No fewer than fifty scholars of Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, will undertake research in agriculture, humanities, engineering, and other fields of the discipline as the university management announced winners for the 2023 academic research grant facilitated by its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Dr Olutoyin Okeowo.
The grant is part of the university’s efforts to aid the discovery of new ideas, concepts, study and academic excellence.
Grouped into 10 groups, the list released by the university indicated that one of the research teams, which is led by Prof Wahab Akanbi of the Department of Agriculture, will look at the use of cashew apple wastes for the production of organic fertilisers and bio-pesticides.
In another research work, Dr Simon Okanlawon of the Department of Architecture, ACU will lead six other scholars as they explore the relevance of rural architecture in sustainable agricultural settlement in Oyo.
According to the list, another group of researchers headed by Dr Moses Adebayo of the Department of Agriculture will assess elite maize genotypes for new product pipeline development for the university’s seed company.
Other areas of research to be covered are engineering, humanities, natural sciences, arts, communications, and media studies.
The university said each of the 10 groups of researchers will receive a grant from the pool of N25m facilitated by the council chairman.
Chairman of the grants committee, Prof Olumuyiwa Popoola, who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of ACU, said all the approved proposals were evaluated to ensure their consistency with the university mandate and research objectives.
Popoola thanked the university’s Acting Director of Research, Innovation and Linkages, Dr Folake Olanbiwoninu, and members of the committee for the completion of the selection process.