Making of an Entrepreneur University through University-Industry partnership: Institute of Petroleum Studies, Uniport - Nigeria a case study

The World Bank in 2013 established an Africa Centre of Excellence in Oil Field Chemicals Research (CEFOR) at University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, to address regional development challenges in the oil and gas industry. The Centre is well positioned to deliver professional and high quality service to the industry through capacity building and cutting edge research. The motivation for establishing this Centre is the desire to promote home grown and regional research networks that will help to develop the human capital in Africa. Specifically, the Centre possesses good learning infrastructure and focuses on research programmes relevant to the private sector. The post-graduate courses and research are designed, organized and taught on a modular basis with teaching responsibility shared amongst experienced and active resource persons from the collaborating universities and industry partners. Also, staff development is a priority through support for faculties to attend national and international specialized short term trainings, workshops and conferences. Our strong university - industry relationships with the resultant cross-fertilization of ideas, have continued to be veritable source of solution to development challenges especially as they relate to the oil and gas sector. We are therefore seeking for collaborations with Universities and Industries for exchange programmes that will enable us develop faculties, run post-graduate studies and undertake joint research, run short courses, and develop human capital in Africa. The strategic plan of the Institute of Petroleum Studies (IPS) where (CEFOR) is domiciled is structured to establish centres of excellence in the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry. Every centre will be developed on the basis of collaboration, exchange and linkages with reputable international and national institutions, as well as national and international professional bodies for professional certification. Through these collaborations and partnerships, IPS is now strategically poised to become an entrepreneurial institute, a research centre and the training hub for the petroleum industry in the Gulf of Guinea. No doubt, collaborative research efforts and exchange programmes among African Universities will enhance capacity building, provide a platform for quality training and regional applied research networks to address regional challenges and promote specialization.