By Suzan Edeh,,Bauchi
The Vice-Chancellor of Sa’adu Zungur University (SAZU), Professor Fatimah Tahir, has charged academic researchers to transcend theoretical exercises and focus on industry-driven studies to accelerate national growth.
She gave the charge during the closing ceremony of a three-day training workshop on research administration, collaboration, and commercialization held at the university’s main campus in Bauchi.
The event aimed to boost academic-industry partnerships and enhance the institution’s impact on societal progress and economic growth.
Professor Tahir stated that laboratory findings must no longer be confined to campus archives. Instead, they must actively target and solve pressing economic and societal challenges.
She urged scholars to utilize commercialization strategies to ensure their innovations reach the consumer market and improve livelihoods and reaffirmed the institution’s commitment to staff development, innovation, and academic excellence through continuous capacity-building programmes.
Professor Tahir urged participants to leverage the acquired knowledge to enhance their research capacity, noting that such skills are vital to driving the growth of both the university and the wider society
As part of the closing ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor presented certificates of appreciation to facilitators and certificates of participation to some participants in recognition of their contributions and commitment throughout the workshop.
Earlier in his remarks, the Director of CERI, Dr. Usman Waziri, explained that the workshop was organized on the directive of the Vice-Chancellor to extend the knowledge acquired by beneficiaries of previous TETFund-sponsored trainings to other members of staff of the University.
Dr. Waziri disclosed that no fewer than 64 academic staff drawn from various faculties and departments participated in the workshop, alongside external participants from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Aminu Sale College of Education, and Federal University of Health Sciences.
According to him, the workshop was fully sponsored by the University as part of efforts to strengthen research administration, promote innovation, improve academia-industry collaboration, and enhance the visibility and competitiveness of the institution among its counterparts.
The workshop featured presentations by experts on various topics including University-Community Partnership, Accelerating Innovation in Universities, Managing Change as an Agent, Research Administration, Research Commercialization, Managing Academia-Industry Collaboration, Triple Helix, Leveraging Emotional Intelligence, and Building Research Partnerships and Collaborations.
Participants also engaged in interactive sessions and group presentations designed to assess their understanding of the concepts discussed during the training.
Stakeholders at the workshop observed that research for development remains essential in addressing societal challenges and promoting economic growth, stressing that stronger collaboration between academia, industry, and communities would significantly contribute to sustainable development.
