About – Directorate of University Research Administration

The Directorate of University Research Administration (DURA) is the institutional arrangement for Research Management and Administration at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike.

The Directorate was established in 2006 and is housed in Room 308 of Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s building.

The succession of Directors is given as follows:

1. Prof S.N. Ibe (Pioneer Director) 2007- 2012
2. Prof E.C. Nzegbule (Acting Director) 2012 – 2014
3. Prof P.C. Ojimelukwe 2014 – 2020
4. Prof U.K. Oke 2020 – 2022

5. Prof. K J Simonyan 2022 – 2025
6. Prof D. N Onunkwo 2026 – till date

 

Vision:

 To enthrone a functional, sustainable, excellence-driven, and productive research culture

Mission:

i. The University shall prioritise research in the disciplines it offers, notably Agriculture, Humanities, Education, Science, Engineering, Veterinary Medicine, and Management Sciences.
ii. Research project to address activities that solve societal problems and prioritize national needs,
address global realities, and establish the needs of the university’s catchment area. Since its establishment, the Directorate has played a pivotal role in the execution of policies and plans and in the day-to-day activities that drive research at the University.

2. Philosophy and Objectives: The philosophy and objectives of the Directorate are:
i. To establish institutional linkage, to foster collaboration and integration of Training, Research, and
extension activities,
ii. Reviewing the research policy and plan for handling research-related issues and providing mechanisms for enhancing research capacity, research activities, and the funding of research.
iii. Determine research priorities in line with the research focus of the University
iv. Determine the minimum and maximum amount of grant for each research proposal from year to year.
v. Manage the University‘s Research Trust Fund (RTF)
vi. Approve research grant application
vii. Review the research, thrust, focus, and content of research in the University periodically to reflect the University’s overall objectives in a dynamic and ICT-driven society.
The Research Administration in the University consists of the University Research Board (URB) at the
apex, the Directorate of University Research Administration (DURA), the Research Programme (RP), and the Research Team (RT). Currently, there are 16 research programmes available.
An organogram consists of a University Research Board (URB), with the Vice-Chancellor as Chairman; a Directorate of University Research Administration, with a Director, Research Programmes, under Research Programme Leaders (RPLs) and Research Teams, under Research Team Leaders (RTLs). The research administration organogram is shown in Fig. 1.

Figure 1: Research Management in the University

Organization and Management Structure of DURA
The various divisions of the Directorate of University Research Administration (DURA) and their functions

(Fig. 2) are:
i. Research and Training: Maintains and constantly updates a University-wide inventory of equipment
and other research facilities and liaises with researchers to identify their needs to be met from funds for capital development; Organizes research conferences, seminars, and workshops on behalf of the
University, in collaboration with the relevant Colleges/Schools and Departments, among other duties.

ii. Grant Management and Operation: Receive and process research grant applications and progress reports for consideration by the URB; monitor the utilisation of research grants disbursed by the URB; keep track of the number of grants, their worth, and the research projects being carried out. Monitors, evaluates, and reports on projects; when grant reporting and invoicing are dependent on time rather than milestones, the process is direct. Processes and creates a system across the institution that communicates research expectations, progress, and reports to funders. It is usually best to send the reports to the sponsor when submitting required invoices, among other duties.

iii. Grant Financial Management: keeps a record of grant accounting and showcases all information
concerning grants in one place (vendor, grants, recipient, timeline, and financial data); shall use automated systems to analyse, budget, reconcile data, and link with payroll and purchasing systems of the University, among other duties.

Vice-Chancellor/Chairman of Senate

University Research Board (URB)

Directorate of University Research
Administration (DURA)

Research Programmes

Research Teams

iv. Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer, and Commercialization: Facilitates the obtainment
of patents and intellectual property rights and commercialisation for research results, discoveries, designs, etc., generated through research in the University, among other duties.

v. Linkage and Partnership: Facilitates, through strategic support, the prospecting for external support for research by researchers from donors agencies; Prospects for donors to the University & Research Trust Fund, which shall form a long-term source of support for strategic research; Facilitates the forging of linkages between researchers in the University and external bodies; Serves as a liaison between researchers and potential end-users of the results in and outside the University among other duties.

Academic Programmes/Activities of the Directorate
The following are current research programmes at the University:
i. Agribusiness and Cooperatives (ABC)
ii. Animal Production and Improvement (API)
iii. Crop Production, Protection and Improvement (CPI)
iv. Agricultural Economics and Resource Management (ERM)
v. Agricultural Extension and Gender Issues (AEG)
vi. Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (BGE)
vii. Soils, Agrometeorology and Climate Change (SAC)
viii. Food Science, Nutrition, and Home Management (FNH)
ix. Renewable Resources, Wildlife and Environmental Management (RWE)
x. Engineering and Information Communication Technology (EIT)
xi. Biological and Physical Sciences (BPS)
xii. Marketing and Entrepreneurship (MAE)
xiii. Communication, Social Issues, and Leadership (CSL)
xiv. Animal Health and Biomedical (AHB)
xv. Governance, Reporting, and Sustainability (GRS)
xvi. Education and Sustainable Human Development (EHD)
Each programme constitutes itself into teams to carry out Research on different aspects of the broad research programme.

Other activities of the Directorate include:
1. Focused research activities for product development and optimization
2. Building Capacity for Grantsmanship among Researchers in the University
3. Establishment of industrial parks
4. Development of partnerships with industries toward problem-solving and product development
5. Vibrant monitoring and evaluation programme for all research activities
6. Establishment of units for patents and intellectual property rights for research results,
discoveries, designs, etc., generated through Research in the University
7. Linkages for product improvement and protection
8. Funding of Research
9. Undertake other functions assigned to it by the Senate and/or the University Research Board