KIU, Western Campus – On Thursday, April 4th, 2024, the office of the Deputy Director for Research organized a successful sensitization session on research, publication and grants. The session was held at the Post Graduate Boardroom, KIU Western Campus.

The session is meant for the Associate Deans for Research and Departmental Research Coordinators from all Faculties and Schools, and was organized by Dr. Paul-Chima Ugwu Okechukwu, the Head of Publications and Extensions.

The sensitization was attended the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) of KIU Western Campus, Assoc. Prof. Eric Mabonga, the Assistant DVC for Academics and Research, Dr. Ibrahim Babangida and the Deputy Director for Grants, Dr. Shanthi Sabbarayan, among others. 

Assoc. Prof. Mabonga thanked Dr. Okechukwu for organizing the event and stated that any lively university should always have seminars and workshops.

“All members have knowledge and expertise, so all faculties and schools should initiate seminars because knowledge helps us all when it is shared,” he said.

“We should also embrace collaborations because they lead to inter-disciplinary research as we work with people from other fields,” he added.

Dr. Babangida talked about the importance of the Associate Deans for Research and Research Coordinators, saying that they coordinate the Faculty/Schools and Departments respectively.

“We want articles from you. By the end of May, we expect draft manuscripts. The Directorate of Higher Degrees and Research will help you to choose research topics” he added.

Dr. Okechukwu presented on “cross-cutting research” and explained that it was important because some disciplines are more advantaged than others in terms of research and therefore all need to collaborate to do research which spans various fields.

Dr. Sabbarayan assured the participants that her office has been mobilizing funds around the world for the past 15 months and told them that Uganda has a location advantage which they should try to utilize.

She also stressed the need to do research that provides an innovative solution to an existing problem if one is to have a chance of receiving research grants.

This sensitization follows after the faculty sensitization on research and publication that was held on January 22nd.