UEW-DRID Holds Seminar on Research Grant Writing
The Directorate of Research, Innovation, and Development (DRID), University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has organised a day’s seminar on grant writing for faculty, senior members in administration, students, and other staff of the university.
The workshop, which sought to build expertise in that field, was on the theme "Building Research Capacity and Grant Capture Opportunities in UEW." It was held at the Mini-Conference Hall at the North Campus of UEW.
Speaking at the event, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Prof. Andy Ofori-Birikorang, who also served as the Chair for the occasion, said that research is the anchor of all academic activities, hence the programme to help strengthen the capacity of personnel at the university to lead the charge.
Prof. Ofori-Birikorang indicated that mastering grant writing skills is like "killing two birds with one stone,” since it both generates funding and encourages the publication of research that expands the boundaries of knowledge. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor thus called on the university community to develop a keen interest in research and grant writing to put the university on the global map as a hub for research.
The Deputy Director of DRID, Dr. Bernard B. B. Bingab, expressed his outfit's belief in the essence of the theme to delving deeper insights into grant writing competencies to spark the interest of participants and members of the university community in writing grant proposals.
He underlined that his outfit is charged with enhancing staff involvement in grant writing and research publication within the institution, overseeing the relationship between donors and the university, and acting as the facilitator for all matters pertaining to research.
The main facilitator for the programme, Prof. Ruth Swanwick, Director of Research and Innovation at the School of Education, University of Leeds, UK, walked participants through the essential elements of grant capture prospects. She explained that grant writing thrives in a dynamic research environment that promotes interdisciplinary study, leading to the development of novel ideas and ways to problem-solving. She added that the environment must also be conducive for addressing challenges at the regional, national and global levels.
Prof. Ruth Swanwick also emphasised that universities, in their bid to enhance grant capture, must develop their resource centres to stimulate applications to generate research funding and identify internal funding sources to support all research activities. She said that it could be done through developing outward engagement activities and cross-school and faculty initiatives to support grant writing.
She underscored the need for researchers to form collaborations and partnerships with other research institutions as a veritable approach to grant capture opportunities.
Prof. Swanwick described effective networking procedures between departments and within the community, as well as mentorship programmes with hierarchical structures as the guaranteed pathway for developing grant writing proposals.
