The Directorate of Research serves as the engine that drives the university’s knowledge creation, innovation and academic advancement. We coordinate, support and promote high-quality research across all faculties, ensuring that our scholars have the guidance, resources and enabling environment required to pursue impactful inquiry.
Our work involves strengthening research capacity, fostering collaborations, managing grants and ethics processes, and enhancing the visibility of the university’s scholarly outputs. Through strategic initiatives and continuous engagement with researchers, we help transform ideas into solutions that address societal needs and contribute to national and global development.
Our History
The Directorate of Research emerged from the need to coordinate, standardize, and strengthen the University’s research culture in accordance with its philosophical mandate as a developmental university. Before its establishment, research activities were largely decentralized, managed individually by departments, faculties, and colleges without a unified institutional framework.
Following Senate approval of the University Research Policy on 1st September 2014, the University formalized an integrated governance structure for research. This policy marked a major turning point, providing the foundation for the Directorate of Research. The policy articulated the University’s commitment to building a dynamic academic culture that stimulates excellence in research, innovation, and knowledge production aligned with OOU’s motto: Excellentia Humana Et Patriae Opus.
To operationalise this vision, the Senate mandated the creation of institutional organs such as the University Research and Learned Conference Committee (URLCC), the Research Ethics Sub-Committee, and the Innovation and Incubation Unit. Over time, these research-related structures were consolidated under a single coordinating body—the Directorate of Research—tasked with integrating research planning, grants management, ethics oversight, capacity building, innovation, and monitoring functions.
Today, the Directorate serves as the central administrative unit responsible for translating the University’s research policy into practice, strengthening partnerships, supporting academic staff and postgraduate students, and positioning OOU as a competitive research-intensive institution locally and globally.
Our Vision
To be a leading driver of research excellence at Olabisi Onabanjo University, fostering innovative, impactful, and globally relevant scholarship that advances knowledge, transforms society, and contributes to local, national, and international development.
Our Mission
To provide strategic leadership, coordination, and support for high-quality research by enabling a vibrant academic environment, strengthening ethical and professional standards, promoting innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration, enhancing access to research funding, and ensuring that research outputs address societal challenges in line with the University’s mission of excellence in teaching, research, and community service.
Our Responsibilities
Drawing from the OOU Research Policy and general best practices, the Directorate is responsible for the following:
1. Research Coordination and Strategic Development
• Provide institutional leadership for planning, initiating, coordinating, and evaluating research across all Colleges, Faculties, Departments, Institutes, and Centres.
• Develop and periodically review the University Research Agenda to align with developmental priorities at local, national, and global levels.
• Ensure that research activities advance the University’s strategic goals and mission.
2. Research Grants and Aids Management
• Identify, publicize, and facilitate access to internal and external research funding opportunities.
• Manage all university-supported and externally sourced research grants in collaboration with the Bursary.
• Oversee grant application processes, disbursement protocols, monitoring timelines, and reporting requirements.
• Ensure compliance with grant rules, proper fiscal management, and accountability.
3. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting
• Track the progress of all funded research projects through periodic reports, field visits, and evaluation exercises.
• Oversee the University Annual Research Exhibition and ensure that innovations and inventions are documented for patenting and commercialization.
• Maintain institutional records of research outputs and performance indicators.
4. Research Ethics and Integrity Oversight
• Support and supervise the Research Ethics Sub-Committee.
• Ensure conformity with ethical standards for research involving human and animal subjects.
• Promote integrity, transparency, and responsible conduct of research, including issues of plagiarism, conflict of interest, and intellectual honesty.
5. Capacity Building and Training
• Organize regular training workshops, seminars, and short courses to strengthen staff capacity in proposal writing, research methods, grant management, ethics, and publication.
• Facilitate internal mentorship programmes and collaborations for postgraduate research development.
6. Innovation, Intellectual Property, and Commercialisation
- Support the Innovation and Incubation Unit in identifying, documenting, and protecting inventions, patents, and creative works originating from the University.
- Promote commercialization pathways, industry linkages, and technology-driven innovation.
- Strengthen the university’s visibility in national research exhibitions and innovation competitions.
- Facilitate research partnerships with government agencies, industries, donor bodies, research foundations, and international institutions.
7. Promotion of Research Culture and Dissemination
- Encourage interdisciplinary research, learned conferences, and scholarly publications.
- Support academic departments in improving journal quality and visibility.
- Promote dissemination of research findings for societal impact, policy influence, and community development.
8. Administrative and Policy Support
- Implement the University Research Policy and recommend updates to the Senate where necessary.
- Provide secretariat support to the University Research Committee.
- Ensure proper documentation, communication, and reporting of all research-related activities within the University.
Directorate Organogram
The Directorate of Research is headed by a Director, who provides strategic leadership and oversees all research-related operations in line with the University’s Research Policy. The Director reports directly to the Vice-Chancellor and works in close collaboration with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic).
Director, Directorate of Research
- Provide strategic leadership and overall coordination of research activities across the university.
- Convene and chair regular meetings of Faculty Research Representatives.
- Translate the University research policy into actionable priorities and the Directorate’s annual workplan.
- Oversee implementation of internal research calls, capacity-building activities, and annual research exhibition inputs.
- Liaise with University management (VC / DVC Academic / Senate), and external funders, or equivalent units.
- Monitor and evaluate faculty research performance and report aggregated metrics to the DVC/VC.
- Oversee research ethics referrals to the Research Ethics Sub-Committee.
- Advocate for research resources and prepare briefings/reports for senior management.
Faculty Research Representatives (FRRs) — (one per Faculty)
- Serve as the Director’s focal point in their faculty for research coordination and communication.
- Circulate calls for proposals, capacity-building opportunities, and policy updates to departments and staff.
- Collect and vet summary proposals or expressions of interest at the faculty level (if the Directorate requires faculty endorsement).
- Compile and submit faculty-level research activity reports, annual research output lists, and needs assessments to the Director.
- Facilitate faculty workshops, mentorship pairings, and small internal review sessions.
- Track ongoing projects in their faculty, flagging delays, ethical issues, or opportunities for cross-faculty collaboration.
- Represent faculty concerns and priorities at Directorate meetings.
Administrative Officer (Secretariat)
- Provide administrative and logistical support to the Director and FRRs.
- Manage correspondence, maintain the Directorate’s filing system and database of projects, grants, and outputs.
- Organise meetings (agendas, minutes), maintain attendance records, and follow up on action points.
- Handle travel/venue bookings, workshop logistics, and procurement requests within approved limits.
- Assist with basic grants administration tasks: receipt acknowledgement, scheduling disbursement documentation for the bursary, and filing financial reports.
- Maintain an up-to-date contact list of FRRs, principal investigators, and external partners; manage the Directorate inbox.
- Produce periodic clerical reports (e.g., monthly activity log) for the Director.
Contact Information
- Address: Directorate of Research, Main Campus.
- Email:
researchoffice@oouagoiwoye.edu.ng - Office Hours: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Directorates and Units
Academic Directorates
- Academic Planning
- Centre for Continuing Education
- Entrepreneurship and Innovation
- General Studies (GNS) and Farms
- Linkages and Partnership
- Open Distance Learning Centre
- Quality Assurance
- Research
- SIWES
- Institute of Education
- Olubi Sodipo Counselling Centre
- OOU Business School
- Talabi Dialysis Centre