BUK VC Charges Heads of Research Centres …Introduces Start up Grants
Vice Chancellor Professor Sagir Adamu Abbas has urged the Heads of Research Centres at the University to develop strategies for enhancing their activity and effective functioning in line with their mandates.
UmarFarouk123 
On Tuesday, July 11th, 2023, Prof. Abbas welcomed participants and mentioned that it was the first time all research centers would gather to establish a shared purpose. He highlighted the challenge of sustaining BUK's status as a top institution in teaching and research. Some centers have achieved notable breakthroughs, elevating BUK's global recognition, while others struggle to define their relevance within the University. Prof. Abbas emphasized that the heads of Research Centers must either step up or face consequences.
He pointed out that World Bank-funded centers are excelling, leading the University to introduce a startup capital of 500,000 Naira to incentivize others. The Vice Chancellor urged all centers to develop research agendas. Funding decisions will be based on key indicators, evaluated by a 5-member committee led by the DVC of Research and Development. Other members include the directors of CDA, ACEPHAP, and DRIP. Prof. Abbas concluded by urging all centers to formulate their research agendas.
Prof. Abbas called on the performing centers such as CDA, ACEPHAP, and Center for Infectious Diseases Research to assist other centers to achieve their goals and set targets.
Earlier, the Deputy Director, DRIP, Dr. M M. Maina, in his presentation titled “Repositioning Research Centers for Effective Operation,” said what makes an institution different from others is the result of its mission, vision, strategies, policies, positions, and culture because they are what collectively shape the character of an organization.
He defined the research ecosystem as a community of researchers that interact with one another, their environment, and other stakeholders. He said for a research ecosystem to evolve, sharing of knowledge is key as the abiotic component of a biological system.
According to him, the innovation ecosystem models the economic dynamics of the complex relationship between entities to enable technology development and innovation.
He described the entrepreneurship ecosystem as a set of interdependent actors or factors coordinated to enable productive entrepreneurship within a particular territory.
The Director DRIP, Prof. I. A. Rufa’i, called on all research centers to form a forum with multidisciplinary research groups which will be creative and innovative, adding that the University management has given its commitment to support all the centers.
