In 2014, University of Ibadan made a critical decision and took a bold, emphatic step on establish University of Ibadan Research Foundation as part of ongoing comprehensive efforts to strengthen research and enhance the contributions  of research leaders at the University of Ibadan to socioeconomic development of Nigeria. The UI-Research Foundation was created to provide platform to:

1. Strengthen dedication of research leaders at the University of Ibadan to valuable research priorities with focus on meeting societal needs of Nigeria.
2. Prepare Early Career Researchers and Graduates of the University of Ibadan with expertise and competencies useful for generating research results and innovations for economic development of Nigeria
3. Nurture future research and national leaders to effectively use new knowledge to address challenges of national development.

Today, University of Ibadan celebrates 70 years of academic excellence, pragmatic progress and strategic strengthening of the research enterprise complex. The creation of Research Management Office (RMO), Office of International Partnerships (OIP), MacArthur Grants Liaison Office (MGLO), the senior administration office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovations and Strategic Partnerships (RISP) and the elevation of the Postgraduate School to the Postgraduate College represent the commitment and dedication to make the University of Ibadan the 1st Research University in Nigeria. The ratio of postgraduate to undergraduate student admissions gradually approaching a target of 60:40 underscores the commitment and dedication to making Ibadan the pioneer research University in Nigeria. The decision to create the UI-Research Foundation is an emphatic declaration and commitment to enhance the leadership of the University of Ibadan in contributions to the national economy. The success of the UI-Research Foundation to date has benefitted immensely from the campus wide support of all sectors of the University of Ibadan.

Today, the ambition and enthusiasm of University of Ibadan to be the leader in pioneering contributions of research and academic outputs to national development is unparalleled. This ambition is reflected in efforts of the UI-Research Foundation and its objectives, which are:

• To create the 1st National Postdoctoral Fellowship Program with mentorship across all disciplines.
• To create a research platform to enhance collaborations between the private sector and academia in efforts to foster knowledge translation and knowledge driven industrial development.
• To make the University of Ibadan and other universities the research arm of the Local, State and Federal government, providing and facilitating evidence-based policies options suitable to meet societal needs.
• To enhance academic excellence and continue efforts to develop leaders of tomorrow who can use new knowledge to address our national challenges.

These laudable objectives and efforts are valuable in maintaining pioneer position of the University of Ibadan, but they also require supports of national and international stakeholders in addition to the government. The University of Ibadan Research Foundation requires the support, commitment and engagement of all spectrums of the Nigerian community on these efforts to make research count for national development. The leadership and partnership of the private sector, industry, civil society and philanthropist at home and abroad will be crucial for the University of Ibadan Research Foundation to meet these laudable objectives.

This 70th Founders Day events and the launch of the Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development is organized to open a new chapter on enhancing the roles of academia, partnering with all other sectors in efforts on sustainable national development.

The Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development is designed to facilitate vibrant partnerships that will bring the values of research and contributions of our research leaders to meet the challenges of sustainable national development. The long-term aim is to capitalise on research and innovations as cornerstone of efforts for Nigeria to take her rightful position in the world economy.

Professor Abel Idowu Olayinka, FAS
Vice-Chancellor, University of Ibadan

“Competencies and Leadership for Improving Lives of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder.”

Pioneering Enabling Environment for Contributions of Research to Sustainable National Development

Today, we celebrate a pair of breakthroughs in the pioneer position and leadership of the premier University in Nigeria, the University of Ibadan. The commissioning of the first building in the University of Ibadan Research Foundation Headquarters Complex at Ajibode and the launching of the Partnership to Make Research Count for National Development. Both events coming on the 70th Founders Day ceremony represent another twosome of firsts for the premier University and the first of its kind.

At the inception of the Board of the UI-Research Foundation, we tasked ourselves with the mission to provide leadership and contributions to the efforts to retain the position of the University of Ibadan as the first and premier institution leading translations of research to innovations and promoting evidence-based policies in Nigeria. The objectives adopted by the Board are predicated on strengthening the contributions of the research leaders at the University of Ibadan to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria through the creation of unique platforms that will enhance academic excellence and leading-edge research.

We outlined a list of firsts that the Board will endeavour for the UI-Research Foundation to achieve, including:

• Creating a Think Tank to define and direct our national ethos
• Providing our own home to accommodate the University of Ibadan Research Foundation
• Creating the first Post-doctoral Research positions at the University of Ibadan
• Commercializing at least one research finding from the portfolio of research grants

The Council and Hosting Institutions partnering with the University of Ibadan Research Foundation on the first Think Tank for Translating Research to Innovations, Strategies and Evidence for Policies were inaugurated this year. Today, as we mark the 70th Founders Day ceremony of the University of Ibadan the first of the five buildings in the Headquarters Complex designed to host the comprehensive projects and initiatives of the UI-Research Foundation is being commissioned.

The Headquarters Building provides elegant facilities for administration, current activities and enabling environment for all partners in efforts to achieve the laudable objectives of the UI-Research Foundation. This history making occasion represents a new chapter in facilitating the translation of research outputs to innovations, strategies and options for policy formulation needed sustainable national development. We congratulate the leadership of the University of Ibadan, esteemed members of the Board, national and international Partners and the UI-Research Foundation on this achievement.

We realised at the beginning that the laudable ideas and objectives of the UI-Research Foundation could not be achieved by the University of Ibadan alone and that the Board needed to ‘cast the net wide’ in bringing other partners and supports to the table. We equally realised that the board spectrum of the stakeholders in Nigeria and international partners must be actively courted and engaged to enhance the contributions of the University of Ibadan to the vision of sustainable national development. The concept of the Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development thus represents novel platforms for everyone to contribute, participate and share in the ownership of the forward-looking initiatives of UI-Research Foundation designed to contribute to the pragmatic efforts in making knowledge the cornerstone of sustainable development in Nigeria.

The introduction of partnerships to support three new initiatives during this program is the beginning of the pragmatic approach to engage all stakeholders in efforts to strengthen the contribution of our research leaders to meeting the societal needs. The first phase of the initiative is dedicated to the introduction of the partnerships for:

• Sir Peter Aliu Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder- Sir Aliu (PEU-SCD)at University of Ibadan. This represents a bold effort to take the ‘bull by the horn’ in addressing a public health challenge that is peculiar to the African race.
• The Library of Tomorrow – (Ifa-LoT)This initiative is being instituted to give the whole spectrum of the Nigerian community access to latest research information, and especially provide the platform to strengthen the capacities of our Early Career Researchers (ECRs) and Postgraduate Researchers/Scholars (PGRs) in generating novel ideas and approaches to challenges of national development
• Platforms for Knowledge Translationsproviding framework for engagement of stakeholders with the new Think Tank for Translating Research to Innovations, Strategies and Evidence for Policies.

As we move forward, we remind ourselves and the stakeholders that our ambition is to continue to strengthen the pioneer position of the University of Ibadan as the premier institution of higher learning, and to promote the contributions of UI-Research Foundation to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria.

We invite you to join the efforts and become an esteemed member of the Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development.

The Rt. Hon. Chevalier Uduimo J. Itsueli,KSG, OON, D.Sc.
Chairman, Board of University of Ibadan Research Foundation.

Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development The University of Ibadan Research Foundation

The University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UI-Research Foundation) was created to strengthen the leadership roles of research leaders at the University of Ibadan in leading-edge research, and their contributions to the translations of research to innovations, evidence and strategies for effective policy options on sustainable social and economic development of Nigeria.

The UI-Research Foundation operates on the ethos of bringing together partnerships to support and facilitate these laudable objectives and efforts to drive the narratives on the adoption of “Knowledge Economy” that will propel the sustainable development of Nigeria.

This pragmatic approach and framework of partnerships with the University of Ibadan, national and international partners have generated unique platforms and success in initiatives, including the support for:

• Collaborative Research Grants and Awards for research leaders at University of Ibadan.
• Award of Research Career Development Grants and in efforts to nurture talented Early Career Researchers.
• Creation of a ‘Think Tank’ for translating research results to innovations, strategies, evidence and policy options for Local, State and National governance.
• Access to novel competencies by Early Career Researchers.

The support of these novel platforms underscores the emphatic commitment and dedication of University of Ibadan to lead the pioneering efforts in facilitating knowledge economy for Nigeria through research, high academic standards and generation of innovations. The ultimate goals of the UI-Research Foundation are to support the faculty, staff and early career researchers in their efforts and contributions to leading-edge research, and to provide the best education to leaders of tomorrow who can use their knowledge from Basic, Clinical, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Arts and Humanities, History, Law and Philosophy to address problems and challenges of our communities and the country in ways never before employed.

The successful partnerships so far created by the University of Ibadan Research Foundation with the African Research, Implementation Science and Education (ARISE) Network; The McGoldrick Professional Development Program in Public Health at Harvard University, Boston, USA; the Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan; the Distance Learning Center (DLC), University of Ibadan; and the MacArthur Foundation Grants Liaison Office (MGLO) have contributed to the success of these valuable platforms in facilitating access to novel competencies of Early Career Researchers, Postgraduate students and staff of the University of Ibadan. The success of the current partnerships on these initiatives represents strong incentives and commitment to expand and facilitate the participations of the larger stakeholders’ communities.

The platforms for the Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development being launched represents an open invitation to all stakeholders to contribute, participate and share in the ownership of the initiatives of UI-Research Foundation designed to contribute to the pragmatic efforts in making knowledge the cornerstone of sustainable development in Nigeria.

The platform is being introduced with the creation of partnerships to support three new initiatives with the goal of retaining the premier position of the University of Ibadan as the lead institution using research and innovations to meet the challenges of national development. Each of the initiatives is designed to support and strengthen contributions of research leaders at the University of Ibadan in the efforts to translate research outputs to innovations and novel strategies on adoption of knowledge economy that can propel Nigeria towards taking its pride of place in global economy.

The three initiatives in this first phase of the Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development are dedicated to the critical roles of the University of Ibadan in major challenges of access to information, public health support for people living with sickle cell disorder and contributions of research to critical economic sectors.

The Library of Tomorrow (LoT) named after one of the illustrious sons and a leader from the University of Ibadan, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, FAS, is designed to proactively engage young and leading minds; promote access to and foster discussions on leading edge knowledge on agriculture, arts, commerce, education, health, infrastructure, philosophy, sciences and technologies that can uplift our society. The IFA-LoT is being developed as a proactive center for sharing new knowledge, facilitating journal clubs, provoking debates and dialogue, addressing issues on innovations, and especially making summaries of major research and deliberations available without waiting for the communities to seek the information. The‘Isaac Folorunso Adewole FAS-Library of Tomorrow’ (IFA-LoT) is created for the research communities and leaders of today with a mission to provide the information on their desks, modern communication technology tools and at their door steps so that they are equipped with the knowledge to move our national development forward and consequently continue to strengthen our scholastic standards.

The Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD-PEU)

This concept and team being created for a Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder (Sir Aliu SCD-PEU) are based on the paradigm of ‘strength in number’, team work and networking for collective good. The (SCD-PEU) is designed to focus on acquiring capacities at three levels valuable for developing sustainable competencies for innovations in meeting public health needs of people living with Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD).

The professorial team will consist of 7 experts led by an accomplished professor dedicated and with special competencies in new technologies necessary to address challenges of SCD in our communities. The Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder represents a bold effort by the UI-Research Foundation to foster efforts of the University of Ibadan to take the ‘bull by the horn’ in addressing a public health challenge that is peculiar to the African race.

The SCD-PEU provides a platform for seminars, academic and professional networks and discussion forum in the form of journal clubs for identifying priority challenges in  SCD, collective development of pragmatic research approaches, selection of potential interdisciplinary ‘low hanging fruits’ among approaches to solutions, testing of potential solutions and rapid opportunities to scale up interventions collectively.

Advantages of the Sir Peter Aliu Sickle Cell Disorder Professorial Experts Unit (Sir Aliu SCD-PEU)

The novel approach of a Professorial Experts Unit provides unique opportunities for the team of 7-10 research and clinical experts to address the challenges of sickle cell disorder with a comprehensive, detailed and focused workplan. The SCD-PEU team covering a broad spectrum of specialties and disciplines and working with both national and international networks will be capable to:

• Develop effective public health strategies for managing the health of people living with sickle cell disorder in Nigeria.
• Develop appropriate sociocultural strategies to reduce inheritance of sickle cell gene among the population in Nigeria.
• Organize collaborative drug discovery platform for identifying bioactive components of natural products and traditional medicine used by people living with sickle cell disorder in Nigeria.
• Acquire competencies in advances in genomics and gene editing applications in sickle cell disorder.
• Produce essential impact publications every year.
• Generate and bring continuous public attention to the challenges of public health management and impacts of SCD on the communities.
• Create national and international networks to refocus attention by Africans on a unique African challenge.

The team is expected to become a resilient leadership group producing innovative products and strategies on SCD in Nigeria in 5-10 years. The SCD-PEU is named after Sir Peter I.O. Aliu KSG, NPOM a philanthropist leading the financial donations for implementing the professorial unit.

The creation of the knowledge translations platform by the University of Ibadan Research Foundation: This is designed as a framework to support a national “Think Tank” designed to facilitate collaborations between the broad spectrum of institutions. The primary aim is to stimulate translation of research findings to innovations, new strategies evidence and policy options to sustain the contributions of Agriculture, Artificial Intelligence (AL), Commerce, Energy, Health, Infrastructure and Security sectors to economic development of Nigeria.

The “Think Tank” aims to become a significant regional hub to foster global partnerships for promoting high scholastic standards and translations of research outcomes. The success of the initiative requires creation of Special Thematic Working Groups (STWG) consisting of experts from academia, research institutes, civil society, media and the private sector in selected thematic fields to serve as the ‘driving engine’ of the ‘Think Tank’. Each Special Thematic Working Group requires partnerships and agreement with specialized institutions, international organisations working in Nigeria or private companies actively engaged in the thematic area of the working group in Nigeria to host and foster the ideal of independent engagement.

These laudable initiatives are dedicated to foster the vision, and mission of the University and to sustain the premier position of the University of Ibadan as pioneer leader in efforts to foster “knowledge economy” for sustainable social and economic development of Nigeria. Our goal is to make the University of Ibadan the lead institution using research and innovations to propel Nigeria towards taking its pride place in global economy.

These initiatives of the UI-Research Foundation are implemented with donations from individual philanthropist, international grants as well as private sector funding support. This pragmatic approach of funding promises to make the initiatives and products of the UI-Research Foundation transparent and only reflect independent thinking, analysis, dedication and contribution to national development.

We take this opportunity to invite you to join the UI-Research Foundation as a special contributor to support the emphatic declaration of the readiness of the University of Ibadan to lead the pioneering efforts on “Partnerships to Make Research Count for National Development”.

Professor Ayoade MJ. Oduola
Director, University of Ibadan Research Foundation.

Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder

“Competencies and Leadership for Improving Lives of People Living with Sickle Cell Disorder”

Background and Rationale

Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) is an inherited disease associated with periodic pain and multiple organ damages. The disease is caused by a genetic blood disorder resulting from a single nucleotide substitution (T>A) in the beta globin gene on chromosome 11 in human (Brousseau et al 2007). This alteration produces hemoglobin S (HbS) responsible for the abnormal shape of the Red Blood Cells (RBC) and sickling in the individual.

The frequency of HBS gene in the human population correlates with malaria endemicity (Charache et al. 1995; William et al. 2005). This parallel could have been due to natural selection in the populations living in areas with malaria transmission. Significant per cent of babies born with SCD each year are born in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where malaria is also endemic. The incidence in other countries especially temperate countries where there is no malaria is increasing due to migration. United States of America (USA) has the highest incidence outside of malaria endemic countries due to historic reasons. An introduction of appropriate remedies and comprehensive public health programs in these high-income countries has reduced childhood death by 70% and prolonged life of individuals born with HBS.

Unfortunately, despite the high incidence and historic origin of SCD in Africa, the public health programs in SSA countries focusing on SCD are not effective (Mnike et al. 2016; Rahimy et al. 2009). The drugs for clinical management of patients and strategies for mitigating the long-term impacts on the lives of people living with SCD are ineffective, toxic and expensive. Fifty to ninety percent (50-90%) of infants born with SCD in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), if not properly managed, are believed to die by age of 5 years. Most residents of Africa living with SCD turn to alternative medicines. A significant number of natural products and traditional medicine have been evaluated and shown to have potential influence on the clinical profile of the SCD. A combination of lack of effective public health programs and effective standard treatment represent a challenge to clinicians and families who have to manage SCD in children and adults. The new advances in genomics, genetics and sociocultural understanding provides a wealth of new knowledge valuable for generating innovative products and strategies on the challenges of this old genetic disorder. There is a need to strengthen the competencies and leaderships of the academic, clinical and professional leaders in Africa to explore and take advantage of the values of the new knowledge in addressing the gap in public health management and efforts to ameliorate the suffering of the people living with SCD.

Objectives and Target of the Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder

The University of Ibadan Research Foundation was established in 2014 to foster research capacities, competencies and contributions of leaders at the University of Ibadan to socioeconomic development in Nigeria. The UI-Research Foundation has now created a novel platform, ‘the Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder. The unit is named after one of the illustrious sons and a leader in the country, Sir Peter J. O. Aliu, KOS, NPOM. The log-term aim of the Sir Aliu Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder (Aliu SCD-PEU) at the University of Ibadan Research Foundation is to support the effects of an interdisciplinary platform to acquire competencies and create experts’ networks to address challenges of clinical and public health management of SCD in Nigeria. The multidisciplinary platform at the University of Ibadan will use new advances in research to facilitate the development of novel interventions for Sickle Cell Disorder.

The objectives of the Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disease are to:

• Bring together and facilitate collaborations among experts at the University of Ibadan, national organizations and international partner institutions for the development of a novel platform for research and public health management of SCD in Nigeria.
• Facilitate multidisciplinary research by research leaders, clinical and public health experts, leaders in genetics and genomics, drug discovery and ethnobotanical studies at the University of Ibadan to focus efforts on better understanding, articulating pragmatic strategy options and establishing effective public health programs necessary for meeting the challenges of SCD in Nigeria.
• Create and collaborate with national and international organisations to community outreach programs to share information and produce roadmaps in efforts to reduce inheritance and the impacts of the Sickle Cell gene in the population.
• Partner with international organisations to develop capacities and competencies for experts in Nigeria on predictive mathematics models to start estimating the potential and feasibility of eliminating the Sickle Cell gene in the population.
• Support research on discovery and validation of therapeutic agents from ethnobotanic compendium and natural products in Nigeria.
• Create training programs for the development of future leaders that will assure sustainability and continuity of efforts on research and public health management of SCD in Nigeria.

The Team for the Sir Peter Aliu Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder (Sir SCD-PEU)

The concept and team being created for the Sir Peter Aliu Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disorder (Sir Aliu SCD-PEU) are based on the paradigm of ‘strength in number’, team work and networking for collective good. The (SCD-EU) will focus on acquiring capacities at three levels valuable for developing sustainable competencies for innovations in meeting public health needs of people living with SCD. The Sir Aliu SCD-PEU will be initiated with 7 experts led by an accomplished professor dedicated and with special competencies in new technologies necessary to address challenges of SCD in our communities. The team is expected to become a resilient leadership group producing innovative products and strategies on SCD in Nigeria in 5-10 years. The Sir Peter Aliu Professorial Experts Unit on Sickle Cell Disease (Sir Aliu SCD-PEU) will be led by:

• A Professor who will serve as the leader of the Unit will be recruited through  open competition including candidates from diaspora communities.
• Four Research Career Fellows selected from different Faculties at the University of Ibadan to produce an interdisciplinary group that can capitalize on low hanging fruits for immediate impacts and innovations in the field.
• Two Postdoctoral Fellows  to maintain a succession pipeline and sustainable research efforts in the field.
• Four Postgraduate Scholars to be trained as leaders of tomorrow in the field of Sickle Cell Disorder.
• Interns from School of Nursing and School of Health Technology.
• Community Outreach Program in partnerships with national and international organisations at the UI-Research Foundation.

Although the initial group will consist of these experts, it is anticipated that creation of networks, institutional partnerships, collaborations and grants funding organized by the team members will expand the numbers of experts working together beyond the primary team.

The administrative offices of the Sir Peter Aliu Sickle Cell Disorder Professorial Experts Unit (Sir Aliu SCD-PEU) will be domiciled at the University of Ibadan Research Foundation Building, Ajibode, Ibadan. The technical activities of the Experts Unit will be hosted by one of the Faculties of the University of Ibadan based on the immediate priorities identified by the Unit for the focus of activities. The group is mandated to promote interdisciplinary collaborations across faculties and with national partners.

Isaac Folorunso Adewole Library of Tomorrow (IFA-LoT)

‘Knowledge/Information for the Research Communities to Address Societal Needs at the Fingertips’

The premier position and roles of the University of Ibadan in training future leaders for Nigeria and Africa underscore a need for the University to continue to excel, especially in efforts to pioneer new frontiers in research, teaching, professional career development and services to the communities. The competencies of the staff of the University to pursue these laudable missions must be updated continuously in order to retain the pioneer leadership position and to adequately focus efforts on national development. The collective expertise, covering the whole spectrum of research from basic discovery and translations of research in the Natural and Applied Sciences, Arts, Humanities, Social and Physical Sciences is necessary to promote high scholastic standard required of these positions. As we celebrate 70 years of pioneer leadership the University of Ibadan continue to develop these competencies with novel initiatives to foster Continuous Professional and Career Development (CPCD) necessary to enhance success of each staff and the faculties of the University of Ibadan. The ability to sustain this continuously renewed citadel remains the cornerstone of efforts to retain the position of the University of Ibadan as the premier provider of the best quality education, research, training and services to the students and stakeholders in the region.

Today, active engagement in quality research and effective delivery of the societal needs require access to new knowledge necessary to be successful in competition for funds that are only available through research grants, philanthropic donations and partnerships. Access to both international and national grant funds to support research is currently limited and philanthropic giving requires strong justifications. Grants, funding and access to donations have also become highly competitive due to the global economic downturn. Success on the application processes thus demand that each faculty member and staff build upon the traditional academic strengths and expand their scope of competencies in the landscape of news knowledge, opportunities and gaps in societal needs. Success in this respect underscores the critical need and imperative to strengthen access to knowledge and expertise that will make the individual leaders at the University of Ibadan highly competitive and successful in seeking funding to meet the vision and mission of the premier institution. More importantly, the enhanced knowledge, competencies and capacities will increase opportunities to participate in both national and international multidisciplinary collaborations that could highlight the individual expertise and leadership.

The adage ‘Knowledge is Power’ and ‘Information is the currency of democracy’ have never been more fitting than now. Today, knowledge is the major currency for socioeconomic development, and access to information by our leaders of tomorrow is critical for a sustainable democratic dispensation in the country. More so, access to and communal sharing of knowledge and information among research leaders’ communities, solution seekers and implementers of solutions to challenges of the society are critical for success. The research communities in developing countries, especially in Africa often struggle to gain sustainable access to latest information, which could be crucial to success of applications for international funding, on research in different disciplines. Similarly, forums and platforms for communal exchange of knowledge and information sharing are limited. Several factors, including infrastructure, organization and funding, limit access to these important tools for research and crucial information in most countries of Africa. The creation of a Library of Tomorrow by the University of Ibadan Research Foundation is, therefore, an important pillar for the continuation on efforts on research platforms being developed to strengthen the leadership and to assure prompt access to knowledge by staff and faculty of the University of Ibadan. The Library of Tomorrow (LoT) at the UI-Research Foundation is a novel platform designed to make research information available at the ‘fingertips’ of research leaders, staff, partners and communities served by the University of Ibadan.

In 2014, the University of Ibadan took a giant step to establish the first Research Foundation in Nigeria (www.uirf.ui.edu.ng). The University of Ibadan Research Foundation (UI-Research Foundation) provides a research and capacity building platform to support leading edge research development and to nurture future research leaders for Nigeria.

Today, the University of Ibadan Research Foundation has created the Library of Tomorrow (LoT) named after one of the illustrious sons and a leader from the University of Ibadan, Professor Isaac Folorunso Adewole, FAS. The Isaac Folorunso Adewole, FAS-Library of Tomorrow (IFA-LoT) is designed to proactively engage young and leading minds; promote access to and foster discussions on leading edge knowledge on agriculture, arts commerce, education, health, infrastructure, philosophy, sciences and technologies that can uplift our society.

The Isaac Folorunso Adewole, FAS-Library of Tomorrow (IFA-LoT) Centre consists of 4 major platforms

1. Latest Research Information Dissemination and Sharing Platform (LRIP). This platform is designed to produce summaries of latest peer reviewed articles, reviews, discussions and proceedings for targeted dissemination among research leaders and communities at the University of Ibadan.
2. University of Ibadan Research Foundation Journal Club (UIRF-JC). The UIRF-JC is designed to provide a platform for free flow of discussions, knowledge sharing and networking among the leaders of the research communities in an informal, unencumbered and unfettered environment with periodic engagement of national and international partner organisations.
3. Community Information Outreach Platform (CIOP). CIOP provides a platform for taking ‘Gown to Town’ and it is designed for sharing, acquisition and dissemination of information with the communities, decision makers, program implementers and opinion leaders with the aim of promoting knowledge-based development agenda for the nation.
4. Training Platform for Early Career Researchers, Postgraduate Researchers and Staff. The platform provides periodic training workshops on search methodologies and search engines, creating reference databases, manuscript preparation, proposals and project management that are useful for career development and as tools for success in research career.