DRER 2024 REPORT

INTRODUCTION

The Directorate of Research and External Relations (DRER) was conceptualised and birth vid a Management decision on 5^th February, 2019 to merge the erstwhile Linkages and External Relation Unit with the Research arm of Directorate of Academic Planning, Quality Assurance and Research (DAPQAR) to form a broad based and inter-related unit; which, while being the interface between the University and the outside world would also expose academic and by extension university at large to the world’s best practises, especially in Research.

FOREWORD:

In line with the Directorate of Research External Relations best practises, the Directorate stands on two major pivots:

• Research, which encompasses academic staff, non-teaching staff as well as students and
•  External Relations which include collaborations and building relationships that are beneficial to the University.

The Present Staff Members are:

Prof. Samuel.E.Oladipo                                  Director

Prof. Adefunke Ekine                                     Deputy Director

Mrs. Funmilola Bola Lawal-Adenuga           PAR/Secretary

Mrs. Temitope. M. Oduwole                         Senior Assistant Registrar

Mr. Owolabi. A. Agoro                                   Senior Clerical Officer

Mr. Adebola Adesanya                                 Driver

The year 2024 started with a lot of hopes and planning of higher and better achievements in the Directorate. Meetings were held and plans were made to organise series of trainings for both teaching and Non-teaching staff to improve the quality of the University workforce and to be able to achieve goals higher than previous years in the Directorate.  

To the Glory of God, the Directorate successfully co-hosted a two-day workshop on Concept Note writing in partnership with DlaDeRC. Focusing on Grant writing, securing funding, and rewarding scholarly career in Africa.

BUILDING A REWARDABLE SCHOLARLY CAREER IN AFRICA:

The 2-day workshop was held between February 15^th and 16^th February, 2024 with engaging and interactive sessions.

It was designed to address a pressing concern among African scholars and researchers, the workshop tackled the fundamental question. “How Do I lead A Fulfilling Scholar Life”?

Building on the expertise of the African Scholars Mentorship Network (ASMN), facilitated by DePECOS Institution and Development Research Centre (DlaDERC) under the motto “Honing Knowledge for Transforming Lives”, the workshop aimed to equip participants with tailored strategies for developing competitive grant proposals aligned with their research passions and career objectives.

This Transformative workshop was geared towards empowering research practitioners, post graduate students, post-doctoral researchers, and early career scholars. It was aimed at empowering them with advanced toolkits and techniques to craft grant proposals and publish attention-grabbing and impactful journal articles and academic papers.

CONSTITUTION OF IBR PROPOSAL SELECTION COMMITTEE

A committee on Tetfund Research Proposal and Selection was constituted by the Management to carry out specific roles concerning Tetfund call for Research proposals, especially Institutional Based Research (IBR).

IN-HOUSE TRAINING

The Directorate hosted an in-house training on crafting concept note for Institution Based Research fund (IBR) proposals on 29^th February, 2024. Following the training, proposals were submitted and rigorously reviewed by the committee in charge.

The outcome was impressive, 34 proposals were forwarded to TETFUND with 33 securing approval and only one proposal was rejected based on time frame that exceeded 12 months which was the stipulated period for the conduct of IBR.

Building on the success of the first training, the Directorate organised a second in-house training on concept note writing for the National Research Fund (NRF) on 19^th September, 2024. This targeted training empowered participants with the skills and expertise needed to craft compelling NRF proposals.

THE DIRECTORATE OWNS AN ACCOUNT

The Directorate successfully opened its own bank account, overcoming a longstanding challenge that had persisted for several years. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the Directorate’s operational efficiency and financial management capabilities.

CONCLUSION

Although the Directorate faced challenges in achieving all its set objectives, significant progress was made. In conclusion, the Directorate impact was profoundly felt across the university, and we give thanks to God for the accomplishments of the past year. With faith and optimism, we eagerly look forward to even greater achievements for the Directorate in 2025

Prof. S.E. Oladipo

Director, Research and External Relations