IUO Webinar Charges Postgraduate Researchers to Break Silos and Drive Real-World Impact
The Vice-Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, PhD, FAS, and Policy Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in Addis Ababa, Prof. Jerome Afeikhena, have charged postgraduate researchers to break down research silos, embrace meaningful collaboration and translate academic knowledge into practical solutions to pressing societal challenges.
Philip22
The Vice-Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO), Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, PhD, FAS, and Policy Officer of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations in Addis Ababa, Prof. Jerome Afeikhena, have charged postgraduate researchers to break down research silos, embrace meaningful collaboration and translate academic knowledge into practical solutions to pressing societal challenges.
The charge was given on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during a one-day high-level postgraduate webinar held at the university’s Library Conference Hall.
The hybrid event, themed “Re-Enacting Research Culture: From Curiosity to Innovation,” brought together academics and postgraduate students to examine practical approaches to strengthening research culture and ensuring that research findings move beyond academic circles into real-world application.
In his paper titled “Advancing Research Through Collaboration: Collaboration as a Connected Capability, Institutional Strength and Societal Impact,” Prof. Ezemonye explained that the interconnected nature of contemporary challenges in climate, health, food security, energy, waste management and digital systems requires equally interconnected research responses.
He noted that collaboration enables researchers to access specialised expertise, equipment, data and technical support that may be beyond the capacity of individual researchers, while also improving the quality, visibility and practical relevance of research outputs.
The Vice-Chancellor urged postgraduate students to cultivate strong working relationships with their supervisors and peers, actively participate in research groups and communities of practice, embrace interdisciplinary approaches and develop relevant digital and technical skills.
He also encouraged them to pursue joint publications, collaborative grants and research exchange programmes while deliberately building professional academic networks.
Prof. Ezemonye called on university management to dismantle institutional barriers to collaboration by prioritising research missions, funding shared research platforms, aligning reward systems with collaborative achievements and strengthening support structures for grants, data management, legal issues, technology transfer and research communication.
Delivering the keynote address titled “Translating Research into Societal Impact,” Prof. Jerome Afeikhena described postgraduate research as one of the largest reservoirs of untapped problem-solving capacity.
He expressed concern that a significant amount of valuable research continues to remain in academic archives without reaching policymakers, practitioners and communities that could benefit from the findings.
Emphasising that “knowledge is not the same as change,” Prof. Jerome said publication should be regarded as a milestone rather than the final destination of research.
He outlined five critical stages in the research-to-impact journey:
- Discovery
- Translation
- Engagement
- Adoption
- Societal impact
According to him, translation and sustained stakeholder engagement are the most decisive phases in moving research from academia into practical action.
He identified poor communication of research findings, publication-driven incentive systems, weak relationships between researchers and end-users, and mismatches between research outputs and decision-making windows as some of the major barriers to achieving research impact.
To address these challenges, Prof. Jerome advocated co-producing research with intended users from the outset and developing accessible policy briefs, datasets and dashboards.
He also encouraged researchers to deliberately align their research outputs with government budget cycles, legislative calendars and other important decision-making windows.
The FAO policy officer further urged researchers to redefine success beyond publications and citations by tracking policy influence, programme and regulatory changes, practitioner adoption, as well as measurable improvements in welfare, cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Earlier in the programme, the Dean of the School of Postgraduate Studies and Research, Prof. Deborah Omosefe Odejimi, stressed that universities must move beyond teaching and awarding academic qualifications.
She called on postgraduate students and researchers to ensure that their theses, dissertations and projects generate practical outcomes, including innovations, sound policies, viable businesses, improved professional practices and meaningful community development.
Prof. Odejimi maintained that research success should be measured not only by publications and citations but also by its capacity to improve lives, create jobs, influence policy and address critical challenges in healthcare, education, poverty reduction, food security, energy and technology.
The two scholars concluded by urging postgraduate researchers to make collaboration and research translation integral components of their academic work.
Prof. Ezemonye summarised the central message of the webinar in three imperatives: “Connect what you have. Build what you lack. Translate what you know.”
