The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has launched the Industry and Innovation Unit (IIU) of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) at a ceremony on campus

The occasion was also used to inaugurate the maiden Innovation Fair and Engagement with Industry Players.

Prof. Ampiah said the establishment of IIU was very important and would contribute towards conducting research to address the needs of industry.  He said several researches have been done by various departments, faculties and colleges with funding from institutions the University was dealing with.

The Vice-Chancellor however, said “The time has come to do our own research with the hope that industry would come for it and use it. We don’t want to involve industry in our research as collaborators who will just fund the research but more importantly we want them to be part of the research”. He was optimistic that the collaboration between industry and the University would lead to number of projects that would be of benefit to both parties.

Explaining the purpose of the function, the Director of DRIC, Prof. Samuel K. Annim, said technology played an important role in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals hence the need to leverage on research and innovation for economic growth. He said the establishment of Industry and Innovation Unit under DRIC as captured in the 2018-2022 strategic plan of the University emphasised the need to “strengthen research capacity and output to position UCC as the centre of academic excellence”.

 He therefore, noted that the establishment of IIU has led to “organisation of the maiden interaction with industry players on pathways to strengthen their engagement to proffer solutions to local and global challenges; and institution of annual university-wide innovation fair with the intent of displaying innovations undertaken by both industry players and academics”.

Making a presentation on “Industry-Academia Linkages”, Mr. Ebenezer Abuaku, said traditionally, universities had formalized collaboration with industry in the areas of curriculum development, teaching, research and development consultancy. He said as part of a university’s core responsibility, most universities had existing collaboration with industry for students’ placement.

Mr. Abuaku was worried about the mismatch in output from and industry expectations. “The mismatch in terms of the knowledge and skills of graduates and what the employers expect are still prevalent in certain industries,” he explained.  He noted that universities could achieve more if they communicate directly with industrial players to understand the type of support they need. he used the horticultural industry as a case study to buttress how academia could partner industry to bring about innovation in their business.

Delivering a speech at the function, an official of the Western branch of Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr. Albert Ababio, said there were several benefits of industry-academia linkages noting that “research and development agendas can be coordinated better to avoid duplications; stimulate additional private research and development investment and harness synergies and complementarities of scientific and technological capabilities”.  He added that such collaboration could also expand the relevance of research carried out in public institutions, foster the commercialization of public research and development outcomes and increase the mobility of labour between public and private sectors

Mr. Ababio noted that the most appropriate approach to promoting university-industry collaboration depended on the country’s technological and institutional endowments and its willingness to consider the promotion of university-industry linkages as part of a broader science, technology, and innovation programme.

There were solidarity messages from the Chairman, Chamber of Commerce, Central Region and Chief Executive Officer of Ainoo Farms in Winneba.

As part of the programme, there was an engagement session for industry players and participants to share their views on how the University could improve on its linkages with industry.

Another segment of the programme was the exhibition of products and services by some organisations at the New Examinations Centre. Some of the exhibitors included GCB Bank, Prudential Bank, Ainoo-Ansah Farms, Databank, Zeal Environmental Technology Enterprise, Central Oil Mills Limited, Simply Nut Foods and Efiefi Enterprise.

Other exhibitors from UCC were; Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Centre for Coastal Management, Centre for International Education and Department of Forensic Sciences.

The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, has launched the Industry and Innovation Unit (IIU) of the Directorate of Research, Innovation and Consultancy (DRIC) at a ceremony on campus

The occasion was also used to inaugurate the maiden Innovation Fair and Engagement with Industry Players.

Prof. Ampiah said the establishment of IIU was very important and would contribute towards conducting research to address the needs of industry.  He said several researches have been done by various departments, faculties and colleges with funding from institutions the University was dealing with.

The Vice-Chancellor however, said “The time has come to do our own research with the hope that industry would come for it and use it. We don’t want to involve industry in our research as collaborators who will just fund the research but more importantly we want them to be part of the research”. He was optimistic that the collaboration between industry and the University would lead to number of projects that would be of benefit to both parties.

Explaining the purpose of the function, the Director of DRIC, Prof. Samuel K. Annim, said technology played an important role in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals hence the need to leverage on research and innovation for economic growth. He said the establishment of Industry and Innovation Unit under DRIC as captured in the 2018-2022 strategic plan of the University emphasised the need to “strengthen research capacity and output to position UCC as the centre of academic excellence”.

 He therefore, noted that the establishment of IIU has led to “organisation of the maiden interaction with industry players on pathways to strengthen their engagement to proffer solutions to local and global challenges; and institution of annual university-wide innovation fair with the intent of displaying innovations undertaken by both industry players and academics”.

Making a presentation on “Industry-Academia Linkages”, Mr. Ebenezer Abuaku, said traditionally, universities had formalized collaboration with industry in the areas of curriculum development, teaching, research and development consultancy. He said as part of a university’s core responsibility, most universities had existing collaboration with industry for students’ placement.

Mr. Abuaku was worried about the mismatch in output from and industry expectations. “The mismatch in terms of the knowledge and skills of graduates and what the employers expect are still prevalent in certain industries,” he explained.  He noted that universities could achieve more if they communicate directly with industrial players to understand the type of support they need. he used the horticultural industry as a case study to buttress how academia could partner industry to bring about innovation in their business.

Delivering a speech at the function, an official of the Western branch of Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Mr. Albert Ababio, said there were several benefits of industry-academia linkages noting that “research and development agendas can be coordinated better to avoid duplications; stimulate additional private research and development investment and harness synergies and complementarities of scientific and technological capabilities”.  He added that such collaboration could also expand the relevance of research carried out in public institutions, foster the commercialization of public research and development outcomes and increase the mobility of labour between public and private sectors

Mr. Ababio noted that the most appropriate approach to promoting university-industry collaboration depended on the country’s technological and institutional endowments and its willingness to consider the promotion of university-industry linkages as part of a broader science, technology, and innovation programme.

There were solidarity messages from the Chairman, Chamber of Commerce, Central Region and Chief Executive Officer of Ainoo Farms in Winneba.

As part of the programme, there was an engagement session for industry players and participants to share their views on how the University could improve on its linkages with industry.

Another segment of the programme was the exhibition of products and services by some organisations at the New Examinations Centre. Some of the exhibitors included GCB Bank, Prudential Bank, Ainoo-Ansah Farms, Databank, Zeal Environmental Technology Enterprise, Central Oil Mills Limited, Simply Nut Foods and Efiefi Enterprise.

Other exhibitors from UCC were; Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Centre for Coastal Management, Centre for International Education and Department of Forensic Sciences.