About Us

Welcome to the Directorate of Research, Partnerships and Innovation!

The Directorate was created to coordinate, monitor and provide for an enabling environment for quality university-wide, innovative and multi-disciplinary research. As a university we need to contribute, beyond teaching and learning, to engage in research and scholarship, discovery and creativity and service and outreach to community. Research contributes directly to economic development of a nation, clinical, commercial, and business opportunities. It is key in advancing society, driving innovation, strengthening an economy and addressing the confounding and pressing problems we face nationally and globally.

To bridge the gap between research and practice, research funders are requesting more interdisciplinary and collaborative research, which brings the need for partners. Further, many research areas deal with aspects related to the transfer of knowledge and use of research findings for improving community. The Directorate is at the heart of linking its researchers with the much-needed stakeholders in the productive sector at every level, from big industry, producers to medium and small-scale enterprises. We also aim to build and support innovative capacity-building programmes and centres that respond to the industry and community needs.

Specifically, the Directorate is charged with the following responsibilities:

1. Provide strategic direction in research to the University through the provision of effective enabling environment
2. Strengthen research competence and expertise of its scholars and faculty by providing capacity building in research through research workshops and seminars.
3. Coordinate the administration of research funds and research contracts
4. Ensure that the research activities of faculty are closely coordinated with the budgetary, human resources, and operational elements of all approved research activities
5. Spearhead resource mobilization initiatives
6. Oversee ethical research review committees
7. Ensure compliance by researchers with institutional ethics requirements
8. Draw the needed expertise that exists locally and globally to ensure relevance of research outcomes for long-term growth.
9. Ensure the preparation and production of research agenda and reports and other research publications in collaboration with faculty;
10. Disseminate research outputs