…As Okpara varsity gives tips on winning grants

By Steve Oko

Scholars have decried the lack of adequate funding for research works in Nigeria, describing it as a major impediment to scientific findings for national development.

The scholars who gathered at a “Winning Grant Proposal Writing Workshop”, organised by the Directorate of University Research Administration, (DURA), Michael Okpara University Of Agriculture, Umudike, called on Government and donor agencies to make adequate budgetary provisions for research development.

Experts who spoke at the three-day workshop educated participants on how to write research proposals that could attract grants, offered holistic methodologies in winning research sponsorship.

Participants were equally taught  the codes 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.

The scholars noted that while universities all over the world serve as the source for research -based scientific findings, low investment in research in Nigeria has negated such expectations.

The experts who called for attitudenal change towards funding for research works, 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 grant.

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.