IAUE Directorate of Research and Development Trains Lecturers on Scholarly Writing and Research Commercialisation

The Directorate of Research and Development, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt, organised a three-day training workshop for lecturers and postgraduate students at the Postgraduate Hall.

The workshop, themed "Advancing Scholarly Writing, Research Commercialisation and Digital Project Supervision," kicked off on Tuesday, October 13, 2026.

Declaring open, Vice-Chancellor, Prof Okechuku Onuchuku, praised Directorate for training programme, which he emphasised is very important for research ethics and growth of academic staff.

He encouraged staff to take advantage of research grants, to partner and collaborate, and to go into consultancy as way of earning additional income and improving society.

He also encouraged those in Environmental Science and Oil and Gas related fields to involve industries in research or work in conjunction with industries for exposure to modern research techniques.

Director of Research and Development, Prof Nduka Wonu, welcomed participants and thanked them for honouring invitation.

He explained workshop would provide opportunity to strengthen lecturers' research capacity, in addition to embracing innovative approaches to academic practice.

He said discussions would focus on supporting students and lecturers to improve academic writing and publication through effective mentorship and development of publication-ready research teams; supervising research projects smarter with digital systems by leveraging digital dashboards, cloud collaboration and project tracking tools; setting standards for responsible and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence to promote academic integrity; and writing concept notes and grant proposals, identifying funding opportunities and building partnerships to strengthen research funding, collaboration, commercialisation and societal impact.

He encouraged all to participate actively, share experiences and apply knowledge in teaching, supervision and research activities.

Earlier, Local Organising Committee Chairperson, Dr Anne Chidinma Williams, hinted workshop would explore practical ways to improve academic writing, develop grant concept notes and proposals, increase visibility of publications, use AI responsibly and strengthen digital research supervision.

Highlights were presentation on "Supporting Students and Colleagues to Improve Academic Writing and Publication" by Dean, Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, Prof Peter Ogochuku Eke; and presentation by Dean, Faculty of Education, Prof Livinus Ogbondah, represented by Dr Princewill Ejekwu, on "Supervising Research Projects Smarter with Digital Systems."