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FOSTERING INNOVATION THROUGH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

DEVELOPMENT: A CALL FOR SYNERGY BETWEEN TOWN AND GOWN

BY

KOLAWOLE. A. OLONADE

DEPA RT M EN T OF C I V I L EN GI N EER IN G

UN I VERS I TY OF LAGOS , N I GER I A

KEYNOTE LECTURE PRESENTED AT ISEE AFRICA CONFERENCE, 31ST JAN, 2019, AT OLEI-SERENI HOTEL, NAIROBI, KENYA

OUTLINE

1. Town and Gown – What are they?

2. Long time disconnect between T and G

3. Forced relationship between T and G

4. Modern Challenges

5. Education, Research and Innovation:

Tripartite for Sustainable Infrastructure

6. Synergy between T and G - Benefits

7. Conclusion

2

Town and Gown – What are they?


TownGown

3


Before 1980s: Disconnect between T and G

• Students and Professors

find fulfilment only in their

theses and academic

papers

• Competition for prestige

• Remote from the society

• Unconcerned with social

and economic problems of

larger society

University as Citadel of Learning:

• What is the implication?

✓ Diminishing in size

✓ No respect,

✓ no value

4


Building wall between T and G

University becomes Ivory TowerUrbanization of cities:

5


Forced Connection between T and G

• Academics now seek accommodation outside campus

6

• Studentification factor✓ Seeking accommodation

outside✓ Pressure on available facilities✓ Contracting out facility

maintenance

• Urbanization of cities and

quest for economic survival.

• Paucity of fund: Universities becoming business ventures: producing bread, bottle water etc

KEYNOTE LECTURE PRESENTED AT ISEE AFRICA CONFERENCE, 31ST JAN, 2019, AT OLEI-SERENI HOTEL, NAIROBI, KENYA 7


Global challenges

Environment

Durability challenges

Urbanization

Pressure on facilities

Climate Change

Communities are being displaced

Depletion of Resources

Material scarcity

Sustainable Infrastructure

8


Sustainable Infrastructure

Change Behaviour

Change Technology

Change Fuel

Maintain Ecosystem

9


Education, Research and Innovation: Tripartite for Sustainable Infrastructure


If we fail to act now……..


Lake Chad basin is fast moving

towards total extinction as

available data shows that it has

shrunk by more than 90% within

the last 45 years orchestrated by

climate change, therefore saving

the Lake Chad is a task that must

be done to restore the environment,

means of livelihood and mitigate

conflict and rural-urban migration

amongst others.


The wall between T and G finally collapsed

14


Coping with a new

matrimony becomes a

major Challenge; there

are suspicions and

shifting of blames

between T and G

15


Towns’ Complaints/Suspicions

• Universities do not share from their liabilities; They are

parasite

16

• Gowns are producing unemployable/untrainable

graduates.

• Gowns are engaging in unproductive researches.

• Gowns have derailed from their core mandates:

Teaching, Research and Community Services

• Gowns provide irrelevant/outdated education

• Universities lack capacity to solve their problems

• Unsatisfactory of previous patronage

• Uncertainty in the system

• No international certification


Gowns’ Complaints/Suspicion

• Increased enrolment – institutional massification

17

• Towns are not supportive.

• Towns are selfish and only want to take it all

• Towns are not ready to spend on R and D

• Towns do not want to invest in human

capacity development.

• Overburden with non-academic activities

• Unfavorable environment

• Lack of adequate tools and facilities

• Students are not ready to learn

KEYNOTE LECTURE PRESENTED AT ISEE AFRICA

CONFERENCE, 31ST JAN, 2019, AT OLEI-SERENI HOTEL,

NAIROBI, KENYA18

For how long shall we continue to shift blames? What is certain is that as resources diminish, and as challenges

increase, synergy become a condition sine qua non.


Synergy between T and G?

Should the town see itself as a benefactor of the gown or vise versa?

BUT?

19

YES

What benefit does each gain from the synergy?

Is there any common goal?


Surely, the two shouldsee themselves aspartners in progress andsee their cooperation asa win-win relationshipfor mutual benefit.

20


Gown Town

Produce

manpower

Produce

facilities

21


Gowns✓ research priorities

set by investigator

✓ grant-seeking

✓ publications

✓ patenting driven by

publications

✓ serendipity

✓ transfer of discovery

at early stage

Understanding Differences

Towns✓ research priorities set

by management

✓ profit-seeking

✓ proprietary

✓ patenting driven by

business decisions

✓ control

✓ add value before

transferring

22


Striking balance between T and G

23


The way to go for working/productive synergy

• The issue of onwership can mar or make the relatisonhip,

so this must agreed to from the onset to ensure

sustainability.

• Academia need to adjust their system and give credence to innovative research so as to attract investment from the industries.

• The industries could establish their R & D department in the university for the industry and students

• Academia should promote multi-disciplinary approach to

research and learning within their communities.

• Employment policy between the academia and the

indsutries.

• There is need to establish confidence level that guarrantee

the business of the industries without jeopardising the

university system.

24


• Application of research for public good

• Exposure to industry collaboration

• Additional source of research funds

• Build research endowment

• Reward investigator/inventor

Motivation for Synergy: Academia perspective

25

“Why partner with industries?”


Motivation for Synergy: Industry perspective;

“Why partner with universities?”

• Research institutions are rich source of new

ideas and technology.

• Cheaper to support research and to license-in

technology.

• Biotech industry looks to academic collaborations

for early stage technology

• Relevance in the business

26

KEYNOTE LECTURE PRESENTED AT ISEE AFRICA

CONFERENCE, 31ST JAN, 2019, AT OLEI-SERENI HOTEL,

NAIROBI, KENYA27

Experience

At

University of Lagos

KEYNOTE LECTURE PRESENTED AT ISEE AFRICA CONFERENCE, 31ST JAN, 2019, AT OLEI-SERENI HOTEL, NAIROBI,

KENYA29

PART H: COLLABORATION IN RESEARCH AND

INNOVATION WITH ACADEMIC/RESEARCH

INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS AND THE

INDUSTRY:

• Strengthen research and innovation capacity

• Enhance students’ hands-on exposure to real-

time industry or organizational practices to

prepare them in their career activities.

• Establish and manage innovation hubs for value

creation and migration to the Entrepreneurship

Centre for mentorship and accelerated growth.

• Establish shared facilities with the industry on

campus for R&D and high level training.

• Provide Research and Development platforms

for the industry and other organizations in a

mutually beneficial way.

• Provide unique and well-tailored research and

development; and quality assurance backbone

to Small-Medium Entrepreneurs, so as to

ensure the competitiveness of their products

and services

28-page document

http://research.unilag.edu.ng/images/research/files/newpolicy.pdf


"Talent wins games, but teamwork and

intelligence win championships." – ...

Conclusion

Michael Jordan

32

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do

so much." – ...

Helen Keller

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

LECTURE DELIVERED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI ON TUESDAY, 29TH JANUARY, 2019

• WOLFRAM AND ISEE PATRONS

• UNILAG

Thank you


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