On Friday, February 17th, 2023, the Innovation and Advanced Science Research Group (IASRG) of Summit University, Offa, Kwara State (SUN, Offa) welcomed three representatives from Landmark University, Omu Aran, Kwara State.
After a brief introduction of the teams, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abiodun Musa Aibinu, expressed his delight that Nigerian institutions are now embracing research and grant writing. He reiterated that the collaboration is part of the KU8 initiative among universities in Kwara State.
Additionally, Prof. Musa Aibinu expressed his appreciation to his counterpart, the Vice-Chancellor of Landmark University, Omu-Aran, Prof. C. O. Aremu, for conceiving the idea of the Grantsmanship training, supporting and mobilizing the two teams for the training, and extending the olive branch of collaboration to Summit University, Offa, Kwara State.
Furthermore, he gave an overview of Grantsmanship as the art of acquiring financial grants through the process of grant writing. “If you are interested in writing award winning research proposal for funding, note that Grantsmanship is a learned skill that involves grant applications, manuals of procedures, and peer-reviewed journals,” said Professor Aibinu.
Afterwards, he handed over the floor to the team members to relay their experiences with writing research proposals for funding. They all affirmed in one voice that seeking grant through research proposal writing is a life-changing skill that exposes them to new possibilities and offers a positive impact on their community.
They also appreciated the ever-revered Vice-Chancellor for his mentorship and guidance, through which they were able to achieve countless feats such as winning their first grant: Artificial Intelligence for Females in STEM (AI4FS), sponsored by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAENG), United Kingdom, publishing journal papers, and actively participating in writing more grants in hopes of more wins.
SUN, Offa team members also took the guests through the preparation and writing process of ongoing calls for proposal from sponsoring organizations like TETFUND, NCC, and CODESRIA, amongst others.
Participating members from the two universities thereafter commenced activities towards the development of award-winning proposals for submission under the 2023 NCC call for research proposals among academia.