Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Experts at a “Winning Grant Proposal Writing Workshop” organised by the Directorate of University Research Administration, (DURA), Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, have offered holistic methodologies in winning research grants.
This is as they decried insufficient funding for research works in Nigeria, describing it as a major set back to scientific findings for national development.
The scholars noted that while countries and companies depend on universities for research findings for development, in Nigeria lack of adequate funding for research findings, has remained a major barrier.
They, however, advised beneficiaries of research grants to strictly use the attracted funds for research purposes in order not to defeat the goals and objectives of the grants.
The experts called on Government and donor agencies invest more in research development.
Participants at the workshop were taught the code of conduct guiding research proposal writing, the issues relating to intellectual property, risk analysis, and risk mitigation in grant writing, amongst other inevitable methodologies.
They were also taught budget management, monitoring, and evaluations in grant proposals.
Declaring the workshop open, the Director of DURA, Professor K. J. Simonyan, defined research as “a careful and detailed study of a specific problem using scientific method to meet institutional and national development.”
According to him, research not only encourages creativity and objectivity but also central to quality teaching, publications, and career fulfillment.
He said that the realisation that considerable knowledge and skills in proposal writing were indispensable in winning grants for research development underscored the need for the workshop.
Some of the topics presented at the workshop and the various resource persons included: “Searching for Grant Awarding Institutions” by Dr Charles Nkwoala; “Research Ethics, Experimental Design, and Workplan” by Dr D. N. Njoku; and “Key Features and Structure of Winning Grant Proposal” by Dr. Eni Oko.
Others were “Arts of Grantsmanship/Building Research Team and Research Focus Areas” by Prof. Emeka Oguzie; “Linkage, Collaboration, and Partnership in Research and Proposal Writing” by Prof. G. I. Onwuka; “Literature Review and Theoretical Framework” delivered by Prof. Ike Nwachukwu; and “Developing a Grant Winning Proposal and Realistic Budget’ presented by an Associate Partner from Sahel Consulting, Mr. Chinedu Agbara.
The workshop was organised in partnership with the Centre of Excellence in Root Crop Research and Development; Centre for Gender, Youth and Child Development; and MOUAU TETFUND.
It attracted some principal officers of the university, Deans of Colleges, Heads of Departments, Directors from various Directorates in the university, and some research scholars from outside the institution.
