Research and Community Service V/President

Solomon Zerihun (PhD)

Dire Dawa University is one of the second-generation Ethiopian universities. The university is striving to be leading university in applied research and community-based engagement activities.  It has an ambitious vision of becoming a premium choice in Ethiopia and among the top ten Applied Science Universities in Africa by 2030. Research and Community Services Vice President office set its ten- and five-year strategic plan in which helps for the achieving of university vision and mission.  All activities under the office have the following core values: quality and applied research, diversity of researchers and research areas, equity and gender balance in research and innovative approaches in community service and technology transfer. As the city is rich in culture, tolerance and other values, the university gave high priorities for indigenous knowledge. Now, under the office of research affairs directorate indigenous knowledge center coordinator has been established. 

 Dire Dawa university has given more emphasis to minimize shelf-life time of validated research works and to address end users of the research. For this purpose, research and community vice president office established an office “research publication, documentation and dissemination directorate” which is responsible to push one step forward on these issues. In addition, Institute/college-based conferences, workshops, annual proceedings, and publication in reviewed journals are part of it. Some completed research works and technologies also communicated to end users through coordination of community service/engagement and university industry linkage-technology transfer directorates.  We have also established publication journal “Harla Journals”.

The university welcomes researchers, research institutions, government and non-government organizations, universities and any other interested bodies to collaborate and work with us in the area of research, community engagement/service, technology transfer and innovation. The University has very experienced senior and devoted young academic and research staffs who are very much committed to working with partners.

Sincerely, 

Currently, Dire Dawa University has six research themes:

1. Governance, Sustainable Development, Logistics and supplies management
2. Population, Gender Issue, Substance Abuse, Vulnerable Groups and Social Behavior
3. Manufacturing, processing technology, Sustainable Urban Development, Urban Agriculture 
4. Tropical communicable and non-communicable Disease
5. Renewable source of energy, Natural resource and environmental management
6. Basic Science and Mathematics Research

Directorates under Research and Community Vice President:

1. Vice President Office Directorate
2. Research Affairs Directorate
3. Community Engagement Directorate
4. Research publication, Documentation and Dissemination
5. University Industry Linkage-Technology Transfer
6. Institutional Review Board