UB: Council Approves CFA 425m Research Grants

Courtesy - Harry Ndienla Yemti

The Council of the University of Buea (UB), has authorised a research budget of CFA 425M, for the 2008 academic year. The said amount which represents a 137% increase over the previous year will enable UB to implement its research plan. Consequently the University has launched a call for research proposals that many believe has so far received only a timid
response.
“We urge all lecturers to form research teams and compete for these grants”, said the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Vincent P.K. Titanji. While underscoring the fact that research grants are public funds that must be managed transparently and in an accountable manner, the vice-Chancellor made it clear that “grantees, who fail to account for funds received, expose themselves to sanctions provided by the law and will certainly be issued collection orders”.

Even though the relative increase in the research budget is substantial Titanji, however, said, “it is still modest in absolute terms”, but that in conformity with government policy, the University,
expect to see a substantial increase in the number of links and palpable dividends that will result from the intensification of relations with the business world.

He further called on the faculties and ASTI, each in their own domain to render operational at least one revenue-generating activity during the current fiscal year, while stating that the target is to provide at least 10% of the current faculty/school budget from such activities over the next two years. “Unless we constantly evaluate and then adjust our actions, we run the risk of losing focus and improvising without a vision. Therefore, the newly created portfolio of Internal Control and evaluation should develop benchmarks and tools for internal audit and control, and implement the evaluation of teaching that has been on the drawing board over the year”.

Meantime during a recent presentation of New Year wishes to the Vice-Chancellor, the registrar Prof. Samson Abangma, sited the production of the strategic plan, the Research Policy and management guide and the successful organisations of the first research planning week as some commendable activities carried out in 2007. still in connection with the promotion of research activities and funding, the registrar acknowledge the Vice-Chancellor’s sterling-worth quality as an academic and researcher who in spite of his numerous administrative, social and political
functions, still feels most at home with test tubes and white laboratory over-alls. “We are grateful for the many grants you won in 2007 because most of our postgraduate programmes survive on the basis of such grants”, noted the register.