The Holy Grail in Excellent and High-Impact Research, Publishing and Proposal Writing

International School, Conference and Workshops on

Achieving Global Excellence in Advanced Research Methods, Academic Publishing, and Proposal Writing in Africa and Developing Countries

Laying Bare the Success Tips They Don’t Teach You in Standard Research Methods Texts

Organised by

International Centre for Research and Human Development (CREHUD for short), Dominican University, Ibadan, Nigeria & African Higher Education and Research Observatory, UK

Dominican University,
Educational Layout, Samonda, P.M.B. 5361,
Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria &

The International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Tuesday 27 – Friday 30 July 2021

9am-5pm daily

Health Warning:

This event is insanely intense and should only be attended by people who really want to improve their games.

  1. Rationale for the event

This event confronts head-on the current failings in the design and implementation of high-impact research and proposal writing in traditional academia. Due to the publish or perish syndrome in universities, it seems to us that there is a tick-box mentality in academic research and publishing, which mainly aims to generate as many papers as possible, even if the papers are not deeply original and prescient. By prescience we mean the potential for an academic paper to redefine a field theoretically or practically.

There is also a dearth of deeply conceived textbooks (talk less of the more useful superbooks which teach subject matter and related wider skills), research monographs, and journals, all of which demonstrate significant real or potential impact of research findings and their pedagogical merits, especially in developing countries.

Conversations with PhD graduates reveal that some of them implemented topics framed by their supervisors and did not consciously consider the future potential of such topics for enhancing their academic and professional careers. This sounds alarm bells that some PhD degrees are somewhat useless to the researchers who acquired them.

From the proposal writing angles, it is puzzling that with so much training undertaken in business schools and other fields, Nigeria, Ghana, African, and developing countries generally, still bear the label ‘developing countries’ long after independence. Perhaps, traditional academic training within different disciplines does not emphasize writing research and project proposals that generate high-impact stakeholder values. Some academics may not even be aware of the eight typical stakeholder categories that obtain in most research and real-life projects, a knowledge which is vital for pitching a project to significant stakeholders that can potentially benefit from them.

Hence, there is a need for drilling academics and graduate students on enabling frameworks for writing winning research proposals and grants funded by different kinds of sponsors, including national tertiary education funds like the Nigerian Tertiary Education Fund (TETFUND). This event, therefore, provides triple opportunities (in the school, conference, and workshops sessions) for participants to master innovative principles for:

• Designing and implementing high-impact research topics and project proposals
• Publishing original and prescient academic and professional articles from research findings; and
• Acquiring extended skills in publishing world-leading research monographs, best-selling textbooks, and super-books, which are imbued with innovations in research, teaching, learning, assessments (TLA), high-impact consulting, and wider real-life applications.

2. Target Audience

• Academics and postgraduate students
• Institutional train-the-trainer representatives from universities and polytechnics in Africa, developing countries, and globally
• Directors of research in universities and polytechnics
• Local and global publishers.

Types of acceptable submissions or display at the conference and event

• Papers on advanced research methods in specific disciplines
• Designing and implementing high-impact research topics
• Original academic articles from research findings
• (Formative plans for writing) world-leading research monographs, best-selling textbooks, and super-books, which enable learners to master innovative skills in research, teaching, learning, assessments, high-impact consulting, and wider real-life applications
• Best practices and case studies in proposal writing
• Presentation posters
• Awareness workshops on quality publishing by global publishing firms.

Submission deadline: Monday, 3 May, 2021

Please see more details in the Appendix for submission guidelines and acceptance criteria.

 

4. Side attractions

There will be a participants’ tour of places of historical interest in the beautiful city of Ibadan.

Hosting this event

This event is arguably the most intensive annual training in advanced research methods, academic and global publishing, and proposal writing in the world. It is usually held in key (capital) cities and universities in different countries.

The 2015 run of the event was at the London School of Economics, 23-26 June, 2015 and was rated outstanding in terms of the quality, value for money, and refreshments.

Decisions on future hosting venues are made on the basis of the quality of the host institutions and perceived commitment of the Local Organising Committee.

Expressions of interest to host the event are solicited from participants who complete an Expression of Interest to Host Form during the event.

High-Level Take-Aways from the event

1. Improved training manuals and case studies developed with insights from delegates’ feedbacks from previous runs of this event, most recently in 2015 at the London School of Economics, UK; see sample comments below and further customer testimonials at www.sigma-zconsulting.com.

2. Insightful keynote addresses, on-stage personal improvement surgeries, case-studies, and panel discussions on the links among research-informed business development and national socio-economic development

3. The School sessions explore the often not-so-clearly-taught principles and frameworks for achieving excellence in: 1) advanced high-impact research up to PhD levels; 2) academic publishing; and 3) proposal writing.

4. The Conference sessions enable distinguished academics from different specializations to present discipline-specific takes on research, publishing, and proposal writing, with a Conference Proceedings which will be circulated to all delegates following the event.

5. Delegates attend three case-driven workshops on

1. Designing and implementing high-impact research up to PhD levels

2. Publishing world-class academic papers, research monographs and super-books; and

3. Writing winning research and project proposals that attract targeted funding by sponsors.

6. The Conference Proceedings will publish exemplary papers and case studies which cover the three themes in 5 above.

Brief Tour of the Workshops

Workshop 1 explores how global corporate academics combine high-level research, consulting, and business development skills in different areas of specialization, to design postgraduate, especially PhD, research topics that make phenomenal contributions to knowledge across academia, industry, and public service settings, including research spin-offs of for-profit and social enterprises, for example. For this, delegates are exposed to two frameworks for achieving these goals.

Workshop 2 drills delegates on how to use the above frameworks to structure and publish world-class academic papers, research monographs, and super-books, which make seven key kinds of contributions to knowledge, only three of which are currently emphasized by existing academic journals.

Workshop 3 exposes delegates to the philosophy and best practices surrounding the most innovative corporate-academic proposal writing protocols currently available globally. These protocols were developed over two decades of intense research and graduate supervision by the key facilitator in different universities.

Follow-on Support

Please see the following sections in www.glotress.co.uk:

• Advanced Research Methods Academy;
• Graduate Research Support Services;
• Business Development Academy; and
• Follow-on Support.

In sum, the key outcomes are such that delegates are drilled in the skills sets for:

1. Achieving global excellence in academic publishing with illustrative case studies from different disciplines;

2. Writing persuasive and fundable proposals for projects and larger high-tariff programmes with multiple projects;

3. Writing scholarship-winning PhD research proposals;

4. Using sound project management skills to support the above deliverables;

5. Using the enabling frameworks mentioned above to complete and submit for publication one internationally-leading article before they leave the event. Hence, interested participants should come with current research topics and papers they’re working on;

6. Publishing another 2 articles in leading academic journals within a year at most, with our follow-on support;

7. Producing innovative proposals in their fields of specialisation. The proposals will meet the global standards that top funders are looking for;

8. Mastering the highly innovative Research Methods Canvas © used for end-to-end structuring of advanced (PhD) research topics, see Figure 1 below;

9. Also, mastering a related Concept Notes © for developing innovative proposals in different settings;

10. Understanding how these frameworks help academics and their graduate students to work smartly and complete highly innovative PhD research projects within three years;

 

Indicative Panel of Facilitators from Different Fields

Key Facilitator

Patrick Oseloka Ezepue

PhD, PGCertBA, PGcertLThE, FHEA-UK, FNS
Patrick Oseloka Ezepue, PhD, PGCertBA, PGcertLThE, FHEA-UK, FNS
Patrick is the founding Director, International Centre for Research and Human Development (ICREHUD), www.duicrehud.com, Dominican University, Ibadan, Nigeria, www.dui.edu.ng;Director of Research and Innovation, International Centre for Research and Enterprise Development, (ICRED), UK, www.icred7e.com; Professor of Statistics & Business Analytics, Department of Mathematics and Computing, Coal City University, Enugu, Nigeria, www.ccu.edu.ng; Co-founder, African Higher Education and Research Observatory (Afrihero), UK, www.afrihero.org.uk and Convener, Nigerian Mathematics, Finance, Statistics & Economics Research Consortium (NIMFSERC), Afrihero, UK.
Patrick is a Global Corporate Academic with extensive training, academic, and industry experiences in applied mathematical sciences, business, and finance. He has a fervent interest in actualizing Afrihero-ICREHUD Vision, which is ‘To recreate Africa and Developing Countries through Skills for Students, Graduates and Start-Ups (SSGS)’. And to train new kinds of academics, graduates, and professionals, who are extraordinarily empowered to use multidisciplinary knowledge to resolve challenging societal and organisational problems, with creating, synthesising, responsible, and ethical minds’.
Patrick passionately feels that our Definite Chief Aim in AFRIHERO, ICREHUD, and higher education generally, should be to get our minds and hands stuck into the muddy waters of Corporate-Academic Research and Enterprise Development, out of which we can pull out the shining prizes of continual entrepreneurial wealth creation, anchored on radical innovations in research, teaching, learning, assessments, consulting, and community services, which lead to excellent personal, organisational, enterprise, national, continental, and global socio-development.

Tel: +447772632150

Other facilitators (listed in no order of importance)

• Professor G O S Ekhaguere FAAS, Theoretical Physics and Mathematical Finance, Nigeria
• Professor A R T Solarin, Mathematics (Algebra), Nigeria
• Professor M O Ibrahim, Mathematical Modelling, Nigeria
• Professor Chika Moore, Functional Analysis, Nigeria
• Professor Ademola Ojo, Information Technology Management, UK
• Justice Nyigmah BAWOLE (PhD) |Associate Professor of Public Administration and Management | Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management | University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Ghana
• Kobby Mensah (PhD) | Management and Marketing | University of Ghana Business School, Legon, Ghana
• Dr M A T Omar, Applied Statistics and Stock Market Analysis, Libya
• Dr Thomas Chinwe Urama, Mathematical Finance, Nigeria | UK
• Dr Nonso Ochinanwata, Integrated Business Modelling, UK
• Dr Alun Brain, Strategic Customer Relationship Marketing in Insurance, UK
• Professor Anayo Nkamnebe, Marketing, Nigeria
• Professor J N Mojekwu, Statistics | Actuarial Science, Nigeria
• Professor Emeka Ezike, Banking and Finance, Nigeria
• Professor G Udo, Real Estate, Nigeria
• Dr Adiza Sadik, Entrepreneurship, Enterprise Development and Employability, Ghana

10. Joining instructions

Accommodation: Delegates should arrange their accommodations.

Joining instructions, suggested nearby hotels, and indicative costs will be sent to you one month before the event (if for any reason these are not received, please contact us at or administrator@cepd.dui.edu.ng or tel: +447772632150

What the registration fee includes:

• Tea and lunch
• The Conference Proceedings
• Attendance certificates
• Copies of workshop training manuals
• Cost of site seeing tours.

11. Event fees

• $1000 for non-African academics and postgraduate students (not including academics who are graduate students).

• Academics and postgraduate students from African countries pay a discounted fee of $500.

• For Nigerian delegates, Naira equivalents may be accepted.

Early bird fees apply for registrations on or before Monday 3 May 2021 and is $100 less than the indicated fees for non-African delegates and $50 less for African delegates

Payment

1. Please pay the registration fees at Dominican University Ibadan, First Bank Account No. 2032769768 and text/send email confirmation of payment to administrator@cepd.dui.edu.ng and bursar@dui.edu.ng.ng, so that we can send you the support materials for the event.
2. Registration and payments will also be made at the event venue.
3. All delegates who indicated interest and have paid the required programme fees will receive the complete programme pack a week before the event.

Nigerian participants who cannot use the above payment system can in the alternative pay as follows:

Please send an email attaching a scanned copy of the payment voucher to administrator@cepd.dui.edu.ng, stating for ease of recording in the email
2020 Nigerian ARMPP Training.

The payment should be at the current exchange rate on the day of payment which obtains in the bank. The organisers will readily acknowledge receipt of your confirmatory email.

Selected delegates testimonies!

‘Well packaged and very informative, involving, inspirational, relevant, valuable, and made me think’ 

Professor Grace TAYO

Director of the Centre for International Partnership., Babcock University, Nigeria

‘It is a package that can rebrand the culture of research and postgraduate studies in Nigerian universities’

Dr Yinka ILORI

Financial Director, CFAO, Nigeria

Register your interest ARMAPP