The Vice Chancellor Prof. Isaac Ipara odeo hosted a breakfast meeting for the KIBU Research Crack team on Monday 16th December 2024 at the VC’s boardroom.
This was the second meeting for the Team which had been formed to spearhead action research and grant proposal development at the University. The meeting comes at a time when the University is winding up the semester for Christmas holidays therefore a critical time for reflection.
In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor observed that currently, a lot of discussions are being held by various stakeholders in the higher education space and it’s all about redefining the research agenda in our universities. He cited the National Commission for Science, Technology & Innovation (NACOSTI), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Association of Common Wealth Universities (ACU) as some of the dedicated research funding organizations that have intensified their support for research with a resolve to providing workable solutions to current societal challenges.
The meeting provided the researchers with an opportunity to brainstorm on the challenges the University is facing in realizing its research goals ranging from; inadequate funding; inadequacies in curriculum; the need for generative research; over-focus on theoretical approaches as opposed to skills and practical approaches.
“There’s a need to bolster university-industry linkages where projects undertaken in the universities can be funded and technically supported by industry players. This way we would realize entrepreneurship by faculty and commercialization of research for sustainability,” the VC remarked.
He acknowledged that the Crack Team’s efforts have yielded impressive results so far. This year alone, the University attracted funding to the tune of KES 300 million, included in this funding being 4 PhD scholarships.
However, during the meeting, it was that research grants are becoming very competitive, with an increasing interest in global funding. To tackle this challenge, the University has fully subscribed to various research grant-harvesting support organizations, such as WAITRO, ACU, and the Research Beeline, which we should use to harness research opportunities.
