The Directorate of Research Administration, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), has enlightened the teaching staff of the university on the intricacies of accessing local and global grants.
The event was held on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at the Library Arena, NOUN headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.
Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration, Prof. Issac Butswat, stated that global and local grants are topical and should be on the hearts of every academician.
"In academics you either publish or you perish. You must all know how to access grants and how to go into partnership.
”We need to win grants and how to do that is something that we have to train and retrain ourselves and share experiences,” he said.
The facilitator, Prof. Hakeem l. Tijani, while addressing the importance of grants, stressed on collaboration between teaching and non-teaching staff towards ensuring an easy access to both local and global grants.
Tijani said "Before applying for such grants, adequate preparation should be the very first step of an applicant.
”You can never over prepare; the models of VC, Prof. Olufemi Peters, are preparation, time consciousness, diligent and result-oriented, which have shaped the research policy of the university."
According to him, it is not all about TETfund when it has to do with grants for scholarships but integrity should also be contained while applying for such grants.
“Fake documents and plagiarism should be avoided while applying for grants.
“What can easily hinder some of your applications or proposals is lack of integrity, which has been the reason why most applications are declined,” he said.
The facilitator added that proximity is also a key factor; the deadline of every advertisement on scholarship should be emphasised. While applying for Petroleum Technology Development Funds (PTDFs) or Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), go to their website and apply and do not wait for adverts only.
"You don't have to wait for anyone, just Google all the above mentioned scholarships and lot more," he said.
Tijani urged participants to critically think on how they can add value to the the university as staff.
On his part, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, expressed his happiness with the attendance, saying that "We are happy that the presentation has been done but we will get a group of them and action will be taken by management in collaboration with the enlisted scholarship scheme".
The Director, Directorate of Research Administration, Prof. Sam Ayodele, in his remarks, appreciated the facilitator for the presentation.
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