As part of efforts to promote research and drive the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) research-intensive agenda, the University has opened the KNUST Research Week on Monday, 29th May 2023 at the Great Hall. The week-long celebration is on the theme: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Science and Technology for a Sustainable Future. The KNUST Research Week will see a scientific conference, the Office of Grants and Research (OGR) 10th Anniversary, Symposium, and the Research Excellence Awards.
In her opening address, the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, said the brand name, KNUST or Tek in the minds of many Ghanaians across the globe is synonymous with research, technology, and manpower training. Consequently, the University has over the past seven decades of its existence played a significant role as a trailblazer in the socio-economic development of Ghana, Africa, and many other nations in the areas of teaching, research, and community service. She noted that the impact of these activities of the University on the lives of people has been very significant and monumental and commended all staff and partners for their efforts in carving an enviable brand name for the University. Professor (Mrs.) Dickson added that while implementing this research agenda, KNUST continues to train and equip students with the relevant skills in the process. She observed that as a result of advancement in science and technology, there is the internet, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and robotics, genetic engineering, and augmented reality labs, among others. These changes are occasioned by research and development which must, of necessity, influence the way we do things as a concerned Global Institution. It is, therefore, in response to these changes and in our attempt to encourage research and development that the KNUST Research Week is being organised on the chosen theme.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the theme reflects the University’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals and the application of multidisciplinary research for national and global development. She noted that the University continues to invest in research infrastructure, internal research funding, staff development and enhanced research management systems and processes. She revealed that the University has awarded nearly 150 grants to staff over the past eight (8) years to conduct exploratory and multidisciplinary research across all disciplines through the KNUST Research Fund (KReF). In addition, the University is home to several Research Centres including three African Centres of Excellence – the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre, Kumasi (RWESCK), the Regional Transport Research and Education Centre, Kumasi (TRECK) as well as the KNUST Engineering Education Project (KEEP). She also announced the establishment of the Young Researchers Forum, a deliberate plan to strengthen the capacity of early career researchers through tailored training programmes and the assignment of mentors to guide them.
Giving an overview of the event, the Director of the OGR, Professor Philip Antwi-Agyei, said the OGR is celebrating its 10th Anniversary as part of Research Week. The OGR was established in 2013 under the Office of the Vice-Chancellor to promote and facilitate research activities at KNUST through the provision of research management services. The Director of OGR continued that as a service provider, the Office provides pre- and post-grant management support through the identification of funding sources, guidance and assistance in proposal preparation, proposal submission, grant agreements processing and oversight. Professor Antwi-Agyei stated that his Outfit also administers the University’s internal research fund, the KNUST Research Fund (KReF), which promotes the dissemination of the University’s research outputs and undertakes capacity-building activities to improve research and grantsmanship. He also added that the OGR has grown from a central office with three members of staff to a network of central and six college offices with 13 members of staff.
Delivering a keynote address on: “Succeeding in Innovative Research in a Resource Constrained Context,” the Rector of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Professor Richard M. K. Adanu, advised researchers to embrace teamwork as one cannot do successive innovative research on their own to win grants. He, therefore, called on researchers to identify students and other researchers who have the same research interests and ethical values to collaborate for success. Professor Adanu cited the lack of a research fund as one of the biggest challenges to innovative research in Ghana as well as other low/middle-income economies, unlike advanced countries where there exist institutions which fund research for national development. According to Professor Adanu, the problem with Ghana is not poverty but misplaced national priorities. “If our government cannot create a national research funding agency, then they need to create a business environment to force them to set up research funding agencies” he added. He stated that in advanced countries, there exist legal instruments by the state, which mandate or force businesses and wealthy individuals to set up or support research funding institutions and charities. These funding partners are granted tax reliefs and some incentives, and their operations are regulated by the government. The Rector of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons advised researchers on the need for them to explore alternative sources of funding for their research. Staff should be able to benefit from external grants from other countries, especially start-up researchers. He also encouraged researchers to learn to invest part of their incomes in their research activities and also publish in reputable journals and attend conferences.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Enterprises Agency, Dr. Kosi Yankey-Ayeh, in her submission on the Future of Entrepreneurship, also called for teamwork and urged researchers to look into entrepreneurship as entrepreneurship is the future . She called for the commercialisation of innovative KNUST research and making them relevant to society as the best way to showcase KNUST to the world for sustainable entrepreneurship. Especially at a time when the world is confronted with issues of food security, climate change, migration, pandemics, artificial intelligence, unemployment, deforestation, among others to create a sustainable future for the present and generations to come.
Launching the 10th Anniversary of the OGR, the Chairman of the Governing Council of KNUST, Ambassador Nana Effah-Appenteng, said the theme for the Week Celebration is appropriate as we are in changing times with issues of pandemic, climate change, and environmental degradation such as galamsey and soaring unemployment. He said research must solve society’s problems and hoped the discussions at the symposium in the subsequent days will see the experts deliberate such issues and discuss the University’s efforts at addressing societal challenges. Ambassador Effah-Appenteng, the Special Guest of Honour, said the University Council recognised research as a scholarly exercise and pledged the Council’s support to Management in the research agenda initiative. He further charged Management to increase the support to young researchers.
The KNUST Research Week will provide an opportunity for KNUST staff and students to engage with other academics, practitioners, policymakers, industrial partners, and beneficiaries to promote, enrich, grow, and enhance the relevance of our research.