The University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UI-RF) on Thursday evening launched a think tank
expected to translate research to innovations, strategies and policies for national development.
The university launched the initiative in partnership with more than 12 organisations in different
walks of life at the Trenchard Hall of the institution. The organisations spread across
agriculture, commerce, health, security, energy, infrastructure, artificial intelligence and so on.
The partners, regarded as the Think Tank Thematic Group Hosting InstitutionSouth, include
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Nigerian Institute of Medical Research
(NIMR), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), the Infrastructure Bank Plc, UI, and
MacArthur Foundation.
The Chairman of Board, UI-RF, Dr. Chevalier Itsueli, noted that the greater value of the new
knowledge “is when it us translated and applied to our daily lives. A few countries have
successfully supported thus elite group to translate this knowledge into economic development of
their countries.
“We believe that Nigeria and our premier university are endowed with the personnel to provide
evidence that can strengthen our policies and models that will guide the use of our resources. This
is the basic principle for creating a Think Tank for translation of research to innovations and
evidence for policies and this is taking the gown to town.”
The Vice Chancellor, UI, Prof Idowu Olayinka, said the think tank was initiated to ensure that
results of various research are put to use, adding that the think tank would help the researchers
to translate their results to innovations for the benefits of mankind.
The occasion was graced by the Director, Country Alignment and System Integration for IITA, Dr.
Kwesi Atta-Krah; Prof Babatunde Salako, the Director General, NIMR; Prof Olawale Albert, Director,
Institute of Peace and Strategic Studies (IPSS), UI, and Dr. Segun Aina, Chairman, Global Banking
Education Standards Board (GBESTB), who are co-chairmen of the Think Tank Committee; as well as
other dignitaries.
In their separate addresses, the partners promised to give necessary support to the initiative
towards ensuring that result of research being carried out in the institutions Did not end up on
the shelves, noting that nobody eats papers or potentials but research results should be translated
to reality, and all and sundry should put themselves together to bring about transformation in the
country and the world at large.
Director, UI-RF, Prof Ayoade Oduola, noted that the country needs the think tank because knowledge
economy has overtaken natural resources/commodity economy in today’s world, adding that “the Think
Tank will make research count for Nigeria for national development.”
