Our Services(CEPI)

Leadership

• Providing a breeding ground to foster a more scientifically literate society of knowledge-driven and empowered citizens, able and interested to participate in and support democratic processes, including decisions of Research and Innovation financing, and evidence-based policy making.

Research and Training

• Monitor, manage and maintain dealings from the three sub-units namely; Research & Innovation, Administration, Projects and Training, and Community Relations and Outreach, and making recommendations to that effect and;
• Coordinate, collate and conduct research (including research on innovative approaches) to inform and include in the development of norms, standards, guidelines, tools and new technologies for the advancement of Community Engagement projects.

Relationship Building and Networking

• Promote knowledge sharing, networking and cooperation for the benefit of the University and the Community;
• Build relationships, as well as connect people with skills, tools and networks;
• Identify and liaise with potential innovation partners, individuals, organizations, and governments within the region to pursue the innovation strategy and;
• Work with community action groups to design and deliver projects that help to improve wellbeing.

Public Speaking and Education

• Deliberative dialogue through projects that intentionally bring people together to build understanding across differences;
• Encourage members of the community to learn to speak up and speak out, to increase their civic agency, which can be defined as the capacity of members of a society “to work collaboratively across differences like partisan ideology, faith traditions, income, geography and ethnicity to address common challenges, solve problems and create common ground.”
• Train skilled public speakers who will shape arguments and use examples that will resonate with their audience to deliver powerful, well-executed, and meaningful speeches and;
• Employ public speaking as a vehicle for civic engagement by demonstrating how to address issues, think critically, engage in productive dialogue, formulate sound arguments, and develop an ethic of advocacy.

Innovations and Awareness Creation

• Increase community awareness of opportunities for research participation and engaging community members to ensure an understanding of the benefits (and costs) of participating in research;
• Define and prioritize key innovation projects across themes and localities based on a carefully-drawn selection criteria;
• Contribute towards building tools, knowledge products, process maps, and services that would increase the potential of open data to generate wider social impact and;
• Implement or support specific projects that increase or hasten access, analysis, understanding, interpretation, and dissemination of data to tackle specific social, economic challenges.