Ho, Dec. 20, GNA—The Ho Technical University (HTU) has established a research fund to enhance the quality of research at the institution.
The HTU Research Fund, which has seed money of GHC 500,000, would provide monetary support of between 2,500, and 10,000 for research activities.
Professor Benjamin Honyenuga, Vice-Chancellor, who launched the initiative, said it would help deepen its academic credentials and elevate the image of the University internationally and exhibit management’s commitment to interdisciplinary research.
He noted that it would provide opportunities for innovative research that would contribute to the local and global economy and facilitate “top-notch research that supported the development of HTU’s research output”, towards building a community of scholars of international repute.
“The establishment and launch of the HTU Research Fund are one of the KPIs enshrined in the Strategic Plan of the University and in line with my vision to move research and innovation from the cradle to a reputable level.
The strategic direction of Research and Innovation enjoins us to improve the overall quality of research and elevate the University onto a higher level of academic excellence, promote innovative research agenda that generates new ideas, create new fields of knowledge, promote impact-driven research and enhance the opportunity for industrialization and initiate appropriate actions that increase the research visibility of the University,” the Vice-Chancellor stated.
The University’s Research Conference and Innovation Committee has been reconstituted and a research and Innovations Policy developed.
Its research ethics policy and guidelines have also been developed to aid the award of the funds while the process has been digitised.
The HTU Faculty, with full-time appointments, notably lecturers, research fellows, professors and academic librarians, are eligible for the fund.
The research teams should be of five members.
The initiative also encourages collaborative research with faculty members of other universities.
The VC gave the assurance that the application and disbursement process would be unbiased and that the award amount would be revised every three years.
He, therefore, urged eligible applicants to seize the opportunity to enhance their scholarly and professional pursuits and appealed to corporate organizations and stakeholders of the University to contribute to the fund for “mutual benefit”.
GNA