By:Ayo Olowu

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Kayode Adebowale has reiterated the institution’s unwavering commitment to promoting research, innovations and service delivery for national development.

Adebowale made the assertion on Tuesday in his welcome address at the University of Ibadan Research and Development Fair (UIRESDEV) in conjunction with the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission as part of activities marking the 75th Anniversary Celebrations of the university.

The event which has as its theme “UI @ 75: Re-engaging the University for Society and Industry’ was held at the University’s International Conference Centre.

The Vice-Chancellor noted that the programme was designed to bring together world-class academics, researchers, accomplished industrialists, technocrats and students, with a view to collaborating on how to harness the products of research and innovations for the benefit of the society .

Adebowale said that the fair was equally intended to visualise and stimulate innovative research, propel investors and investments and motivate inter, multi and trans-disciplinary collaborations.

“The University of Ibadan Research and Development Fair ( UIRESDEV) Committee was established by the University of Ibadan Senate as part of efforts to promote and enhance the spirit of enquiry, research, discovery, and to contribute to local and global development through creativity and innovations.

“The fair is also designed to provide the opportunity to discuss new challenges and to explore versatile areas of research that will be profitable to society and humanity.That is our collective hope and responsibility’, Adebowale said.

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman, UIRESDEV Committee, Professor Olutayo Adesina said the motivation for the initiative was the realisation that no single actor possesses the all- encompassing knowledge, capacity, information or resources to solve complex problems.

Adesina noted that the committee was committed to the actualisation of its mandate of aligning Town and Gown tools and aspirations for national development by developing ways of integrating the vocabulary of the university into the daily life of the society.

The University don expressed optimism that the fair will set the tone for research and development that will cement the relationship between the Town and Gown for positive development.

In his keynote address, the Director General, DAWN Commission, Dr. Oluseye Oyeleye affirmed that the commission has been in partnership with the University of Ibadan in the past 25 years.

Oyeleye averred that the objective of venturing into the partnership was to gather new ideas and knowledge, thereby enhancing the commission’ s capacity to promote national development.

While noting that the event will rekindle the university’s 75 years of research and innovations and re-engage the institution for further societal development, the DG emphasised that now is the time to propel the growing synergy between the university and the society.

The former military administrator of Oyo and Ogun States and Chairman of the event, Major General Oladayo Popoola (Rtd.) identified research as critical to national development.

He therefore implored the university community to intensify its efforts in research towards fast-tracking national development.