Directorate of University Research Administration

An overview of the Directorate

The need for a veritable institutional arrangement for research management and administration was felt in 2006, when the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. IkennaOnyido, first inaugurated a Committee to draft Research Policy and Plan for the University. Following the approval of this document by both the Senate and Governing Council, a pioneer Director, Prof. Sylvester N. Ibe, FNSAP, RAS, was appointed with effect from March 1, 2007.  The Directorate was thus established.
The Directorate is housed in Room 308, Dr. Alex Ekwueme Building and currently has only three core staff, namely: the Director, Deputy Director and a Clerical Officer.

Duties of the Directorate

These are encapsulated in the Research Policy and Plan and are geared towards realization of a “robust and flexible machinery to drive research efforts in the University and engage researchers in the re-orientation that is needed to implement the paradigm shift involved”.
To achieve the objectives of the Directorate, the following machinery is in place:

• An Organogram, consisting of a University Research Board (URB), with the Vice-Chancellor as chairman;
• A Directorate of University Research Administration (DURA), with a Director;
• Research Programmes, under Research Programme Leaders (RPLs), and
• Research Teams, under Research Team Leaders (RTLs)
• Eleven broad Research Programmes, namely:
  1. Agribusiness and Cooperatives;
  2. Animal Production and improvement;
  3. Crop Production and Improvement;
  4. Agricultural Economics and Resource Management;
  5. Agricultural Extension, Education and Gender Issues;
  6. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering;
  7. Soils, Agro-climatology and Environmental Management;
  8. Food Science, Nutrition and Home Management;
  9. Renewable Resources and Wildlife Management;
  10. Engineering and Information Technology; and
  11. Biological and Physical Sciences.