ORID Holds Dissemination Workshop on Draft Industry Engagement Strategy

Professor George Obeng Adjei, Director, ORID

The Office of Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) has organised an event to share an Industry Engagement Strategy, aimed at promoting research, innovation and development. The event which brought together participants from industry, academia and policy makers, sought to share an outline and approach aimed at promoting the University’s engagement with industry and the utilisation of research for economic growth and development.  The meeting was held at the MJ Grand Hotel, East Legon, Accra on Thursday 14th November 2019.

In his opening remarks, the Director of Research, Professor George Obeng Adjei on behalf of Professor Francis Dodoo, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development, welcomed participants to the event. He referred to ORID’s strategic position and role in contributing to the attainment of the University’s vision of becoming a world-class research-intensive university. He remarked that industry engagement is critical to the University’s journey to achieve its vision and acknowledged that academia is progressively focusing on impactful research with real life applications that will provide innovative solutions to the country’s development challenges and the world at large.

Professor Obeng Adjei noted that the Industry Engagement Strategy proposed a three-pronged approach that will be adopted in promoting university industry partnerships/ collaborations, to focus on our valued stakeholders (researchers; students; local Ghanaian industries, the private sector and Government).

Mrs. Diana Adobea Owusu Antwi and Mrs. Mammie Hutchful Nortey, Research Development Officers at ORID, gave a brief background of the strategy, stating it was in line with the University’s strategic objective to Establish University-Industry partnerships to promote research in areas of industrial/national interest”.

Mrs. Mammie Hutchful Nortey in her presentation

Mrs.  Nortey highlighted some of the approaches by which the University engaged industry; i.e. consultancy services, contract research, technology transfer, collaborative research, internships, workshops, business incubation, staff development among others. She also highlighted some support services ORID will provide to stakeholders to promote and sustain the strategic partnerships to be formed.

Mrs. Diana Owusu Antwi shared the results of a stakeholder assessment undertaken to gather perspectives on university industry partnerships (i.e. factors that impede or promote university industry partnerships, changes required at the institutional and national level to promote university industry partnerships), and to inform the development of the strategy.

Mrs. Diana Owusu Antwi, Research Development Officer, ORID

The presentations were followed by questions and answers and small group discussions, aimed at interrogating the draft strategy and generating fresh ideas to improve the strategy. This was led by Dr. Mawuli Reuben Coffie, the Resource Person.

Dr. Mawuli Reuben Coffie; Resource Person

Section of participants at the event

Professor Obeng Adjei in his closing remarks, hoped that the recommendations made will be incorporated in the strategy to be used and implemented as a blue print for the University’s industry engagements. He was optimistic that the long-term strategic partnerships between the University and industry will help to promote research in areas of industrial and national interest, promote innovation and advance knowledge, and generate income through commercialization to facilitate access to research support from local companies to stimulate Ghana’s economic growth and development.

This programme was supported by the International Research and Exchanges Board.

Group Photograph of Participants