DELSU Wins Research Grant, Embarks On International Collaboration

By Ben Nwanne

The Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) has taken its drive for cutting edge research and international collaboration a notch higher by the approval of Benneth’s Joint Canadian-Israel Research Programme to be conducted in Delta State University.

The research Team is led by Dr. Ben Azu, Head of Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences.

His research interest spans the study of neuropsychiatry, (neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders) and neuropharmacology, brain diseases including schizophrenia depression, Alzheimers diseases, Parkinson’s disease and stress-related neuropathological conditions.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Andy Egwunyenga, disclosed these while addressing a Convocation Press Conference under the title “ Another Bountiful Harvest!” yesterday at Abraka.

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According to the Professor of Parasitology and Entomology, the research grant worth 500,000 Canadian Dollars, (over N250,000,000) for a period of four years, would be used to conduct different aspects of the research .

The research grant, in the words of the Vice-Chancellor “is to investigate the outcomes of senescence on microglial physiological and immune functions: implications for viral infections and Alzheimer’s disease pathology along the ageing trajectory” which is jointly funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Israel Science Foundation, ISF and the Azrieli Foundation.“

The grant is to be independently hosted by three co-principal investigators at Delta State University (DELSU) in the Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Basic Medical Science, Dr. Maria-Eve Tremblay (from the Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria), and Dr. Dan Frankel of the Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv, Israel”

Professor Egwunyenga who is giving DELSU an enlightened and committed leadership, explained further that “the Joint Canadian-Israel Health Research Programme would provide funding for researchers from middle income countries to form multidisciplinary Teams and work on cutting edge biomedical and global health research. Additionally, the Canadian Israel Phase 2 grant is partly aimed at training postgraduate students and post-doctoral fellows as well as undergraduate students for a period of four years. Also, the grant would feature the exchange programme of trainees (postgraduates and a post doctoral between the three Universities as well as organizing symposiums during the study across the different Universities involved”.

Additionally, the Vice-Chancellor noted that the University’s Centre for Research and International Programme (CRIP) has the mission and vision to use ICT to drive the research, linkages and internationalization of the University with the goal to help “make the University the epic centre of multidisciplinary research that is providing solutions to the problems of the tax-payers, communities, government, private sector and humanity in general. On linkages and internationalization, our goal is to engage the University in linkages and partnerships with other Universities as well as both governmental and non-governmental bodies within and outside the country to make our University globally visible”.

Professor Egwunyanga, a former Rector of the Delta State Polytechnic, Ogwashi-Uku used the opportunity to comment on Delta State University’s ranking status.

According to him, the latest global ranking of Universities by Alper-Doger Scientific Index, Delta State University was ranked as the 27th best University in Nigeria among the over 200 Universities in the country and the 4th best among the State owned Universities, and the best State University in the South-South and South-East Zones of Nigeria.

Similarly, another highly recognized global Universities ranking body Webometrics in its own latest ranking, placed the University at 194th out 2087 Universities in Africa and 24th out of over 200 Universities in Nigeria, based on verified Google Scholar citations.

He also informed the journalists, members of the University community and other guests that the University got qualified and invited, for the first time in January 2023, for the latest and ongoing global Times Higher Education (THE) ranking of Universities, despite the stringent conditions for participation.

A former ASUU-DELSU Chairman, Professor Egwunyenga explained that in order to ensure compliance with University global best practices and competitiveness, four policy documents including Environment policy, Security Policy, Plagiarism Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy have been developed in the past two years while two others namely Gender Policy and Copyright-Policy have been added this year.

During the Question-and-Answer segment, ten journalists were given the opportunity to ask questions ranging from sustainability of its unbroken academic calendar to sports, electronic transmission of transcripts, establishment of additional three Universities in Delta State, among others.

The articulate Vice-Chancellor answered all the questions by providing rare insights and explanations. In response to the question on the establishment of new Universities in Delta State, Professor Egwunyenga said it was a welcome development as DELSU alone could not offer admissions to the over 26,000 Delta State applicants. He also noted that the new Universities would encourage competitiveness, rather than monopoly, which encourages complacency.

Soon after, the Vice- Chancellor declared open an Art Exhibition at the Bruce Onabrekpeya in the Department of Fine and Applied Arts Studios where he saw beautiful art works in different media especially, the pencil work of the Vice-Chancellor’s portrait by Peter Otojameri, which attracted a lot of attention.

Accompanied by his wife, Professor Mrs. Ebele Egwunyenga, the Vice-Chancellor described the theme of the exhibition *“Leadership, Freedom and Social change”* as “apt”. As if that was not enough for the day, the Vice-Chancellor and his wife along with Principal Officers of the University, watched an interesting novelty football match between Deans and Directors of the University which ended in a 2-2 draw.