. (v) Undertake training e.g. seminars and workshops that the University, State government, industrial and other agencies may want to carry out to improve individual and organizational performance: * The office of Research and Development has commenced special training programmes for professionals, chief executives, administrators and other categories of workers in both private and public sectors of the economy. *The EKSU ORD undertook an academic staff development programme tagged: In-house training on grant proposal writing and management/ resource mobilization held between the 27th and 28th August, 2012. *EKSU ORD successfully mounted a 3-day workshop on effective communication skills and reports/ minutes writing between Monday, 8th and Wednesday, 10th July, 2013.

18. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. *EKSU ORD also successfully mounted a three day training workshop on Microsoft Excel (Basic & intermediate) for accountants between February 12-14, 2014. These trainings were declared opened by the Vice-Chancellor • Current Situation: The above mentioned workshops were sponsored by the university and all proceeds from them went directly to the university coffers. However, when we wanted to organize more workshops, the university could not provide money due to poor funding situation. I wish to inform that we are prepared to organize the under listed workshops for academic and non - academic members of staff; *“Management Appreciation Workshop” for HOD’s, Directors and Deans. *“Academic career Management for Lecturers” for Graduate Assistant to Lecturer 1 cadre. *“Research Grant Proposal Writing Workshop” for graduate Assistants to Senior Lecturers.

19. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. *“Research Methodology and Statistical Analysis” for all categories of lecturers. *“Records and Documents Management /Office Administration” for Secretaries, Typists, HEOs and Clerical Officers. *“System Accounting and Applications” for middle and senior level officers in the accounting and audit sections of the university. *“Creativity, artisanship, office policy, Misconducts and disciplinary Measures” for draughtsmen, Clerical Officers, Office Assistants and other Junior Staff.  • Recommendation: The University should give ORD a grant of N3Million for organizing workshops. We will work with this capital using it to organize various workshops and return profit to University on a yearly basis. However when the participants come from within the university, university management must be ready to pay their workshop fees. This is the sustainable way to develop capacities of university staff and keep the training arm of ORD in business.

20. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd • Administer the editorial review and production of main University’s journals: * The Office of Research and development has been managing the two university based journals to be co - funded by TETFUND in future. The two university based journals are namely: EKSU Journal of Science and Technology (EKSU JST) and Nigerian Inquiries into the Humanities (NIITH). Current Situation:The maiden editions of these journals have just been published. These can be accessed on www.ejst.org.ng and www.niith.org

21. TWO UNIV BASED JOURNALS(2015)

22. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. (vii) Ensuring the development and implementation of an effective funding policy and system which sources research funds from internal and external sources: Research funding situation in EKSU is precarious. There is zero allocation to research, yet university management wants better performance from staff, research wise. Recommendations: Internal Research Funds : EKSU must take responsibility for its own long term sustainability of virile research culture. A means of doing this is to have research budget that are based on “base budget” and not soft or occasional funds. A base budget can be based on the “Research Development Fund”. Levy all students the sum of Five Thousand naira (N5000) per session as Research Development Fund.

23. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. External Research Funds: External research funding will be pursued vigorously to match and whenever possible outdo internal research funding. The Office of Research and Development through the Research Grant & Fellowship unit will give priority to its role in supporting staff to win external grants and research contracts.

24. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. (viii) Ensuring the establishment of research outputs management and archival systems that allow access and further dissemination of University research findings :To ensure the establishment of research outputs management and archival systems that allow access and further dissemination of University research findings, Office of Research and Development has put in place a “Committee on Research Products Development”. The committee among other things, is charged with producing a publication which shall be a compendium of some “Made in EKSU” technological products, packages or policies. Current Situation: The compilation is yet to be completed. Committee has not been meeting regularly and needs a lot of motivation in the form of properly servicing their meetings.

25. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. Recommendations: • The new university management needs to deploy ICT to obtain useful information e.g. profiles of every member of staff in the university. • University management should also encourage synergy between departments and units in the University to facilitate sharing of information • Funding should be made available to ORD to enable it perform its creditable roles in the university.

26. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. (ix) Engaging at a high level, local and external stakeholders for purposes of sourcing research funding, sourcing research projects, driving the innovation process and marketing the University’s research outputs and competencies: We are doing this by a combination of activities of the biannual Research Fair and the Committee on Product Development. To improve interdisciplinary research in the university, the Office of Research and Development recently constituted three research teams as follows: The Biomedical Research Team Food Security Research Team Water Reuse Research Team Recommendation: The University should support the ORD to be able to continue these activities in terms of logistics.

27. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. x) Ensuring central support and central coordination of the autonomous research management and administration in the Departments, Schools, Faculties and Administrative Centres: To ensure the above, Office of Research and Development has presented a paper to the University Senate on constitution of statutory committees on research matters at departmental, faculty and university levels. The committees were approved by senate and their roles are as follows: Faculty Research Committee (FRC) :- This shall comprise of one member each (preferably a Professor) per department in a Faculty and two representatives of the Faculty Board.

28. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. • University Research Committee (URC) :- The University research committee is chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), and has as members, Director, Office of Research and Development, Provost, School of Postgraduate Studies/ Representative, Faculties’ Research Committee Chairpersons, two Professors representing Senate, the University Librarian/Representative, Director of Academic Planning and Administrative Secretary, Office of Research and Development serves as secretary. • Current Situation: Faculties Research Committees are in place and functional in the university. A University Research Committee headed by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academics is also in place and functional. Even though we have called for research focus of each faculty, none of them except the Faculty of the Social Sciences has responded.

29. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. • Recommendation: Office of Research and Development is to work more closely with the Chairmen of each Faculty Research Committee to ensure that research focus of each faculty is defined and these, used to build the research agenda of our university.

30. Objectives of ORD and Implementation Contd. (xi)Establishing and implementing a management system that provides for continuous improvement of research quality: One of the things we have done in this regard is to introduce the “Journal Article Award”. The purpose of the award is to encourage Lecturers/Researchers to carry out high quality research that can be published in highly rated international journals. Current Situation: The granting of the award has been approved by the University Senate but no money has been allocated to enable issuance of the award. The approval is therefore only on paper. Recommendation: This kind of award is highly desirable as it would encourage academics to migrate from publishing in “Predatory Journals” to publishing in highly reputable indexed journals that improve the prestige of our university and also the capacity to attract both international students and staff.

31. General Challenges facing Research in EKSU • Lack of appropriate accommodation for student laboratory work, research laboratories and workshops; • The few existing laboratories lack state of the art equipment; • Supply of electricity and water to the laboratory is inadequate; • Zero budget allocation to Research Grants by EKSU. Nothing also comes from the proprietor of the University for Research Grant;

32. General Challenges facing Research in EKSU Contd. • Only few members of staff are able to attract international grants; • Only few articles are published in journals that have good impact factor; • Most researches are not based on societal needs but mainly carried out to gain promotion; • Little attention is paid to deepening and making up to date, the technical abilities of technologists in the University

33. Recommendations on Surmounting the Challenges • Building and equipping a modern central laboratory with state of the arts equipment; • Building and equipping of departmental laboratories; • Ensuring that capacity to maintain the state of the art equipment is developed e.g. through enhanced training of technical staff and users; • University should levy all students (undergraduates & Postgraduates) the sum of Five Thousand naira (N5000) per session as Research Development Fund (RDF)

34. Recommendations on Surmounting the Challenges Contd. • Subscribing to relevant databases (e.g. Research Africa); • Ensuring that academic Staffs (from Lecturer I and above) publish at least a paper yearly in a peer reviewed journal with good impact factor; • Mandating PhD students to publish at least a paper in peer review journal before graduation; • Supporting platforms for staff and students to disseminate research outputs e.g. annual Research Fair

35. Recommendations on Surmounting the Challenges Contd. • Supporting “Journal Article Award” to reward articles published in highly reputable international journals with high impact factor; • University working with researchers to commercialize research output where appropriate; • Supporting academic and technical staff to attend skills enhancement courses locally and internationally; • Providing training in the management and practice of research to enable staff continue the development of their research capabilities

36. Recommendations on Surmounting the Challenges Contd • Provide a functional internet facility; • Establishing a robust University website to improve information flow • Establishment of functional E-library • Encouraging and promoting knowledge exchange among staff and students by celebrating the value and impact of enterprise as an output of research, learning and teaching and by linking it to staff performance management. • Establishing new mechanisms for partnering with industry and the public and third sectors. Become a preferred source of advice, information and consultancy

37. Recommendations on Improving output of Present ORD • Old Centre for Research and Development - Ran Diploma Courses (Accounting, Bus Admin, BFN, Social Works, Computer Science etc) - Managed the University Press • Managed the University Block Industry • Among others It could therefore be called a COST CENTRE

38. Recommendations on Improving output of Present ORD Contd. • Present Office of Research & Development (EKSUORD) - Research Grants, Scholarship, Fellowship & Research Information Unit - Research Product Development Unit- - Research Management Unit - Research Publications Unit - Training Unit It is therefore purely an “ACADEMIC SUPPORT UNIT” It should therefore be supported by the University as done for other academic support units like the Academic Departments, Faculties, Library& Health Centre • PRAYER- EKSU should treat ORD as an “Academic Support Unit” and not as a Cost Centre like PTP, Affiliate Colleges and Sandwich Programme.

39. Recommendations on Improving output of Present ORD Contd. • The five units at ORD need to be coordinated by one academic member of staff each for better productivity • ORD needs two competent Computer Analysts as supporting staff to service the five units. • ORD needs ICT Technician, Electrical/Mechanical Technician and Office Assistant. • ORD deserves a befitting research complex comprising of training rooms, offices, exhibition rooms, workshops and a Conference hall.

40. CONCLUSION From the above, it could be seen that under the last regime, our University has woken up from slumber as regards centrally coordinated University research activities and culture. But, then we realized that we are seriously lagging behind and have much land to cover within a short time to bring EKSU at par with other competitive Universities in the world. The challenge to the present administration therefore, is to provide enabling environment – resources, infrastructure and right policies that would engender growth of good research culture and adequately reward research efforts of members of staff. Doing these would encourage Faculty, professional members of staff and students to work hard to cover the lost ground in research activities and therefore enable our university to compete effectively with highly rated 21st century Universities worldwide.

41. GOD BLESS OUR UNIVERSITY. . THANK YOU