FUNAAB VC Charges Newly Appointed IFSERAR Research Fellows on Ethics and Impactful Research

The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Prof. Babatunde Kehinde, has urged newly appointed Research Fellows of the Institute of Food Security, Environmental Resources and Agricultural Research (IFSERAR) to uphold the highest standards of ethics, professionalism, and integrity in all research activities.

The directive was conveyed on Monday, December 22, 2025, through the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Prof. Olusegun Idowu.

Prof. Kehinde congratulated the Fellows on their appointments, describing them as recognition of their academic excellence and potential to drive innovation, research advancement, and national development. He emphasized that the Fellows are joining a scholarly community founded on intellectual rigour, honesty, and accountability, urging them to prioritize these values in all aspects of research, particularly data collection, analysis, and publication.

Highlighting the Institute’s mandate, the Vice-Chancellor stated that IFSERAR is established to tackle critical challenges in food security, environmental sustainability, and agricultural development, and charged the Fellows to produce research outputs with tangible local and national impact. He further encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration, mentorship, and continuous professional development, stressing the importance of delivering research milestones on schedule.

Earlier, Prof. Kazeem Bello, Director of IFSERAR, presented “Revitalising IFSERAR: FUNAAB’s World-Class Status—Our Focus,” outlining the Institute’s mandate to conduct and coordinate world-class research and disseminate outputs to end-users via the Agricultural Media Resources and Extension Centre (AMREC). Prof. Bello highlighted the Institute’s integrated agricultural research strategy, aimed at innovation, commercialisation, and economic growth, aligned with national food security priorities and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. He called for improved coordination, stronger academia–industry collaboration, and enhanced public awareness of IFSERAR’s capabilities.

Also addressing the Fellows, Prof. Victor Olowe, former Director of AMREC, provided an overview of IFSERAR’s history, programmes, and the roles of Research Fellows. He explained that the Institute operates eight core programmes covering aquaculture and fisheries, agricultural mechanisation and energy, biosciences, crop production, environmental resources and conservation, food and nutrition, livestock production, and socio-economics.

Prof. Olowe detailed the responsibilities of Research Fellows, which include proposal development, project monitoring, grant management, research dissemination, limited teaching and supervision, and regular reporting to the Director. He also offered practical guidance on achieving success, visibility, and impact in research, encouraging Fellows to contribute meaningfully to FUNAAB’s mission of innovation, sustainable agriculture, and national development.

The session reaffirmed FUNAAB’s commitment to cultivating a world-class research environment through IFSERAR, ensuring that Fellows serve as ambassadors of excellence for the University.