The management of Sa’adu Zungur University has trained lecturers on research skills as part of efforts to promote staff development, research advancement, innovation, and industry collaboration.

Speaking during the event on Tuesday, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Fatima Tahir, said the programme was a three-day Stepdown Training Workshop on Research Administration, Industry Collaboration, and Commercialisation organised by the Centre of Excellence for Research and Innovation at the institution’s Gadau Main Campus.

Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic), Bala Ma’aji, Tahir stressed the importance of continuous staff development through training, particularly in the area of research, to enhance productivity and innovation within the institution.

She stated, “The workshop is in line with the federal government’s policy direction aimed at ensuring that research outcomes are transformed into practical solutions for industries and society instead of remaining unused in laboratories.”

The vice chancellor added that the university was committed to equipping its staff with the requisite knowledge and skills necessary for institutional growth and societal transformation.

“The institution remains open to collaboration with relevant organisations and stakeholders towards achieving sustainable development,” she said.

Tahir recalled that the Tertiary Education Trust Fund had last year sponsored some members of staff of the university for specialised training on research and other developmental programmes.

According to her, the current stepdown training workshop was designed to enable beneficiaries of those trainings to transfer the acquired knowledge and experiences to other academic staff of the institution.

In his remarks, the Director of the Centre of Excellence for Research and Innovation, Usman Waziri, disclosed that the vice chancellor specifically directed the organisation of the workshop to broaden the impact of the earlier TETFund-sponsored training and ensure wider participation among staff members.

Waziri disclosed, “No fewer than 64 academic staff drawn from various faculties and departments of the university participated in the workshop.”

He added that the programme also attracted participants from other tertiary institutions within Bauchi State, including Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Aminu Sale College of Education, and Federal University of Health Sciences.