Research strategy and coordination
Guides the development and implementation of the University's research agenda, supports thematic research groups and interdisciplinary teams, and monitors research activities and outputs.
Research Leadership
The Director of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation leads OUK's research agenda.
Office holder
Prof. Kefa Chesire Chepkwony
Director, Research, Innovation and Commercialisation
About the Office
Research at the Open University of Kenya is led by the Director of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation, who heads the Directorate and guides the University's research agenda and thematic priorities. The Directorate works with Schools, Departments and other stakeholders to advance quality research and turn knowledge and ideas into practical solutions that benefit society.
Working with University units and partners, the Office supports staff and students across the whole research, innovation and commercialisation spectrum: from research and ideation to product development, enterprise development, commercialisation and scaling.
Guided by OUK's values of excellence, inclusivity, innovation and integrity, the Office promotes research that strengthens teaching, informs policy and practice, and contributes to social and economic development. It encourages digitally enabled collaboration by staff and students across disciplines and locations, reflecting the University's open and distance learning model.
Mandate
What the Office does
Research funding and grants
Identifies and shares funding opportunities, supports proposal development, and coordinates grant administration and reporting with the relevant University units.
Research ethics and integrity
Promotes ethical conduct, academic integrity and responsible management of research data, and guides researchers on the approvals their projects require.
Researcher development and knowledge sharing
Coordinates training and mentorship in research methods, grant writing and scholarly publishing, and supports credible publication and dissemination through conferences, policy briefs and the University's eRepository, while respecting confidentiality and intellectual property.
Innovation development and management
Works with Schools, Departments, industry and other stakeholders on innovation bootcamps, challenges and mentorship programmes, helps identify and assess promising ideas, and monitors their progress towards practical application.
Incubation and product development
Coordinates incubation programmes and access to technical and business support, and helps staff and students assess user needs, develop and test prototypes, and refine products, services and business models.
Intellectual property and commercialisation
Guides the disclosure, evaluation, protection and management of intellectual property, and supports routes to commercialisation such as licensing, technology transfer and enterprise formation, in line with University policies.
Acceleration and enterprise growth
Develops acceleration programmes for promising ventures with Schools, Departments and partners, supports business planning and investment readiness, and links ventures to markets, finance and specialist expertise for growth and scaling.
Get in touch
Work with the Directorate
The Directorate welcomes collaboration with universities, research institutions, government, industry, funders, incubation and acceleration partners, and communities to advance research, develop innovations and support sustainable enterprise growth.
Location
Nairobi, Kenya